On the Hill 2003 (online version)

It does not seem five minutes since I was writing my first forward to an MRS newsletter and now I am making my last contribution to OtH as SO2 MRS. The old adage that time flies when you are enjoying yourself has been most appropriate. If you have not heard I am handing over the reins as SO2 MRS to Sqn Ldr Brian Mennie.

Many of you know Brian from Kinloss and Leeming. The main challenge for the MRS over the past six months has been maintaining operational teams during the frenetic operational tempo caused by Telic and Fresco. I am pleased to say that the Service has once again risen to the challenge albeit manning has been very tight on a number of occasions. Operationally it has been another relatively quiet period with most of the jobs involving assistance to civilians. Two of the highlights include a technical job on Liathach by the Kinloss team, and a two-day search by the Stafford team in the Snowdonia area.

Alister Haveron pictured in 1968

[Photo courtesy of Ray ‘Sunshine’ Sefton]

Training has continued apace with a very successful Team Leaders Course based at Kinloss and Skye that you will read about later. Thanks to all those involved especially the troops who participated in the exercise in the Cuillin, in such lovely weather conditions !! The Winter Course started off looking like a Summer Course; however, despite some of the best Scottish weather, in the end it was ultimately very successful. Moreover, the use of the JSATC at Ballachulish as the base for the second week was also a resounding success. Unfortunately, the busy operational tempo did result in the cancellation of an ice climbing MFT exercise to Canada to train our future winter climbers - hopefully next year. On a more positive note, at the time of writing, an exercise to climb Mount McKinley in Alaska in May/June is still on the cards. Furthermore, we are awaiting a decision on whether HMS Endurance can help us with a proposed expedition to South Georgia in December this year.

Congratulations and well done to the MRS personnel who received commendations and awards in the New Years Honours list, details of which you can read about a little further on. A particular thanks and well done to Alister Haveron, who is bowing out after an amazing 35 years in the MRS. There is a tribute to Alister – ‘The Whippersnapper’ – in this edition. John Roe relinquished control of the St Athan Team in March, and is going to be replaced by ‘Ginge’ Williams. I would again like to pass on the thanks of the Service to John for his outstanding leadership of the Team. As you will also see later on we will soon be losing Bill Batson. Without pre-empting his final months as MRSCI, he has been an outstanding ambassador and mentor to the Service, and when he goes he will be sorely missed.

Other news includes the introduction, after a lot of blood, sweat and tears, of the new C3 vehicle. Furthermore, by the next newsletter the new 4-Tonner replacement programme should be almost coming to fruition. Also, the MRS HQ Flt is putting the final touches to a MRS intranet site.

This article was first published in the RAFMRS Newsletter

I would like to say a personal thank you to all members of the MRS for the outstanding hospitality, support, advice and opinion (all different and by the bucket load) I have received during my tour. I am sure all will continue to do the same for Brian. It has been my privilege to work with such dedicated and passionate individuals who selflessly give up much of their own personal time in that most noble of causes; to assist others in trouble whensoever they are asked. Keep safe on the hill and I may come ‘cap in hand’ to ask if I can guest some time.

Sqn Ldr Shane Spence, SO2 MRS

A VIEW FROM THE CHAIR

On the Sunday morning following the 50^th ‘anniversary’ at Bangor in September 1993 a meeting as held at which it was decided that it was time to create an official RAF MRS association and so the MRA was born. AVM Bob Honey agreed to be the Patron and his first action as such was to seek and receive Air Force Board endorsement of the RAF MRA. The aims of the association were then, and still are, to:-

Maintain and foster an interest in the RAFMRS, its history and achievements.

Continue the comradeship that members found in it.

Compile a register of those known to have been involved since the start of the service.

Encourage, and where appropriate arrange, reunions, and offer other events.

Record, and where appropriate publish material about the service’s past and present.

I think we can confidently state that we have met all of these aims, we have almost 300 paid up members, our annual journal On the Hill plus Newsletters keep us in touch with the current Troops, their rescues, expeds and epics! Reunions have now become an annual event and are rotated between locations to share the travelling, there is a fair proportion of “do you remember old so-and-so?” and the odd pint is quaffed. Other activities have also been organised although none has come close to Pete McGowan’s ‘Wee Walk’ from Land’s End to Cape Wrath to mark the Millennium and raise money for a Jumbulance. The register is steadily growing and contains more than 1500 names, and thanks in particular to the growth of websites plus On the Hill, there has been a considerable volume of articles published and this year will see Two Star Red, The 1943 Graham Log and Pib Pibworth’s jottings all available online at www.rafmra.org.uk

The association owes a special debt to Professor Mike Graham, the son of Des Graham our founder. Mike not only gave us his father’s medals but also made a substantial donation to our funds and thus the memorial to his father and the MRS.

New members are always welcome, membership is normally limited to those who are or have been members of the MRS. Serving personnel should contact Paul ‘Semi’ LeBon the retiring Membership Secretary and Treasurer via the Stafford MRT (Paul is posted to Stafford from Leeming between the time this is being written and publication). Retired troops can contact any member of the committee or write to Paul c/o the Stafford MRT at Stafford, ST18 0AQ.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Brian Canfer

Chairman RAFMRA 01743 352173 sarmanuk@onetel.net.uk

Allied websites are www.rafmra.org http://www.firbeckfive.fsnet.co.uk

www.unity.edu/facultypages/womersley/On%20the%20Hill.htm

www.rafmra.org.uk

A VIEW FROM THE HILL

Every year, I start by wondering what I’m going to talk about, but this is an exception. This issue of OtH marks the 60^th anniversary of the Service’s foundation, and the 10^th of the formation of the RAFMRA. What’s more, it marks the departure of Alister Haveron from the RAF (but not from the MRA). I don’t want to embarrass the chap by heaping praises on his head (we all know how modest he is), but I do want to thank him for his patience and help, given unstintingly over the years. That was very necessary for someone who was in the Service for only 18 months during National Service.

Others are more qualified than I to affirm that he is equally ready to give help and guidance on the hill. Thank you, Alister. And Pat and Alister - enjoy North Wales.

Frank Card

FAREWELL TO THE WHIPPERSNAPPER

Bill Batson

(FS Bill Batson, MRS Chief Instructor RAF Stafford)

I was 11 years old when Alister Haveron joined the RAF Mountain Rescue Service; most of you weren’t born. He was posted to Leuchars MRT a year after joining up, the young loon with the loud voice soon became known as the “Whippersnapper”. From that time to this Alister has been away from MR for only a very short period. And now, finally, he is leaving, after more than 35 years “before the mast” – and you thought you knew about commitment.

During those 35 years Alister has served as Team Leader at Leeming and Valley and as DTL at Kinloss, Leuchars and St Athan. In 1982 he became (by natural selection) the very first Chief Instructor to the RAF MRS, working alone from a converted bedroom in the old Kinloss accommodation block, from where he tackled the many and varied challenges of the day. Suffice it to say that it now takes two officers, a flight sergeant and a chief tech to do the same job. Throughout his MR ‘career’ he has remained an incredibly strong mountaineer and will, I know, continue to see off the “young loons” to his very last day in the Air Force. Woe betide the troop who decides to give Alister a race on the hill – be warned – he may be old enough to be your father but by the time he’s finished with you you’ll wish you’d never slapped down that gauntlet in the first place. Trust me. I know.

The old fella’s no slouch on the crag either. The ‘man of a hundred Summer Courses’ (not to mention Winter courses) has climbed up, down and across virtually every crag in North Wales. To see him in action at the Moelwyns is to see a man at one with the mountain. Pairing up with Alister on a climb makes for guaranteed action and we’ve shared some great adventures. The Corner, The Gates, Nexus, Last Tango, to name but a few. Great days.

Jobs too. Hundreds of them. Perhaps his finest hour was leading the successful rescue mission to Borneo in 1994, where 5 British servicemen were rescued from a genuine near-death situation deep in Low’s Gully on Mount Kinabalu. Another, less well-known incident occurred back in the mid-sixties when Alister physically carried one of his own, exhausted, team-mates off the hill in desperate weather. Respect.

Alister received a BEM for services to MR in 1984 and an MBE in this year’s Queen’s New Year Honours list. Just rewards for a lifetime of dedication, inspiration and example.

Like all good things, everything must come to an end and so it is that Alister is finally leaving – not just MR, but the RAF. But not before he attends one last – his 30^th – Summer Course in North Wales. Alister’s name will no doubt go down on the Roll of Honour with the other MR greats – Lees, Hinde, McGowan, Heavy et al. So will this be the last we see of him? Will we hear that boyish giggle in the pub after a few too many pints or see that amazing Beatles wig ever again? Of course we will. Will we ever get to the top of the hill before him? Not a chance.

_____________________________________________________________________

Alister apparently c1968 courtesy of Sunshine

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THIS IS NOT THE END - JUST A NEW BEGINNING

Alister Haveron

January’s New Years Honours produced the following awards for the following MRS personnel.

WO Alister Haveron - MBE

FS Dan Carroll - MBE

Sgt Jason Taylor – AOC’s Commendation

Jnr Tech Ed Roberts – C-in-C’s Commendation

Wilkinson Sword of Peace 2002

The Sword was presented to the RAF Mountain Rescue Service by Air Marshal Sir Christopher Coville, Air Member for Personnel, with representatives from the five teams in attendance, in the Officers Mess at Kinloss. The main points for the award were Everest, F15 crash, Iceland, Alaska and charity work.

Alister Haveron

THIS IS NOT THE END - JUST A NEW BEGINNING

Alister Haveron

have been here before writing an article, when I finished my tour as WO MRS / Chief Instructor, six years ago, and had decided it was time to hang up my MR boots. That was short lived and I was soon back on the Kinloss Team. However, this time it is final as I finished in the Air Force in August. My career in the RAF has spanned over 37 years, with 33 years of it being spent as either part- or full-time in the MRS. It all goes back to early 1967 when I was posted to Leuchars from basic trade training, at St Athan, as a General Mechanic Mechanical. Being from Northern Ireland and with no chance of going home at weekends I decided to go out with the MR Team to see what they did and see whether I liked it or not. I had some experience of the outdoors, having been brought up in hills and peat bogs of Co Antrim. The rest is history.

My first weekend out was in mid February 1967, with the base camp being at Auchallater, near Braemar. We departed Leuchars at 6 o’clock on the Friday evening (some things never change: leave 6 o’clock on Friday evening, back 9 or 10 o’clock on the Sunday evening). The drive to base camp wasn’t uneventful with over a foot of fresh snow on the A93 as we travelled up through Glenshee. On reaching the Devil’s Elbow it all became too much for the three-tonner and it was all hands to the tailboard it was assisted up round the steep, sharp, bends. On arrival at Auchallater it was a case of shovelling away about a foot of snow before we could put the two,160-lb tents up, one for a cook shack and the other for sleeping accommodation. The more senior members used the nearby RAF owned Auchallater bothy. After a good night’s sleep and a hearty fried breakfast I was off up Glen Clunie with Ron Mennie and Scouse Houlighan for a drop off at Baddoch. Our route for the day was up the Baddoch Burn and then bearing left up onto Carn a’ Gheoidh and then out to Carn Bhinnein. We then retraced our steps back to Gheoidh, finishing off by taking in Carn Aosda and Cairnwell. I think the intention of the two old-timers was to give the young upstart a beasting in the fresh deep snow. However what they hadn’t bargained for was that I had been in the hills before and that I had just completed six months of basic training, which included lots of PT sessions. After a while of me tapping on their heels as they made track through the deep snow they decided I should take my turn in front; this certainly sapped some of my excess energy. In fact I found it very tiring but I tried not to show it and for that I had the privilege of breaking trail for the rest of the day. Bullying springs to mind, but never mind it was good character training and the start of my Munro-bagging. I finished the Munros on Ben Hope, many years later, with Has Oldham when I was TL at Valley and had taken the Team up to Fort William for an August grant.

