Robert-Jacques de Joly (,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

– ,

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

) was a famous French

caver Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

and

speleologist Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...

. Considered by some as the successor to

Édouard-Alfred Martel Édouard-Alfred Martel (1 July 1859, Pontoise, Val-d'Oise – 3 June 1938, Montbrison), the 'father of modern speleology', was a world pioneer of cave exploration, study, and documentation. Martel explored thousands of caves in his native Franc ...

(the "father of modern

speleology Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology). ...

"), de Joly was a leading figure of French speleology between the

world war A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

s (along with

Norbert Casteret Norbert Casteret (19 August 1897 – 20 July 1987) was a famous French caver, adventurer and writer, and is one of the most recognisable names in caving worldwide. Following Édouard-Alfred Martel (the "father of modern speleology", although Cas ...

) and into the 1960s. De Joly was an active cave explorer throughout his entire life, from age fourteen until shortly before his death at the age of eighty. He was known for his physical strength and strong personality, and was responsible for inspiring and training many successful and influential cavers. De Joly is credited with the invention of the lightweight, portable steel-cable ('electron') ladder, a tool that expanded the possibilities of cave explorations and became standard caving equipment for the next fifty years. Amongst his numerous explorations was the , one of the most beautiful caves in France, later developed into a

show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...

. In 1930 de Joly founded the and revived the publication ''Spelunca'', and in 1936 he helped found the (SSF), of which he became president. De Joly traveled throughout Europe and North America representing France at speleological conferences. His reputation was such that he was tasked with many commissions from various government departments. De Joly authored numerous articles and three books, including which was later translated into English as ''Memoirs of a Speleologist'' and continues to inspire generations of cavers today.

Honours

* Grand Bronze Medal of the Touring Club de France (1928) * Red Medal of the (1929) * Grand Silver Medal of the (1931) * Hydrogeology Prize of the (1931) * Ministry of Education award (1936) * Member of the (1939) * Member of the (1940) * Vice-president of the (1950) * Knight of the , for military service (1950) * Medal for Research and Invention (1958) * Gold Medal from the (1953) * Gold Medal for Tourism (1960) * Officer of the , for service to speleology (1967)

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joly, Robert De 1887 births 1968 deaths Sportspeople from Paris French cavers French speleologists