The club was formed by John Graham Esplen, St Catharine's, on 9 June 1954. It sought to support worldwide expeditions led by university members through the provision of: networking opportunities for persons wishing to organise and/or support expeditions, a speaker programme, a store for expedition equipment, a cache of information on potential sources of funding and equipment, a library of maps and expedition reports, and publication of a club magazine. The associated Cambridge Expedition Committee approved around twenty-five CUETC-advocated trips annually. These expeditions were usually concerned with academic research or field work in undeveloped countries. The club's members were largely, though not exclusively, undergraduates. It liaised closely with the Geography Department and the Cambridge University Expeditions Fund. At some point between 1985 and 2007 the club changed its name Cambridge University Expeditions Society. Information about its activities is on its website at http://www.srcf.ucam.org/cuex/.