Now back to my first weekend and the plan of action for the Sunday. It was going to be snow and ice techniques and stretcher lowering. So off again up Glen Clunie to the car park at Gleeshee ski centre and up onto the side of Carn Aosda. Here we practised step cutting, ice axe braking, belaying skills and use of crampons, prior to the stretcher lowering exercise. All this was fairly basic as it was being done before the days of ‘Deadman’ anchors, metal-shafted ice axes or harnesses and if my memory serves me right I think we were using 100ft hawser laid ropes, even though teams had 500ft braided Terylene rope. For stretcher lowering your basic anchor to the snow consisted of a hemp cord rapped round your body six times, tied off with reef knot. A large steel Hiat karabiner was then attached to the waistline and the lowering rope was then tied into it with a tarbuck knot, when using the hawser laid rope. The configuration of this particular knot was for it to act as a shock absorber when suddenly loaded. Your wooden shafted ice-axe was then plunged into snow as deep as possible and the rope was then rapped around the axe and brought back to your waist belt and tied off with a figure of eight knot on the bight. With the stretcher tied on and the casualty in the stretcher you were now ready to carry out the lower, using a basic body belay. It did work provide you dug your bum and heels well into the snow, but I doubt if it would meet today’s health and safety requirements. This was the method for lowering on the steeper ground and as the angle eased to speed things up the anchoring was dispensed with and the rope was just rapped around the ice-axes that were being plunged into the snow at approximately 80ft intervals either side of the stretcher down the slope. Unfortunately on this particular exercise the angle was still fairly steep and one of the lowers didn’t get the rope around the axe quick enough and the stretcher was last seen disappearing into the mist, heading for the A93 at 100mph. Luckily for the exercise casualty the stretcher didn’t turn over. This information is being divulged under the 36-year MR in confidence act, as it would not have been in the interest of the Team’s cred to have released it at the time.

A couple of call-outs that are well engrained on my memory and that I can recall from my first tour at Leuchars. The first one was for11 walkers that lost their way in the middle of the Aonach Eagach Ridge and had become cragfast, and the other was my first aircraft crash, for a Shackleton from Kinloss that crashed at Inverailort, near Mallaig. The Glencoe incident which happened on a September evening with the Team being alerted by one of the group who had managed to make his way down the side of the ridge to the Team’s base camp near Loch Achtriochtan. The troops had gone to the pub all but for this one dedicated, non-drinking Presbyterian boy who remained behind to act as base camp guard.

So there you are Sunsh, I wasn’t always a rebel without a cause. What I want to know is: why did you allow the troops to take me drinking and putting me through that whisky course which nearly killed me?

After getting both the Glencoe and Leuchars teams together on a Saturday night with the pubs just closed, I’m sure you can imagine what state most of the troops were in. With all the troops gathered at the Leuchars base camp, we set off up the side of the Aonach Eagach with the main lighting being Tilley lamps. Hamish was there and being one of the sober ones I followed him up with a Tilley. He knew the area like the back of his hand and led us all up to within100ft of the missing group and a rock band. It now called for rock climbers, so Sunsh stepped forward being the leader of men that he was and got ready to climb up. As Sunsh made his first few moves on the delicate greasy rock he slipped and Tim Hine grabbed him. What a hero you are TTH, saving our TL. Tim did say after that he shouldn’t have done it, as it would have given him a chance to become the TL. Anyway our leader, determined as ever, made it up to Hamish and assisted to lower the frightened walkers down to our position and easier ground. We then escorted them back down to base camp for a plate of soup and a cup of tea. It was now 5 o’clock in the morning and time for an easy day, with another 11 souls saved.

The Shackleton crash happened just before Christmas 67 and the Kinloss troops had been on the job for a few days when the RCC Pitreavie decided it was time to get the professionals, so Leuchars got the call. Kinloss was using Inverailort Castle owned by Mrs Cameron-Head; what fantastic accommodation and setting for a base camp! The LMRT joined up with the Kinloss boys in the castle and we had the run of the place along with about twenty cats. As for the smells, I’m not too sure whether it was the forty odd MR troops, with soggy kit drying out, or the cats. Our task when we got there was to search a very large area for pieces of aircraft that may have fallen off before it impacted and killed the 13 crew on board. We never found any stray aircraft parts. Personally I think we were only there to provide SAR cover for the Kinloss MRT as they had this member called ‘Boots’ who was either impossible to control or had no sense of direction, as we found him on at least two occasions as we swept across the misty hillside. They also had another close save when the great John Hinde, who had been in charge of KMRT for over seven years at that time, and his party, nearly got wiped out by a train as they walked along the Fort William to Mallaig line, in the dark, heading to the crash site. This was the first time I had met George Bruce and for the non-drinkers amongst us George was the evening entertainment with numerous jokes and much banter, whilst the others went to the local pub. I think there must have been a ‘lock in service’ at the hostelry as the troops were never back till long after the bewitching hour. Sunsh will be able tell you all about the late drinking.

My first Winter Course was in 1968, which I attended as a student. The course was based at the Norwegian Huts close to Glenmore Youth Hostel and the conditions were fairly basic to put it mildly. The huts were razed to the ground not many years later. The heating system consisted of ‘pot bellied’ stoves, which I’m sure many of you will remember from your Service days and especially during training. As for heating you would have been warmer bivi-ing on top of Cairngorm. I had a wonderful course, having a chance to snow and ice climb with some great great stalwarts like John Hinde, Pete McGowan and Jack Baines.

The next MR course I did was the Summer rock-climbing course, in North Wales, being run for the first at OAC Llanrwst, again in 68. Again I had a tremendous time, climbing with people like Has Oldham, Jim West and ‘Slim’ Hemmings on Lliwedd, East Face of Tryfan and Clogwyn Yr Oen in the Moelwyns. In the middle of the course I had an opportunity to do the 14 peaks which was seen as a bit of a challenge. One of the parties was being led by John Hinde and I joined the group, but for some foolhardy reason I dropped out at Ogwen, as I wasn’t happy with the speed we were travelling and decided I would do it again the following day with Pete McGowan, Has Oldham and Jim West. We slept on top of Snowdon to get an early start.

Up at the crack of sparrows, crossing the Crib Goch ridge and down to Ynys Ettws in 44 minutes as a group, but that was the last we saw of Has and Jim as they disappeared down the road to Nant Peris. (At this stage they had completed approximately 11weeks of their TL course and were as fit as greyhounds). Pete and I carried on at a more leisurely pace and by the time we got to Llyn y Cwn, and only halfway there, I had blisters the size of duck eggs, wearing my ‘curlies’. This was the nickname for the issue boots that we had at the time. They weren’t that bad, I used a similar pair to get to the summit of Mount Blanc a few years later. However, I persevered and we reached the summit of Foel-fras in nine and three quarter hours. Thanks Pete for the encouragement and patience all those years ago; completing it just inside the time I had set myself of 10 hours. Again another outstanding course, which gave me the inspiration and motivation to go back for more. I completed my 25^th Summer Course in May 03 at JSMTC Indefatigable, on Anglesey, under the leadership of the RAFMRSCI, Bill Batson. Thanks for a fantastic course and regrettably my last SC.

I had a wonderful enjoyable first tour at Leuchars due mainly to MR, with numerous outstanding days in the mountains of Scotland. All this was very much against the wishes of the grumpy old chief I worked for, who was anti-MR and strongly advised me not to continue with MR as it wasn’t in the interest of my long-term career. I’m glad I didn’t take any heed of his advice. If it hadn’t been for MR I would have left the Service after my original five-year contract.

After only three years at Leuchars I got an ‘out of the blue’ posting to Gan in the Maldive Islands, a staging post in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The highest point on the Island was 18ft above sea level and it was possible to walk all the way round the Island in about an hour and a half and that was usually in about 35 Centigrade, as it was only a few miles from the equator. Another interesting point was that there was only one woman on the island, working for the WRVS and luckily MR had only just converted me to drink at that stage in my career. The Jock troops, in the good old days, didn’t have time for women, only the mountains. That’s why I applied for my next MR tour at Valley and had the good fortune to meet Pat, who has been supporting me in my ventures ever since.

A few words of wisdom:

An experience, especially in youth, is quickly overlaid by others and is not at the moment fully comprehended. But it is overlaid, not lost. Time hurries it from us, but also keeps it in store, and it can be recaptured later and amplified by memory, so that at leisure we can interpret its meaning and enjoy its savour.

John Buchan, Memory Hold the Door

I’m going to move on now and miss out about 32 years, which I can hopefully go back to at a later date, when I have some memory recall and when I’m sitting by the fire with my feet up. My last weekend with MR was the late May grant 2003 in Grasmere. It was a joint Leeming and Leuchars exercise, thanks to the TLs Jimmy Clethero and Dan Carroll, with many of my friends from the past in attendance. The Saturday was a standard climbing/walking day and I joined a party of the Leuchars troops, lead by Dan Carroll of Everest fame. We headed off round to Patterdale, up to St Sunday Crag and did the classic grade 3 scramble Pinnacle Ridge which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We then changed to walking mode, taking in Fairfield, Grisedale Tarn, Dollywagon Pike, Helvellyn and down Stridding Edge back to the wagon. Back at Grasmere a sit down dinner was laid on for over 50 people in the bothy. Thanks to the two chefs for doing such an outstanding job and to Jimmy Clethero, John Ritchie and all the others who are too numerous to mention that were involved in the organisation. It was a fabulous evening / early morning and a great time was had by all. I’m sure the empty whisky bottles on the floor, in the morning, had nothing to do with me.

As it was a Grant weekend it was an opportunity to have an easier day on the Sunday so I organised a golfing challenge, at Kendal, for those that were that way inclined. So with slightly fuzzy heads, Heavy, Quackers, Bill B, Toby Buchan, Pete the new boy and I headed off to Kendal. We had a great day out, in glorious sunshine. Sorry nearly forgot: we were playing for the Al Sylvester Golf Trophy, this Al donated when he left ‘Big K’ as TL. Unfortunately due to banditry of handicap Heavy won; however if he hadn’t won we would never have heard the last of it. Even with him winning we still haven’t heard the last of it. He must have loads of time to practise his golf at Innsworth.

On the Monday I led a party from the New Dungeon Ghyll over the Langdale Pikes, out to Rossett Pike, up Bowfell and down the Band. It was another excellent day on the hill, slightly spoilt by the clag as we reached the summit of Bowfell. Thanks to all involved for giving me such a superb and memorable send off. It was great to see you all.

Now to my last working day in the Royal Air Force which was the 4 June 2003. Instead of the usual boring send-off from the Station (striped suit, bowler hat and umbrella), I opted for a day on the crag. John Ritchie, the Leeming DTL, and I headed off to Borrowdale in the Lakes to climb Troutdale Pinnacle, a classic 125m, Severe, route. I had climbed it a couple of times before, but it was to be the first time for John. We had had a couple of disappointments in the past when we had gone to do it. One due to a very slow party who had taken over an hour to do the first pitch and we gave up waiting and the other due to extremely wet, greasy rock, on the second pitch, when we ran away. However the conditions were perfect other than for a few English midges below the tree line. We had the route to ourselves, which was fantastic, when it is considered to be the best route at its grade in the Lake District, if not the whole of England. It a is delightful route with interest being maintained all the way. The final pitch has the sting in the tail, as it is the steepest, most exposed and the crux is the last move before the top. We couldn’t have asked for better; third time lucky worked. Thanks John for an excellent day out and I can’t think of a better way to spend your last working day in the RAF.

I’ll finish by thanking all those I have walked, climbed and been associated with during my RAF MR Service and I know there are hundreds of you out there. My time with MR has given me so much pleasure and so many outstanding memories to take with me on my next venture. Pat and I plan to purchase a guest house in North Wales, with maybe a little bit of mountain guiding throw in as a sideline, hopefully meeting some of you on the hills. Finally, all my best wishes to RAFMRS and long may it continue. Climb safe and always remember there is no ‘I’ in team.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY

collected by Frank Card

In last year’s issue, the two columns in this feature became, how shall I put it, rather cocked up by our software. Those good at word games might have found reading it something of a challenge. For ordinary mortals, however, here are those parts of the text which suffered in that way, but this time, for safety’s sake, in one column only. Editor.

A TASTE OF MOUNTAIN SEARCH AND RESCUE

JAMES HENDERSON, RETIRED POLICE SUPERINTENDENT

On the morning of Christmas Day, 1956, I was on duty along with several of my colleagues in the police station at Fort William, all of us looking very much forward to our Christmas dinner, and enjoying the bonhomie which normally prevails at such times, when someone said, “Oh, look at this”. I looked out of the window and saw a young lad making his way staggeringly towards our office. The remark was made by one of our lads to the effect that the young gentleman seemed to have been celebrating Christmas rather early.

However, it was immediately apparent that this was not the case; he was, in fact, extremely exhausted and incoherent in his speech. It became apparent that he was about to reveal a mountaineering mishap, and on regaining his equilibrium somewhat he was able to explain that he and four others while climbing Ben Nevis had become exhausted but was unable to say on which part. I then took him to see the relief model of Ben Nevis, which is kept at the police station for such purposes, but he was quite unable to make any sense of it: none of the gullies or other salient features was recognisable to him. He explained that they had gone in near a distillery and then followed a burn for some distance before actually starting the climb. I took this to be Allt a Mhuillinn on the way up to Castle Ridge. By the time they reached the summit they became exhausted and quite unable to face the return trek. They could see the lights of Fort William, and I realised that, instead of the summit of Ben Nevis, they were somewhere near the summit of Castle Ridge. His mention of seeing the lights made me realise that they had spent the previous night there, and this he confirmed. It was obvious that if not already dead, his mates would be in a very poor condition from exposure as the weather, although dry, was bitterly cold and stormy.

So much for our Christmas dinner: nothing else for it but to organise an advance search party and set off as soon as possible.

The advance party consisted of constables Duncan MacKenzie, George MacKay, Angus MacKay, William MacKenzie and myself. (Regrettably, all the constable are now deceased.) An advance party has to travel with the bare necessities in the interest of speed. Nevertheless we carried a Duff stretcher. Having contacted the Lochaber Mountain Team we set off by way of Allt a Mhuillin in increasingly worsening weather conditions.

In those days we were very poorly equipped, having neither suitable clothing nor proper equipment. We met two well equipped climbers on their way back and I asked one of them if I could borrow his ice axe. He let me have his ice axe against my signature on a scrap of paper. They then departed but not before explaining that conditions on the summit were well nigh impossible.

I despatched Duncan MacKenzie and George McKay some distance to the west, while I continued upwards to the summit of Castle Ridge with Angus MacKay and William MacKenzie. Some distance from the summit there is a steep but fairly smooth snow covered slope, relieved somewhat by the odd boulder projection. It had become clear that Angus and William, without the aid of ice axes, could not continue, and I left them in the meagre shelter of a cliff at the foot of the snow slope. I continued upwards alone.

The weather by this time was simply appalling. It was impossible to stand up; to have done so would have meant being blown off the ridge like a feather. Without the use of my ice axe I felt I would have been lifted off the surface. The severity of these conditions is well nigh impossible to describe. The gusts on striking the ridge sounded like tremendous peals of thunder lasting for several seconds, to be followed by several seconds of deathly silence; a most eerie sensation.

I have never, before or since, experienced anything remotely resembling the ferocity of the weather conditions prevailing that night.

I had earlier visions of being able to lead these unfortunate lads to safety, if they were still alive, but it became increasing obvious that nobody could have possibly survived such terrible conditions. I began my crawl backwards to the point where I had left Angus and William and shouted without response until, during one of the deathly silences, I heard a boulder crashing its way down the mountainside some distance away. I then had a response and we were able to join up.

By this time we could see the torch lights of the back-up team at the west end of Lochan Meall an Suidhe where they had sensibly decided

Our thanks go to the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, from whose journal these two accounts of one incident - the police account and the RAF Kinloss MRT report - are taken

Thanks, too, to Heavy Whalley, who passed them on to us

to stay. We joined these lads where it was discovered that Angus had very successfully erased the seat of his trousers, thereby allowing his posterior to enjoy an extra measure of frosty air, giving rise to a good natured banter by some of the inevitable comedians present.

Duncan and George then rejoined us to reveal their own hair-raising experience. Traversing a steep snow covered slope, Duncan slipped on his back and shot down several feet, and got his heel against a small projecting boulder which broke his descent, but he was quite unable to move for fear of another fall. George, who was carrying the Duff stretcher, undid the securing leather straps and tied them together, and was then able to release the stretcher, which, without an extra inch to spare, Duncan was able to grab. With their combined effort Duncan was able to inch his way out of danger.

The search was then abandoned and the parties returned to Fort William for the night. The following morning, the search was resumed in the same area, and we found the frozen stiff bodies of three of the victims not much more than 50 metres from where I had been on the previous night. The fourth victim was nowhere to be found in that area.

However, two ravens were seen circling high above Castle Ridge: an ominous indication that something was amiss. Despite much scanning through binoculars there was no sign of a body in the base area of the Castle precipice. It was impractical to conduct another SAR in that area that night, and we returned to Fort William with the three bodies already found.

Next morning in much better weather, a party set off for that area and after a brief search we found the fourth body. It was apparent that some time after his mate had left to report the matter to the police, he too had set off, but due to darkness, or numbness of the brain due to the cold, he lost his way and fell over the precipice.

The finding of bodies and their recovery is not the end of police responsibility in the matter; they have to notify the next of kin, and prepare and submit comprehensive reports for the information of the Procurator Fiscal.

Alas, I am no longer fit to engage in these operations, but naturally I am still very interested in the activities of our local search and rescue team. It is most gratifying that, to my knowledge, not one of the LMRT and the police team has come to grief in the execution of these operations. Long may that continue.

Timetable of events - the official RAF account

25^th December 1956

1530 PO Alexander and 9 members of the MRT set off up the tourist path with 1 Thomas stretcher, 1 casualty bag and 1 first aid box and pack.

1700 Party arrived at Half Way Lochan (144727), whence lights could be seen flashing at many points on Carn Dearg, suggesting that the climbers had not yet been found. (This was later confirmed by one of the police search parties descending the path from Carn Dearg.)

1700 Flt Lt Cooke and Kinloss party arrived at Forward Base. Sgt Younger and SAC Thompson sent to join search party. SAC Fraser arrived at Forward Base to report that the climbers had not been found, and that in view of the extremely high winds, freezing temperatures and darkness, the civilian parties were coming off the hill while the RAF team would spend the night at the CIC hut (166723). Since the day’s search had been unsuccessful it was decided to try to obtain more precise information from the surviving climber, and Flt Lt Cooke and SAC Fraser proceeded to Fort William hospital to try to interview him. Flt Lt Cooke and SAC Fraser returned to Forward Base and Fraser and LAC Comrie volunteered to take rations to the party in the CIC hut. Fraser thought that there might be a chance of finding survivors if a further search were made that night, and wished to take in the summit of Carn Dearg on their way to the CIC hut. In view of the extreme weather conditions Flt Lt Cooke advised against this. (It later transpired that Fraser and Comrie attempted to continue the search, but had to give up in the early morning owing to the ‘below zero’ conditions. That they attempted it at all reflects great credit on them for doing their utmost to try to save life.)

26^th December 1956

0830 MRT arrived at Half Way Lochan (143727). LAC Comrie was sent to forward base to report and to notify Base Leader that a red signal from Meall an t-Suidhe (138729) would signify that bodies had been found. From information received via SAC Fraser it was decided to search the area well to the north of Carn Dearg, near to the cliff edge, and the party was divided into pairs for this.

1015 LAC Muir and Sgt Younger located three bodies, which were frozen. A red signal was fired and all MRT parties (at 157722 app.) converged by 1030. A start was made in getting the bodies down by lowering them down snow slopes on ropes until scree was reached.

1330 A police party with one Thomas and one Duff stretcher arrived within a few hundred feet of the bodies’ original position after this party had seen more red signals. Their stretchers were lowered down the snow slopes to the scree below and four policemen also climb down. All three bodies were then made ready for lowering on the stretchers. No news having been received at Forward Base, Flt Lt Cooke and Cpl Hannon set out towards Carn Dearg to try to obtain information.

1530 Stretchers lowered down from the screes and hauling down the Allt a Mhuilinn began.

1815 First two stretchers arrived at Aluminium Works via railway bogie, and were transferred to civilian ambulance.

1845 Last stretcher arrived at Aluminium Works via railway bogie, and was transferred to civilian ambulance.

2000 Consultation with inspector at Fort William police station revealed that little hope was now held out for the fourth missing climber, and it was decided to defer a search for his body until 28^th, in order to give the search parties time to recuperate and reorganise, unless civilian volunteers were available on the morrow. Consent of RCC was obtained to this.

27^th December 1956

1000 Telecon. Flt Lt Cooke/police inspector at Fort William revealed that no civilian volunteers were available to search for the fourth body that day. It was therefore confirmed with RCC and OC Flying Wing that 2 x 3 tonners and eight members of the MRT should return to Fort William for this purpose.

1900 MRT arrived Fort William police station and was accommodated there overnight. In consultation with the police inspector it was decided to start as early as possible on the following day in view of the short daylight hours. The police accordingly warned the civilian volunteers to be ready for a start at 0600 on the following morning.

28^th December 1956

0700 A party 17 strong, composed of 8 RAF and 9 police and civilians, left the Aluminium Works with 1 Thomas stretcher and ropes to begin the ascent of Carn Dearg by the Allt a‘Mhuillin. A strong, blustery wind and occasional rain showers made the going difficult.

0815 At first light the party reached a small wooden shelter at approximately 155755 and the rain showers turned into snow. In the face of the strong wind-driven snow the party continued up the Allt a’Mhuillin path for one and a half hours before bearing right to ascend the scree and heather slopes leading to the foot of the crags to the North of Carn Dearg.

1000 After traversing for some 200 yards the upper party located the body lying on a steep snow gully some 40 feet below the commencement of sheer rock. The steepness of the snow gully made it necessary to keep the stretcher some 100 feet below the body on easier ground, and the body was secured by a rope and then lowered down to the stretcher from an ice axe belay. At the transfer point the stretcher party made a shelf in the snow, the body was strapped on to the stretcher, and the stretcher was lowered on ice-axe belays from that point for another 2 or 400 feet down to the Allt a’Mhuillin path. From this point the Thomas stretcher could be dragged over the frozen heather and controlled by eight men, although a halt was made at the wooden shelter previously mentioned, the party reached the Aluminium Works by1230 hours. The last mile was covered by means of the single-track Aluminium Works railway, the management having supplied a bogie and two diesel locomotives to bring the party down.

1230 It was then learned that the funeral of the three climbers was to be held at Fort William at 1300 hours on Saturday 29^th December, and permission of RCC was obtained for three members of the RAF Kinloss team to remain behind, one to represent the RAF at the funeral and two to take supplies of food up to the CIC hut in the Allt a’Mhuilinnn to relace that used by the search party on the night of Christmas Day.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team Journal

NO ORDINARY CALLOUT

The following letter appeared in the May [2002] issue of High.

Dear Sir

I read Frank Card’s article ‘No Ordinary Callout’ in last month’s High with considerable interest, not least because as a member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team I had been actively involved in the search for the missing aircraft and pilots.

It saddens me that Mr Card has chosen to write about this rescue because from the perspective of our team (bearing in mind that the crash happened on our patch near the boundary between the Cairngorm and Braemar MRTs) the handling of the search and rescue effort by the RAF was very poor.

A number of inaccuracies are also present in the article, some of which are detailed below.:

1. In normal Search and Rescue operations the police and local civilian teams organise the rescue. This allows rescuers with the best local knowledge to be deployed to the most likely search locations. In this case the RAF played the leading role without consultation with the local team and with Cairngorm MRT personnel consistently deployed in the least likely search locations. This in spite of the fact that many of the most experienced and knowledgeable members of the nearest RAF team (Kinloss) were in fact climbing on Everest at the time.

2. Those RAF personnel deployed to search the Cairngorm plateau near Ben Macdui were faced with deep new snow. Avalanche danger can present a problem in parts of the generally flat plateau, but local knowledge and careful route choice can easily circumvent this difficulty. Additionally, in these circumstances search efforts are hampered by slow progress on foot; CMRT has a dedicated ski section which could have searched the most likely areas far more quickly and effectively had we been deployed to the eastern plateau.

3. The weather that week (and especially the windspeed) was not unreasonable for the time of year, as the records from the Cairngorm weather station show. To put this in perspective, a party of students under instruction from Glenmore Lodge spent the whole of both Wednesday and Thursday (including overnight snowholes and night navigation) travelling across the Cairngorm plateau.

4. On the evening of the first night (Monday 26^th) we were stood down at 21.00 GMT. CMRT were tasked again on Tuesday 27^th to areas well away from Ben Macdui and our services dispensed with at 19.00, just as the RAF were ‘stepping up’ their search for the remaining missing pilot. On Thursday 29^th, with the pilot still missing, the CMRT Leader phoned the police to enquire why we were not searching with a man still missing in our search area. At 21.45 the Team Leader was contacted by Grampian police, who had by now taken over the SAR effort and asked to assist on Friday. The missing pilot was located very close to the wreckage at 11.45 on Friday, by a party including members of CMRT.

I have no wish to sour relations between civilian and RAF teams, who do generally work well together in their common goal of saving life, but it is galling to read an article which is so misleading. This is a private letter from me, but written with the full knowledge of the CMRT leader.

Cathy Mordaunt, Mondhuie

Frank’s response appeared in the July issue of High:

In her comments on my article No Ordinary Callout (March), Cathy Mordaunt (letters, May) queries why the RAF “played the leading role without consultation with the local team....”. Like pretty well anyone else closely involved with the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service I have but the highest regard for the civilian teams, so clearly some explanation is needed.

I was seeking to tell the story of an RAF Mountain Rescue Service operation from the RAF teams’ viewpoint, though I hope giving proper credit to other agencies at the appropriate points. As I thought all civilian mountain rescue teams were aware, the RAF Mountain Rescue Service is always the prime mover where aircraft are concerned. This is largely for reasons of training and expertise: aviation fuel, armaments, ejector seats and man-made mineral fibres all pose serious risks. (None of this precludes the RAF teams from helping the civilian MRTs on request, subject of course to service requirements.)

Overall responsibility for locating missing aircraft, both military and civilian, in the UK, rests with the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force, delegated to Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre at RAF Kinloss. When an aircraft is reported missing or crashed, the ARCC brings in one or more MRTs, the senior Team Leader acting as the ‘On Scene Commander’. On the F-15 incident, this was Flt Sgt Al Sylvester, Team Leader of RAF Kinloss MRT. RAF teams, incidentally, do not have ‘patches’; all are trained and equipped to operate anywhere in the UK and sometimes overseas. Some were in Bosnia when the bullets were flying; and readers may remember the SAR (with the Malaysian Air Force and other agencies) of two British Army officers and three Hong Kong soldiers on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, in 1994. WO Alister Haveron, who was on the F-15 search, was involved in both of these. Not only Kinloss and Leuchars personnel have Scottish MR experience; many members of the English and Welsh teams can claim the same. Cathy Mordaunt suggests that having civilian teams and police to organise the search “allows rescuers with the best local knowledge to be deployed to the most likely search locations.” Yes, where climbers are concerned, but searching for an aircraft, especially a fast jet, brings in other considerations: the direction and speed of the aircraft, the behaviour of a fast aircraft on impact, precisely when and where the radar blips disappeared, the ability to calculate parachute drift after ejection.

Missing aircraft are not like missing people; they move much faster. Teams need to search the whole area, and in poor visibility and deep snow, accurate navigation is important to ensure 100% coverage. It was not known that the crash was on Ben Macdui until a joint RAF Leeming/Braemar party found the site. When Alister Haveron’s party found the tailplane of the second aircraft and many other items on 28 March, it became fairly certain that the second pilot was at the crash site, probably buried under the snow. It was after this that the Grampian police took over the search; both aircraft had been located, and the search was now for a missing person.

Some of the RAF Kinloss team were indeed away on an Everest expedition, but that is not unusual and such enterprises are never allowed to hamper the service’s efficacy. [Indeed, they are encouraged as valuable extra training.*] Plenty of Kinloss experience remained; three on the search had a range of 32 to 20 years under their belts and might be a bit upset at the contrary implication Cathy Mordaunt is, apparently, saddened by the very fact that I wrote the article. I did so because the RAFMRS is one of my major writing areas, and the American double F-15 crash on Ben Macdui was one of the Service’s major incidents in its distinguished 58-year history.

It was the RAF that set up the first permanent mountain rescue teams in 1943, and since the war the relationship between the RAF and the civilian teams has been excellent. Long may that continue.

Frank Card, Braintree

· Omitted from the letter on publication.

MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF REAL LIFE

Peter Beaumont

his evening, weather being fine, I will be on my way to climb on one of Britain's finest mountain crags, Snowdon's Clogwyn du'r Arddu, a complex series of buttresses that at their highest reach around 500 feet.

Over the decades it has been a place close to the heart of British climbing, producing new challenges and adventure to each successive generation, culminating in the ascent of a route in the late 1980s which remains the epitome of control over risk, and a route where failure would almost certainly be rewarded with death. Climbs such as this - like pretty much all climbs, whether on frigid Patagonian and Baffin Island walls, in the Derbyshire Dales, on Himalayan giants or on ankle-snapping boulders - are pretty self-selecting. People do do stupid things, but on the whole the consequences of failure to those who pursue adventure tend to keep people honest about their ambitions.

This article was published in The Observer on Sunday 22 June 2003. Our thanks to Peter Beaumont and the editor for permission to use it.

Accidents happen. People die, but given the nature of the sport fatalities are still few and death is a risk people accept. I use that last word carefully. There is no contract. No one signs a piece of paper. People make mistakes out of tiredness, ambition or stupidity that sometimes have consequences for other people, sometimes fatal. In the past it was - again - accepted. These days, however, it is an idea that appears increasingly to be under attack. Whether it is mountaineering, polar travel, cave diving, big-wave surfing - adventure is being incorporated into the blame game. Last week it was the turn of Reinhold Messner to announce he was going back to Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas to try to find the body of his brother, Gunther, who died there on an expedition with him in 1970. His return follows accusations that the allegedly imperious Rheinhold, now an MEP, was responsible for the demise of his brother. A few weeks before it was the turn of Pen Hadow, who had walked unaided to the North Pole, a fantastic effort, only to return to criticism because his air recovery from the Pole was delayed by bad weather. Jon Krakauer's readable account of the 1996 Everest tragedy was, when it came down to it, a litany of blame.

What it represents is a more insidious process - the slow closure of a psychological space where, in a world increasingly obsessed with safety, it is still possible to step outside of its embrace. The end point of this process is the kind of policing of adventure already visible in some parts of the US.

I came across it last autumn among the granite walls of California's Yosemite Valley where the National Park's Rangers charged a British climber rescued from one of the multi-day climbs with a criminal offence because they did not approve of his self-belay system - which had held a fall but which caused rope burns to both hands. It was brought home to me again last week by the clauses included in the insurance policy by the biggest mountaineering association in the UK which - in addition to personal cover and third party liability - covers climbers and club officials for libel, slander, accidents arising from poor building work to club huts and legal costs arising out of allegations of child abuse for an instructor fitting a harness onto a child.

As I think about my trip to Wales tonight it suddenly all seems so unnecessary and so very complicated.

Hill Bones solve mystery

John Ross

Human bones found last week on a remote Highland hillside have solved the mystery disappearance of a walker more than three years ago.

Police confirmed yesterday that the remains were [those] of Richard Dimbleby, from Slough, Berkshire, who vanished after going hillwalking in the Kintail area in August 1999. Mr Dimbleby, a distant relative of the meda family, left a guest house in Wester Ross on 26 August 1999, to tackle the famous Five Sisters of Kintail range, but never returned. Despite an extensive search, covering more that 100 square miles over three days, he was never found.

Dozens of RAF and civilian rescue personnel have scoured the area with sniffer dogs, while two helicopters, one with heat-seeking equipment, also carried out a sweep of the location without success.

Last Friday, two hillwalkers found the remains on the remote Ault a’ Chruinn, in Kintail, close to where Mr Dimbleby went missing.

They were remove from the hill by police and members of the Kintail Mountain Rescue Team and taken to Raigmore Hospital, in Inverness, where a post mortem examination was carried out.

Police said the bones had been found in an area which is difficult to access and could have lain there hidden for several years.

Inspector Sandy Gray, of Northern Constabulary in Portree, said: “It has been a very difficult number of years for Mr Dimbleby’s family but I am satisfied that we have eventually solved the mystery surrounding what happened to him.

“It allows the family to finally be reunited.”

Mr Dimbleby, who was married with a son and daughter, was a frequent visitor to Scotland and was said by relatives to be an experienced hillwalker.

The Scotsman, 11 February 2003

Lads' mag scales peak of bad taste
Relatives outraged as mountaineers who died tackling Everest are ridiculed in print
Ed Douglas
Sunday July 13, 2003
The Observer

When Liz Duff got a text message from a friend about her dead husband Mal appearing in lads' mag FHM she didn't rush to buy it. Articles about climbers dying on Mount Everest are common and the Edinburgh financial consultant rarely finds them comforting. But stopping to buy petrol on her way north for a holiday, she picked the magazine up. What she saw left her reeling.

Alongside pictures of frozen, mummified corpses was a short paragraph about her husband. “The 44-year-old Scot with the silly name,” the story ran, “died Everest's least rock'n'roll death. He was found one morning lying dead in his tent at base camp, with a throat full of vomit. He'd suffered a massive heart attack. Nobody knows what a man could possibly have been doing alone in his tent at night to put his heart under such strain.”

Duff said: “I felt sickened. I was so distressed I had to make a physical effort to get my emotions under control so I didn't overreact.”

Leaving aside the puerile implication about the cause of her husband's death, the fact that he'd suffered a heart attack was simply wrong. “We don't know the exact cause of death,” Duff said. “There is no post-mortem required in Nepal and cause isn't required to be shown on the death certificate.”

A doctor on Everest researching unexplained deaths at high altitude examined Mal's body. His opinion was that an aneurysm was more likely. “The vomit FHM referred to would have been part of the dying process,” Duff added.

The casual use of her husband's death had shocked her. “It's the ghoulishness of it I find so upsetting,” she said. “Maybe these people think they're safe, writing things like that. I can't understand it. I felt I needed to do something.”

She quickly discovered she wasn't alone. Joe Simpson, mountaineer and best-selling author of Touching the Void, had been one of Duff's pallbearers. “To make a joke of the manner of someone's death in this way is just odious,” he told The Observer. “They think dying on a mountain is a stupid thing and so you can write anything you like. But imagine someone publishing a photograph of a dead racing driver and saying that Ayrton Senna was an idiot for crashing.”

The article also mentioned the case of British photographer Bruce Herrod, who died on Everest in 1996. It called him a “careless climber” who spent “his last moments flapping around with his feet in the air”.

Herrod's partner Sue Thompson said: “There is such a viciousness in the way it's been written. You wonder if it's envy, that those writing have never pushed themselves. But how would they feel to read some thing like that about their wife or daughter or father?”

Both Thompson and Duff have written to the Press Complaints Commission but feel frustrated that little can be done to stop images of dead climbers being used in this way. Stephen Venables, the first Briton to climb Everest without oxygen, said he felt particularly affected by the description of Herrod's death. “I was on top of the mountain late in the day just like Bruce. It could easily have been me dead up there.” Venables believes that after years of treating Everest climbers as heroes, “the media have decided that's now dull. There's a kind of nasty voyeurism at work in Britain. Nowadays there are lots of people who have no experience of death and grieving.”

George Mallory, whose body was discovered in 1999, 75 years after his disappearance on the mountain, was also ridiculed. Journalist Piers Pickard described how Mallory had “cut the rope attaching him to Irvine and taken a huge fall” and said he had previously lied about the deaths of seven Sherpas - referred to as “wee fellas” by FHM. The piece also called German climber Hannelore Schmatz a “silly wurst-love” who sat down and “simply couldn't be bothered to get up”.

Pickard told The Observer: “If I've caused offence then I regret that. But climbers are always portrayed as heroic in the media and I'm not sure that's always a healthy thing.” A spokesman for the magazine said last night: “FHM would like to apologise for any offence and distress caused by the article.”

• Our thanks to Ed Douglas and to the editor of The Observer for permission to reprint this article. Editor.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR

In March 2003, when British troops were about to take the dockland town of Umm Qasr in Iraq, Geoff Hoon said: “It’s rather like Southampton.”

A squaddie’s comment was: “Either he’s never been to Southampton or he’s never been to Umm Qasr. It’s not a bit like Southampton. There’s no beer, no prostitutes, and people are shooting at us. It’s more like Portsmouth.”

ON THE HILL

Back-issues available at £2 plus 50p p&p:

8 2000: Swan Song of Ali Brown; Ian Clough; Windermere at War; Jurby and Topcliffe; Willis Rae, Bob Sharp, Ross Higgins, Keith Powell; the David Lofts MR history; Fairey Battle in Iceland; MR in Scotland; Vietnam; Falklands; Kinabalu; Johnnie Lees.

9 2001: Millennium Challenge; MR Land Rovers; No. 98 Squadron; Ian Clough; Everest Expedition; Colin Pibworth; Post-Beinn Eighe; F-15 callout; Hotel India crash.

10 2002: Deaths of John Hinde, Johnnie Lees, Bob Brittain, Gordon Blackburn; awards for the RAFMRS, Heavy Whalley, John Ritchie, Pete McGowan; Ian Clough remembered yet again; more views of the Everest exped; David Dattner's life in Israel; Ray Waters likes old guns; a crashed Anson researched; a Neptune crash on the Mull; American MR; Spoons Blyth takes a walk on the hill.

11 2003: Johnnie Lees and Jim Gilligan; Alister Haveron retires; beginnings of the MRS and the MRA; aftermath of Beinn Eighe; Mick Womersley reflects on the environment; Rigging for Rescue described by Bill Batson; how John Sims became IMR; the MRS database; empty your loft, says Len McNab.

12 2004: Additional copies of this year’s issue are also available, at £3.50 plus 50p p&p.

Cheques, payable to RAF Mountain Rescue Association, to Frank Card, 25 Heycroft Drive, Cressing, Braintree, Essex CM77 8JN

On the Hill No. 12, 2004 On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005On the Hill No. 13, 2005

This year’s issue is due for publication in September. As ever, I would welcome contributions on MR matters, historic or current, from greybeards or beardless youths, from retired AVMs or active SACs, from crusty flight sergeants, or from team leaders ancient and modern. Photographs gratefully received. Contributions please to me at the above address, or emailed to frank@cardf.freeserve.co.uk.

Times Past

Particularly I want to throw open the Times Past feature to anybody who has a good story to tell from 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985 or 1995. I like to keep these pieces short and snappy - a page of A4 is about right, though I can be flexible.

Reunions

Advance notice that I can publish would be very helpful.

Deadline

The editorial deadline is 1 July 2004.

TWO BEGINNINGS

Two official announcements almost 50 years apart:

AMO A67/1944 - FORMATION OF MOUNTAIN RESCUE SERVICE

1 A Mountain Rescue Service has been formed in order to facilitate the search for, and rescue of, aircrews who have crashed, or are believed to have crashed, in mountainous districts with a radius of 40 miles of RAF Stations Llandwrog, Millom and Wigtown.

2 The Service has been formed at the Stations mentioned in para 1 above; the crews are drawn from station resources and are specially trained in mountain rescue duties. The stations are provided with an ambulance, ancillary transport and WT and RT equipment.

3 Units responsible for taking action in respect of aircraft believed to have crashed in the districts referred to para. 1 above (in addition to taking any action outlined in para 6 of AMO A648/43, as amended by A68/44, are to telephone the appropriate Fighter Group Flying Control Liaison Officer giving the following information:

Rank, name and unit of officer passing the information

Source of information

Map reference or pinpoint

Date time of crash (if known)

Number and type of aircraft

Details of aircrew including parent unit.

4 Mountain Rescue Searches are under the directors of the Oi/c Mountain Rescue Service at the RAF Stations mentioned in para 1 above, who will be guided by information passed by the Fighter Group FCLO. The Duty Flying Control Officer at the airfield at which the MRS is based will be responsible for receiving and transmitting any information relating to the search.

27 January 1944

1 Nov 93

To: CAS, AMP, AMSO, AOCinC STC, AOCinC RAFSC

ROYAL AIR FORCE MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASSOCIATION

1 Colleagues may wish to be aware of a recent initiative to form a Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association. The idea of an Association stemmed from the 50^th Anniversary gathering of current and ex-RAF Mountain Rescue personnel which took place recently at Bangor in Wales.

2 The Association will comprise past and present members of the RAF Mountain Rescue Services. The Air Secretary, Bob Honey, has agreed to become the Patron and Michael Holton (an ex Hd RP(Air)) has undertaken to become Secretary/Treasurer.

3 I believe this is a welcome step forward which will help to boost the standing of the RAF’s Mountain Rescue Services. The details will be set out in a forthcoming GA1.

ACAS

THE 1951 CONFERENCE

C.43320/51/A.D. Rescue

MINUTES OF A CONFERENCE HELD AT THE AIR MINISTRY

ON 29^TH JUNE,1951, TO DISCUSS WAYS OF EFFECTING

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOUNTAIN RESCUE ORGANISATION

TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT.

Present	Appointment	Representing/From
Air Commodore J.W.F. Merer (Chairman)	D.N.C.	Air Ministry
Wg Cdr P.H. Watts	A.D.Rescue	Air Ministry
Wg Cdr E.H. Harvey	M.A.9	Air Ministry
Wg Cdr G.H.D. Evans	D.O.Est. 2	Air Ministry
Wg Cdr A.J.M. Smyth	Flying College, Manby	RAFMA
Fg Off M Mason	Flying College, Manby	RAFMA
Lt. Col. J.D. Coffey U.S.A.F.	Nav.1	Flying Training Command
Fg Off P.A. Ellis	Jurby MRT	Flying Training Command
Fg Off W. Brooks	Valley MRT	Flying Training Command
Wg Cdr L.E. Sexstone	C.A.T.C.O.	Coastal Command
Flt Lt P. Dawes	Kinloss MRT	Coastal Command
Flt Lt K.L.H. Allington	Aldergrove MRT	Coastal Command
Flt Sgt D.E. Siddons	Kinloss MRT	Coastal Command
Sqn Ldr P.G. Brodie	Air 1	Maintenance Command
Flt Lt A.J.W. Oliver	Harpur Hill MRT	Maintenance Command
Flt Lt J.W. Pettigrew	Edzell MRT	Maintenance Command
Fg Off J.S. Berkeley	Wig Bay MRT	Maintenance Command
Flt Lt J.W. Massey	Nav. 2	Transport Command
Flt Lt R.H. Smith	Topcliffe MRT	Transport Command
Flt Lt J. Tozer	Air 1	Technical Training Command
Flt Lt C.F.S. Churcher	St. Athan MRT	Technical Training Command
Sqn Ldr G. Davison (Secretary)	Rescue 1	Air Ministry

1. The Chairman in opening the meeting referred to the very effective

work of the Mountain Rescue teams during the past winter. KINLOSS and

VALLEY in particular had had to face very arduous and exacting conditions.

Mountain rescue is a skilled job. The creation and preservation of an

efficient volunteer organisation particularly when the personnel were

continuously changing had demanded keenness and personal effort of a high order.

2. The objects of the meeting were two fold:-

(a) to consider specific items on the agenda on which the advice and opinions of the teams were sought:-

(b) to hear first hand something of the problems the teams have to face, to help in solving these problems, and if possible to publicise the Mountain Rescue Service within the R.A.F. and so attract suitable volunteers.

Organisation	ACTION
Is it agreed that responsibility for administration, equipment and training should be placed on a selected Command?

3. A.D. Rescue outlined the present policy contained in Air Ministry letter S.97334/A.D.Rescue dated 12^th January, 1948:-

Brian Canfer adds: We hope to bring you more extracts from the original files but as P&SS seem to have developed a passion for borrowing declassified historic files we are currently a little short of material.

And Frank Card adds: For the events that took place between the Beinn Eighe crash in February 1951 and the above conference in June (during which one aircrew body still remained on the hill), see Whensoever pp. 94-7. The personnel on the conference are interesting: Tony Smyth was there, as was Mike Mason, who had been a renowned team officer at Valley; Colin Pibworth worked with him and greatly respected him, and there is a photo of him in action on p.81 of Whensoever. Flt Lt Dawes and Don Siddons (Whensoever p.75) were the team officer and TL respectively at Kinloss at the time of the Lancaster crash. Bill Brooks was the team officer at Valley when an Aer Lingus Dakota crashed on Snowdon the year after Beinn Eighe. John Berkeley was a well-known MO, now living at Fort William after a very varied life (see OtH 1996/97).

Another view of Beinn Eighe

Frank Card

All our members by now must know very thoroughly the story of the Lancaster crash on Beinn Eighe in 1951, and the effect this had on the RAFMRS; if you don’t, you haven’t been paying attention. However, Ken Tabor has sent me a cutting from June’s FlyPast, carrying an article by David Morgan on the incident. Whereas the accounts I have both read and written on the subject treat it from the mountain rescue point of view, David Morgan’s is interesting to us in that it looks at it through the aircrew’s eyes. Thus we get more detail than we had before of how the crash actually happened and the weather that made it almost inevitable.

A crucial part of the Morgan piece reads:

The GR3 was on the final leg of a night-time navigation exercise (nav-ex) between the Faroes and Rockall and was heading home when it collided with the unforgiving bulk of Beinn Eighe’s Triple Buttress. At around 02.00 on March 14 1951, TX264 was torn apart in the 180mph (289 km/h) impact with the mountain. The crew were only 30 minutes away from touchdown at Kinloss when their flight came to a violent end just 15ft from the top of the 2,850ft (868m) westernmost gully of the buttress, known as Coire Mhic Fhearcair.

Contemporary charts for the day, provided by the Met Office, show that crew captain Flt Lt Harry Reid DFC and his crew had flown the nav-ex in horrendous weather conditions. When they took off from Kinloss seven hours before the crash, a deep low was developing over the Midlands. The effect further north was to build a strong northeasterly airflow which almost certainly led to the Lancaster, coded ‘BS-D’, being pushed massively off course and ultimately to its doom.

The last radio message from TX264 reported: “60 miles north of Cape Wrath”. Nothing more was heard.

It is clear that the wind, a shrieking northeasterly gale, pushed the Lancaster far to the south of its intended track. Flying in pitch darkness and poor visibility, the crew thought they were descending over the relatively flat area of Caithness towards their let-down over the Moray Firth. But it is clear D-Delta was much further south and heading for the Torridon mountains, which tower well above 3,000ft (900m).

The aircraft had been flying in freezing conditions when it crashed into the north-facing tip of one of Beinn Eighe’s Triple Buttresses. It is unlikely that any of the crew survived the massive impact and fireball.

Had anyone been alive immediately after the crash, the weather conditions would have made survival impossible. An air temperature of 5 degrees Centigrade at the summit in a northeasterly in excess of 40 knots would have produced wind-chill of around -22.

Their [the MRT’s] sisal ropes and RAF-issue shoes were no Having produced such fascinating stuff, David Morgan goes on to spoil it repeating some old canards that I thought had long been discredited:

match for the jagged and precipitous rockfields, snow and ice. They had no lamps, no climbing boots, no crampons, no stretchers or any other essential modern-day gear.

We’ll let Joss Gosling, who was in the Kinloss team at the time, answer that. After confirming that the ropes were of course hemp, not sisal, he continues:

We were kitted out with boots with simple studs on the sole. I still have mine which I later nailed for rock climbing, however the holes in the soles from the studs are still there.

Thank goodness we had our ice-axes, also torches and stretchers. The section had two pairs of ex-commando crampons which were huge in size, too big for our footwear. They hung on hooks in the workshop/store and were never used in the two winters of the my time in the team.

I have responded appropriately in a letter to the editor of FlyPast; as I write, it remains to be seen whether it is published.

WEATHER PERMITTING - AND BEINN EIGHE

Joss Gosling

For INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE MOUNTAIN-2002 BBC Radio Scotland

presented six half-hour programmes each one devoted to a mountain, of which one was Beinn Eighe. They interviewed local children, villagers, SNH personnel and Heavy Whalley for their thoughts and feelings of this great mountain, which overhangs Kinlochewe and Glen Torridon. Heavy was of course reflecting on the history of 1951 and the tragedy of Lancaster TX264 and even though it was long before he was born, he did well.

During the BBC research for the programme they also spoke of plans of a TV series on weather which is where Heavy dropped me in it; however he had kindly warned me. All was quiet until October 2002 when I received a telephone call from BBC 2 Scotland with a researcher seeking information on the Beinn Eighe Tragedy, as they felt from Heavy’s description of the winter conditions it would be ideal for a series titled “Weather Permitting” and would I co-operate.

All was quiet into 2003, which I felt left me off the hook, one always has suspicions of the media because of the way they juggle information around to suit themselves, AND the inaccuracies which go with it. Then in early January I received another telephone call from a charming young lady by the name of Diane Mayes now working seriously on the programme and I melted to her request for assistance. We talked of the crash and after many questions and realising that I had a diary and photographs she asking to see these. I could not let these out of my sight, but supplied them with some of the photographs. This seemed to whet their appetite even more and Diane asked me to meet with the director at the Kinlochewe Hotel with my memorabilia.

This being the ideal setting I agreed as they also kindly invited along my wife Annie as well. I had in 1951 slept in the courtyard in a ridge tent just by the Bar door, which is still in place, however it is a bunkhouse now. This was to be 20^th January with the weather emphasis being as I was told on “SNOW”. We left Fort William in dry conditions! Travelling via Garve with the rain becoming heavier as we travelled westward; thank goodness it was the hotel and not a tent for the night. As one would expect the cloud was low with poor light at Kinlochewe but we were expected at the hotel and shown to our room, which had no heating, this was remedied to a degree! However the en suite bathroom stayed at arctic temperature during our stay.

The BBC team arrived, the director Janice Hooper plus a cameraman and a sound engineer. Janice seemed well pleased to see the photo album but familiar with the copies already supplied and felt the diary had a part to play. We dined well and had plenty to talk about while sampling a few malts, then retired for the night, myself feeling that I was getting better value for my TV license at last, as the BBC were paying..

Next morning, looking from the window the rain had all but stopped and the cloud had lifted but where was the SNOW ?. Our Location Manager arrived while at breakfast, Neal Hinchcliff the Torridon MR Team Leader and YH Warden who I already knew from Pete’s Wee Walk and two other occasions. Our convoy headed for Loch Clair. It was pointless to attempt any locations on the mountain itself because the cloud level had lowered and of course no SNOW. A number of takes were made on the shore of Loch Clair with the director and camera out in the water for angle and myself sat on boulders out in the loch with the temperature dropping and the rain returning. We moved on to the next location, which was the Common Room of the Torridon Youth Hostel for more filming, with readings from my diary. Once these were completed which was by mid-afternoon I then became redundant and able to head for home, leaving the BBC crew to finish a few more outside shots, but again no SNOW.

Once back to my home comforts a phone call from Diane told me that all had gone well and that Beinn Eighe would be transmitted on the 14^th March and titled “COLD” a condition which had not really been discussed. It was then revealed that “WeatherPermitting” was to be a series of six programmes commencing on the 25 February beginning with “RAIN”. Watching this episode one realised that it had a main theme, in this case the November 2001 flooding of Inverness interwoven with other smaller events. This was followed by “SUN” with the main theme being “T in the PARK” then WIND, COLD, MIST and SNOW.

I had kept low key on my involvement with just a few people being aware of the programme, I myself was at Kinloss at the time of transmission, showing my RAFMR slides to the troops so that they could appreciate all the home comforts of present day RAFMR!.

It was also good to have Kenny the team leader there as he had been drawn on to the programme as well, so I was not alone.

The programme had been taped on video so I then had the opportunity to watch and judge it, I was so pleased that Beinn Eighe was the main theme through the programme and nice to have Kenny there as well. Having been involved on occasions with the press and finding it embarrassing in the past, I was pleased that they really took no liberties keeping very true to the reporting of the sad event that took place 52 years ago.

There must have been some rubbish programmes on TV that evening which channelled many people to BBC2 Scotland and watching “COLD”. I have had many folk, local and afar in touch with me and even now six months on people still approach me, all with nice comments but more importantly the interest they show of the Beinn Eighe Tragedy.

I must add that a number of times listening to Radio Scotland in the car I find Beinn Eighe with Heavy on air so it’s a good stopgap. I wonder if Weather Permitting will ever make it.

BOOKCASE

unlocked by Frank Card

Abrupt Sierras by A J M Smyth

Wilton 65, 2001; ISBN 0 947828 88 5

To many of our members, Tony Smyth needs little introduction; he has acquired a habit of popping up in the Mountain Rescue Service history at odd but important moments.

In 1944/45, he established and headed the Aircrew Mountain Centre at Gandarbal, Kashmir; his medical officer was none other than Des Graham (and his climbing guide Wilfred Noyce).

In 1951, as chairman of the RAF Mountaineering Association, he played a leading part with Johnnie Lees in the reorganisation of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service, the faults of which had been laid bare by the Beinn Eighe Lancaster crash.

In 1955, he led a RAFMA expedition to the Himalayas, with a strong MR presence: John Sims, Mike Holton, Donald Bennet, Johnnie Lees, Dan Stewart and Jack Emmerson.

And in 1956, when OC at RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong, he established the station’s first, if unofficial, MRT.

Abrupt Sierras covers the two main themes of Tony’s life: flying and mountaineering. He became a sergeant pilot in the RAFVR in 1937 after taking a degree, and took a permanent commission in 1938. He had what one could call a fairly lively war, mostly in bombers, picking up an OBE and a DFC on the way. Some of this was in Europe, much in the Middle and Far East.

The latter half of the book is devoted to his mountaineering experiences, but since the story ends at the end of the war, the MRS does not feature.

His chapter on the Aircrew Mountain Centre our members will find particularly interesting, and there Des Graham gets a passing mention, not for some exploit reminiscent of his exploits when leading RAF Llandwrog MRT or rescuing aircrew in Burma, but for dishing out flea powder.

A later (post-war) book is promised; I would ask him then, please, to consider the inclusion of an index, invaluable in a book with such a historical content.

Everest - a Thousand years of Exploration - Michael Ward

I have to declare an interest. During the early ‘50s, Josephine Worledge was one of many young student nurses at Harold Wood Hospital, and like many of her fellow students, was suitably impressed by the glamour of a registrar at the same hospital, Mike Ward. He had been the medical officer on the 1953 Everest Expedition, and on his return gave a series of talks to the staff of the hospital. Well, Josephine Worledge is now Josephine Card (and has been for 45 years), but she remembers the occasion well. In her eyes Mike Ward still, in her eyes, can do no wrong, so I must tread carefully.

He has produced a scholarly study of the mountain, going back to the ninth century, and with many old - and modern - maps included.

APPRENTICES ON BEN NEVIS

Garadh Gully - Christmas Eve 2002

Heavy Whalley

s you get older the memories get better or worse depending on the situation. How many great times have I had on the Big Bad Ben, Lots could I still manage - a wee epic. The RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team were going to Fort William for Christmas and I got the time off. I was lucky enough to escape from RAF Innsworth Prison Camp early for the Christmas grant. (I am posted to this place on promotion) The great thing about mountaineering nowadays is the kit is far better, crampons stay on, ice-tools rarely break and the troops can climb! The email system adds to the interest, ‘virtual climbing’ is a new scene and all the information about conditions is on line, making things so easy. .

After my crazy drive to catch the pre-Christmas freeze, (and another speeding ticket) I arrived knackered at the Fort trying to convince some of the other sad and lonely troops to head up for the CIC Hut on the Ben - conditions would be in. Two volunteers (we shall call them Mark and Dundee) agreed to come up, but all our top ice-men told them that it was a waste of time. www.bengreatice.com. stated that there was no ice on the Ben and the website does not lie.

When you live down South you appreciate the walk up to Britain’s greatest cliff even more. This is enhanced when most of your kit is in the attic of the CIC hut and you only have to carry your food and a few bottles. The path was solid ice- it had been cold for weeks and the Ben looked bare. As usual, the young troops headed off into the distance and even with a light bag, I could not, nor wanted to, keep up. Off they went, heads down, minds in neutral - things do not change. I enjoyed the views, stopping in the usual places and during my breaks spotted some ice in unusual places. No one else had the hut booked and the young bucks soon had the fire going. It looked as though the ice was sparse. The Curtain had not formed, but Garadh Gully looked, thin, steep, all ice and very Canadian in character - we may get something out of the next two days. This route finishes just below Glovers Chimney on Tower ridge. It also meant that we would not have to navigate off - a real bonus on the Ben where even famous mountaineers use a compass.

As time was moving on and we were all a bit rusty, so we decided to go to the Gorge for some practice. This is a great introduction to ice, fairly safe and the scene of Heavy’s ice schools in the past. Some of mountain rescue’s top icemen (and -women) have passed this way. The boys were climbing well and even put ice-screws in. The ice was in good nick, rock hard and great for the confidence. Things looked good for tomorrow. Practice photos were taken as the following day was going to be a bit of a photo shoot. Daylight was short and we just got off in time before the dark. A quite night in the hut, a bit of sharpening of the crampons and axes and we were off to bed. Mark was taking things seriously - no booze!

The weather was good next day with high winds early on. After a few brews we scrambled up below Garadh Gully. I watched the young bucks move up to the route, picking their own line up the little buttress. This was very enjoyable and a good introduction. The route is a Kinloss route climbed by Ian Clough and fellow members of Kinloss MRT in the 1960s. The guidebook reckons that the climb can vary from grade I-IV, depending on snow conditions. I had done the route on many occasions, combining it with Glovers Chimney, to make a great mountaineering day on the Ben. It is also a fairly short route but can cause problems in avalanche conditions, but not today - it was all ice and solid.

Nobody was about as we arrived below the first pitch - God it looked steep, a good grade III/IV. The youngsters were already geared up on the frozen ice below the route and ready to go for it - no fears. Twenty odd years ago a young thrusting Bill Batson now the Chief Instructor sent me up this pitch, in the same conditions. It was grade 2 in the book, I was shaking and gibbering as usual, my Chouinard Zero axes and crampons skating on the ice, as he soled around laughing at my incompetence. Keith Powell was there as well, he was laughing at me as well, I must have impressed him as we did Vanishing Gully and Cresta in the same course, getting brought down to earth by Bill soling Cresta in 15 minutes!. Times have changed and young Mark was dying (pardon the pun) to cut loose. His latest, bent shafted, new yellow axes were ready for a baptism of fire and off he went. After 20 feet he got in a great ice screw, it was bomb proof (court of inquiry proof!). He did the posing for a few photos, whilst I ducked the chunks of ice and the odd dropped bits of gear. Mark climbed with a style born out of the confidence of never falling that youth has. My coaching must have worked (joke) and he placed another three runners, all in good style and soon he was at the belay - just running out of ice screws as he got there. In the meantime the Ben became busy; two other young lads arrived who soon disappeared up a cul de sac, where they spent the rest of the day on some desperate mixed climbing. Eventually they ran away after 100 feet of climbing and one lost rope. This we recovered, on the walk off.

In the interests of photography I climbed next, leaving all the difficult screws for young Dundee to get out (another good ploy learned out of experience!) - good practice for the young gun though. The old fear factor got me going and all those solos of Alladins Coulior in the past were not wasted. The Ben resounded to “take in, tight rope, climbing, pull!” None of this delicate climbing just get them axes in, up to the hilt as I smashed my way as delicately as one can up the route. I soon managed to get up on the belay ready for my photographic session with Dundee. Now Dundee is a bit of an ‘Italian Stallion’ and looks the part - ideal for my photos. He had been recently free transferred to Leuchars MRT and was ready to climb. I must have got him worried with my display of incompetence, as he was a bit dubious at the start. We soon had him sorted and with cries of “look this way and one for the ladies” he was soon losing his cool and refused to look up. Anyway we had some fine shots and the rest of the route beckoned - he was soon on the belay.

The next pitch was ice all the way, beautiful grade II ice, perfect placements, even I could lead it, great weather. I moved onwards up to the base of the 2nd pitch which was a thin tube of ice about 40 feet, very Canadian looking - a good grade III. Mark was full of bravado after the first pitch and again wanted to lead this pitch. This was no problem to me as usually this pitch is a steep snow slope, not as it was today, he was welcome to it. Dundee was happy ensconced in his ice cave. He wanted photos of him in action for his lass - so off Mark set again. More great photos, having to remember to watch myself as I nearly fell off. How do you explain that, it is easy to get a false sense of security from the belay, especially when not belayed? Some steep moves, two more ice screws and Mark was up. He was getting cocky answering me back by now. He was climbing well, enjoying every minute and was soon at the belay, again on ice screws. I followed this time taking out the gear- getting brave. Dundee followed easily, he was by now, an ice God, and as it got dark we finished the last wee pitch. Usually a snow walk was all ice, brilliant - breaking out on to the snow below Glovers Chimney.

Old age gave me another ploy, the route off ploy, and I played this to perfection, getting the most of the fading light whilst the apprentices struggled with the kit, packing it up and carrying it off. There was only a couple of hundred feet of snow as we descended in failing light onto the screes from hell. The troops were just behind and we all had fun with the ice covered rock causing some hilarity as we returned to the hut.

A great meal and a few drams in the hut that night, it had been a great wee day - no one else on the Ben and what a superb route in great conditions - we were lucky. Mark enjoyed putting his route in on the climbs book and upgrading it, such is youth. Dundee had iceman photos for the chicks and I was alive after another day on the Ben. On our return, the troops did not believe me when I said conditions were in. They were happy on their Munroes- and Corbetts-walking, but days like ours must not be missed especially on the Ben. So next time, listen to the old man. The digital camera caught all the action and the camera does not lie. Even Kenny our leader was impressed. Next day the thaw came, but we had stolen a wee gem from the Ben. It was down for tea and medals, lots of stories and another memory of that great mountain.

To the apprentices Mark and Dundee thanks for a great day and such good fun, but that is what it’s all about even in these changing days.

AN ENVIRONMENT UPDATE

Mick Womersley

t’s been over a year since Frank Card, the editor of this journal, suggested I write an article on the environment tailored to MR troop interests. I’ve had to think about it for that long. This is a hard and controversial assignment, considering that what I do now for a living is teach and write about environmental ideas primarily as they relate to human economic sustainability issues – the nitty-gritty human ecology of climate change, oil depletion, energy and food policy, toxic and other waste, and, yes, national security policy and international affairs.

This is not a recently acquired interest. Those of you who were around when I left the RAF will remember I parted company with the service under a QR 67 discharge as a conscientious objector. At that time it was Margaret Thatcher’s energy and materials policy that featured highest on my list of political disagreements with the UK government. In turn, some troops disagreed with me at the time. The possibility of climate change was almost unheard of in 1985, but that made my list too, as did questions of population and agricultural policy. Write an environmental article for OtH? After almost twenty years, what good would it do now to go over all this ground again? I was initially hesitant.

Some good can come of this, though, I think. For one thing, I’ve had to change my mind quite a bit. Education and long experience on the other side of the debate has demonstrated for me quite firmly that, while ‘peaceniks’ and ‘greens’ and other members of the clan of what Heavy was once pleased to call “wooly-minded liberals” have occasionally been clever enough about the environment, they rarely have a clue about national security, and often dangerously misguided when it comes to the meaning and importance of military service and the defense establishment. For another, there are in 2003 new and optimistic reports from what is now called in the American fashion wilderness, but to troops was always “the hill” .

Energy policy is far more important than materials policy, something I didn’t know in 1985. It’s important to worry about the depletion of stocks of iron ore and copper and so on; some materials such as uranium ore or tungsten are of strategic interest. But it is oil, not as material but as energy source that is of most consequence in 2003. Since some of our friends are now serving in Iraq, the importance of oil in national security is clear to UK service and ex-service personnel. Despite UK cooperation in Iraq, though, the difference in energy policy between the US and the UK is stark. The UK’s recent announcement of a major new investment in wind generation demonstrates a commitment to clean and independent energy that does not exist within the Bush administration. This is a grave mistake on their part.

Many of my friends from the environmental movement protested against the current war in Iraq as a war for oil. I did not, being more than pleased to see the world rid of Saddam Hussein. But that doesn’t mean that I would be happy to see more and more UK and US servicemen die in other wars over oil. Oil reserves are becoming depleted. (I could give you chapter and verse on oil statistics and their calculus, but I will restrain myself.) The west must become more independent of this energy source before it gets more and more scarce. Simple economics dictates that scarcity increases price. This will happen in the next two decades, according to even the most conservative estimates. How high a price are we willing to pay?

For me, one more dead 18-year old UK or US serviceman would be too high a price to pay for tardy and uneducated energy policy.

In 1985 few of us foresaw that American and British serviceman would be dying in countries far away partly to maintain low oil prices. In America, the left was still strongly associated with the movement to stop the war in Vietnam; in Britain they supported the protest against new US nuclear missile sites in the UK and Germany. When I first became involved with the environmental movement in the UK and the US my new friends were knee-jerk opponents to military service and the use of military force. Most remain so, in violent disregard of lessons from September 11^th. I think it foolhardy to commit more and more lives and defense dollars over the next few years to protecting oil supplies. I think it more foolhardy still to ignore the threat from terrorists and weapons of mass destruction.

In 2003, in contrast to 1985, the facts of climate change are now well recognised and becoming addressed by British government policy. It’s no surprise that a good number of the most dangerous places in the world are those that suffer most from existing climate change effects such as drought or desertification. HIV/AIDS also plays an ecological role. When people get hungry, especially when they get diseased and hungry and begin to die in large numbers, social order begins to break down. Future climate change will almost certainly be worse than the present and already deleterious effects. The figures from scientists suggest that we must emit on the order of one tenth or less the greenhouse agent that we are currently emitting to avoid major climatic effects. Since it is almost impossible to live a western style life on the energy budget that would result from such emissions reductions – barring some unforeseen technology or massive expansion of nuclear power – it’s hard to know what to do. Since it is clearly part of my job description to know what to do, this is a major problem!

Most of us put far too much trust in Kyoto than it deserved. The best we can hope for is that as climate changes, and oil becomes scarce, more and more effort will be put into ameliorating climate effects and more and more money into technology development and deployment of the more viable alternatives. People will have to see that there is a problem, and things will have to get worse before they get better.

Finally, a few words about the non-human environment. Back in 1985 few of us troops thought of the Scottish Highlands in the American way, as wilderness. Few of us knew anything of the existing UK policy on endangered species, or the then-developing policies on natural forest planting. Beyond complaining about the aesthetic effects of plantation rows or of ski developments on the hillsides, we saw ourselves more as mountaineers than as visitors to and potential guardians of the wild places remaining in the UK. In England and Wales the UK National Park system did much of that worrying for us, of course. Few of us could dream that there could be threats to the hills we loved.

The books of Frank Fraser Darling helped me to see the UK mountains in a different light, though. I’m sure other troops have read his classic works. A master’s degree spent comparing development and environment issues in the Scottish Highlands and Montana helped.

The highlands of the UK are, as Darling said, a human-devised “wet desert.” In natural circumstances and in the past they would be far more forested, more like the hills that surround me here in Maine. The high tops would probably be clear. There would be lower populations of red deer in Scotland, higher in England, roe dear in the forests, more badgers, fox, and even larger predators such as wolf and bear.

It makes no sense to me that we should try to recreate this past ecology for UK uplands. But I think we can appreciate what is being created by nature, as economic use of uplands subsides and recreational use increases. Wilderness is the only remaining viable use for many such areas, with attendant benefits and opportunities in education, recreation, and tourism. In many ways, although there are terrible threats in some locales, the UK hills are safer now than they ever have been. The regeneration of forest throughout the UK is striking in many areas. Glen Affric is just one example of many places where pine, hazel, rowan and oak are reappearing on hillsides. And as the trees come back, so will some of the other creatures that inhabit the forests, including some of the rarer songbirds and wildflowers. This, I think, is a great thing to see, and an occasion for happiness in an otherwise bleak ecological picture.

· Mick Womersley was formerly of Leeming, Linton-on-Ouse and Leuchars MRTs, and now teaches human ecology, environmental regulation and planning at a university college in Maine.

AN AUSTRALIAN LOVE POEM

Of course I love ya darling, you’re a bloody top-notch bird,

And when I say you’re gorgeous, I mean every single word.

So ya bum is on the big side, I don’t mind a bit of flab,

It means that when I’m ready, there’s something there to grab.

So your belly isn’t flat no more, I tell ya, I don’t care

So long as when I cuddle ya, I can get my arms round there.

No sheila who is your age has nice round perky breasts,

They just gave in to gravity, but I know ya did yer best.

I’m telling you the truth now, I never tell ya lies,

I think it’s very sexy that you’ve got dimples on your thighs.

I swear on my Nana’s grave now, the moment that we met,

I thought you was as good as I was ever gonna get.

No matter what you look like I’ll always love ya dear.

Now shut up while the footy’s on and fetch another beer.

Thanks to Alex Morrison for this one.

_________________________________________________________________________

UK MOUNTAIN RESCUE CONFERENCE 2004

Conference Website URL Update

With effect from the 29th of July 2003

the Conference 2004 website can be found at:

http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/conf2004

Please try and your visit should be successful.

Cynhadledd Achub o'r My nyddoedd - y D.U. - 2004
UK Mountain Rescue Conference 2004

Colabhairt Luchd-teasairginn nam Beann san RA 2004
Comhdhááil Tarrtháála Slééibhe na Rííochta Aontaithe 2004

Joint Conference of
The Mountain Rescue Council of England and Wales (MRC)
The Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland (MRC-S)
The Northern Ireland Mountain Rescue Co-ordinating Committee (NIMRCC)
In association with
The Irish Mountain Rescue Association (IMRA)

Advance information about UK Mountain Rescue Conference 2004

The Third Biennial UK Mountain Rescue Conference

will be held at the

University of Wales Bangor, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, North Wales, United Kingdom,

between the 10th and 12th September 2004.

Planning has now commenced and periodic updates will be posted at the

Conference website:

http://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/conf2004

In the meantime please make a note of the dates in your diary

Venue website: http://www.bangor.ac.uk

Mountain Rescue Council of England and Wales Registered Charity No. 222596 www.mountain.rescue.org.uk

Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland Registered Charity No. SCO15257
www.mrc-scotland.org.uk
Northern Ireland Mountain Rescue Co-ordinating Committee
Irish Mountain Rescue Association Registered Charity No. CHY10412 in Eire
www.imra.ie.eu.org
UK Mountain Rescue Conference 2004 cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness
of this message as it has been transmitted over a public network.

UK Mountain Rescue Conference 2004 will not be liable for direct, special, indirect or
consequential damages arising from alteration of the contents of this message
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Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and
do not necessarily represent those of UK Mountain Rescue Conference 2004.
For these reasons it will normally be inappropriate to rely on information
contained in email without obtaining written confirmation of it.

OBITUARIES

John Rodney Lees GM BEM

Born: 18 December, 1927, in Chingford, Essex
Died: 15 August, 2002, aged 74

Known to generations of members of the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service, Johnnie Lees had renowned standards of excellence. More than any other, he was responsible for raising the performance and reputation of the service from the low level which prevailed in 1951; and this despite his relatively modest rank of flight sergeant. Wing Commander Tony Smyth, DFC, chairman of the RAF Mountaineering Association, of which Johnnie was a member, described him as "the saviour of the RAFMRS".

            Johnnie was born in Chingford, Essex, but when he was still young his family moved to Hexham, Northumberland, where he went to the local grammar school. A further move took the family to Ottley in Yorkshire, and Johnnie to another school.
            Like many young men of the time (this was 1944) he had ambitions to fly with the Royal Air Force, which he joined at the age of 17. In the event, though, he became a physical training instructor. Johnnie took up climbing, gaining a reputation as a formidable rock-climber, and became a member of the Climbers’ Club and the RAF Mountaineering Association.
            In March 1951, a converted Lancaster bomber was on a reconnaissance exercise; in the early hours it hit the summit of Beinn Eighe, in the Western Highlands, killing all the crew. The nearest RAF mountain rescue team was sent to recover the bodies and make the wreck safe. This, however, was the Western Highlands in the depths of a severe winter, and this was serious climbing country.

            The team members, keen and conscientious though they were, had neither the equipment nor the training for the job. Their leaders initially spurned offers of help from local mountaineers, and the upshot was that it was August before the last body was recovered. By then, the local criticism had risen to a clamour, and the RAF decided that mountaineering expertise should be injected into the service. Until then, the tendency of senior officers had been to believe that what was needed for mountain rescue was fit stretcher-bearers, not mountaineers.
            Things then moved quickly. The co-operation of the RAF Mountaineering Association was sought and obtained, and one of those brought in was Sgt John Lees. As it happened, Smyth and Johnnie had already talked about the shortcomings of the RAFMRS. They had discussed the problems of non-mountaineers in mountain rescue teams and the shape the service ought to assume. A revised structure was approved by the Air Council, and the earliest tangible result was the first Mountain Rescue Conference in June 1951, two months before the last Beinn Eighe body was recovered. Then in the October came the first rock-climbing course in North Wales, the first of many. Johnnie was one of the instructors, wearing what soon became his familiar red beret.
            Soon, recruitment and training assumed a pattern that young members would recognise today. At one stage, the received wisdom among senior officers was that the best team leaders would be recruited from the ranks of physical training instructors. Johnnie, however, never held that view, though a PTI himself. Of course fitness was important; but equally or more important were a love and knowledge of the mountains, some technical knowledge of aircraft and an ability to talk to NCOs from what he called the "working RAF" so that time off from normal work could be obtained for training and call-outs.
            Johnnie did not restrict himself to mountain rescue matters. In 1953, a group of RAFMA members started to put together an expedition which was not merely the first with a high Mountain Rescue Service content, but was also the first British armed forces assault on the Himalayas. It was led by Tony Smyth, and its membership included Donald Bennet, Jack Emmerson, Dan Stewart, Mike Holton, John Sims, as well as Johnnie Lees; all of these, to a greater or lesser degree, were involved in the developing MRS. This was the golden age of British Himalayan climbing: during that year, Sir John Hunt led the successful Everest expedition.
            By 1957, the RAFMRS was well-established and highly-respected. On 1 December, two young men were climbing the cliff at Aber Falls when one fell on the ice, and remained, still roped to his companion, about 100 feet up. Police and firemen were unable to get to him. The RAF Valley team, led by Flt Sgt Lees, went above the fallen man and used a tree as a belay. Three ropes, totalling 360 feet, were tied together and one team member was lowered by Johnnie to the injured man. Johnnie, paying out his colleague’s rope, was just able to hear his instructions through the roar of the falls. The length of rope was more than adequate, but there was the constant danger of the knots snagging in cracks in the rock. On Johnnie’s recommendation made at a conference that same month, 500-foot ropes soon became standard equipment.
            In another incident, on 3 January 1958, three army climbers were in the Amphitheatre Buttress, Craig yr Ysfa, on Carnedd Llewelyn in North Wales. Leading an ice pitch, Hugh Robertson came off and landed on a ledge about 200 feet from the bottom, apparently with head injuries. His second, Roger Eagle, managed to keep him on the ledge. His companions raised the alarm, and RAF Valley MRT was called out. It was late and dark, and they were concerned about frostbite and exposure for the men on the ledge.
            Johnnie told his team to drop a line from the top, and with three others was lowered 750 feet to the ledge. Below them was 200 feet of vertical rock, with overhangs. That was difficult enough, but with a delirious man, in the dark, with the buttress covered in ice, the dangers were compounded many times. Eagle had been on the ledge with the fallen man for seven hours.
            A makeshift rope cradle was devised, and Robertson was tied to Johnnie’s back. Johnnie then abseiled down, supported from above by a rope guided by his team members, with Robertson - who, it later transpired, had suffered a fractured skull - thrashing about and struggling to get free. When Johnnie reached the scree at the bottom with his burden - the total weight on the rope was 28 stone - his team members were waiting with a stretcher.
            Johnnie was awarded the George Medal for this rescue, and having retired from the RAF in 1961, he was awarded the British Empire Medal in the following year “for services to mountain rescue”. He became a qualified mountain guide, and later worked for Outward Bound and the Peak District National Park.
            He had married Gwen Moffat, the mountaineer and author, in 1955, but they divorced in 1970 after a tempestuous marriage. His second marriage was to Dorothy Pleasance in 1975, and with her he lived quietly and contentedly in Over Haddon, in the Peak District, until she died in 1994. He showed up from time to time at reunions and cast a critical eye on the current batch of young MRS members and even their team leaders.

Jim sailed through all this hectic living and lifestyle with an aplomb that I still admire after all these years. Debonair and organised, he seemed a fixture. In the June of 67 he married Sandra. Many team members were nominally settling down and wedding their girlfriends. Jim’s was in Kingussie, Sandra’s home town. The team was invited and base-camp for the weekend was adjacent. The arches of ice-axes were a success and many libations far into the wee hours were made at the wedding feast to the happy couple.

Normal service was resumed on the Sunday with the obligatory call-out. Someone walking from Deeside to Speyside via Glen Feshie had failed to turn up. Her route was unknown and it was decided to deploy the team on the higher slopes of the mountains. So late in the day, 1900 hrs, most of us made our way up the hills to the West of Feshie. Fetching up on Mullach Clach A’Blair, we moved down its west ridge to a small lochan. At this late hour we elected to bivouac to give us an early start at first light. A damp soggy dawn saw a damp soggy team climb out of their bivouac sacs. In those days a cagoule was deemed high-tech!

Most of the team descended whilst the remainder of us proceeded with our search down into Glen Feshie, only to have the helicopter lift out the missing walker before our eyes. How often has that happened? She had spent a dry night in a hut, whilst we poor souls nursed our hangovers high up in the cold damp hills. Jim and Sandra knew nothing of this!

After a day on Stob Coire’ an Albannaich, a Glen Etive monster, Jim casually mentioned to me about nipping down to Onich and picking up a small memento. Fair game for any seeming adventure and as some may have it, easily led, I concurred. And later that evening an SWB Land Rover was to be seen lurking near the garage at Onich, where amongst the displays of flower-pots nestled the neatest little cannon you could imagine. It must have been a starting cannon from some long-forgotten yacht club. With a monumental effort we lifted it into the back of the SWB. I don’t think Jim’s back ever recovered. The following day saw us leave for Kinloss with the trophy safely in the back of the equipment RL.

The future of the cannon was never in doubt. It just had to be returned to its rightful owner. The best way to do it was the question. A plaque was commissioned and affixed to the carriage: “Captured at the Battle of Ballachulish” followed by the date. It was a fine brass plate.

It was to be returned the next trip to the Fort. But fate intervened and the section was suddenly overrun by gentlemen with red bands round their caps. We had been rumbled. The ‘Plods’ had us! Interviewed at length by the constabulary Jim and I were arraigned to appear at the courthouse in Fort William. Advised to plead guilty, we did. On the day in question Jim, Don Scobie, our O. i/c, and I drove down to the Fort in an SWB, dressed in our best bib and tucker. Our solicitor stood up and gave this heart-rending panegyric to the magistrate. It made me blush to hear it! The gentlemen of the bench leaned over and fixing us with what I considered a gimlet eye (was there a smile in it?) and admonished us. We were lucky! A more innocent time perhaps? Even the RAF did not seem to be perturbed with it all. And by this time I was half way through my Team Leaders course! Such behaviour nowadays I fear would invite a severer response from the authorities. To my eternal regret, the cannon, proudly displayed by its rightful and forgiving owner, only lasted a few more weeks before it was lifted by someone else. This time it was not returned; our prank, highlighting a valuable artefact, served no one well.

Jim stayed at Kinloss for several more years, rendering sterling service to George Bruce, the new team leader, and finally moving down to Leeming.

In 1975, Jim was operating out of Glasgow, a recruiting sergeant for the firm, from Monday to Friday, and back to home at Aviemore at the weekends. By now a father Jim had moved on from the team and was looking to the future. Leaving the Air Force he moved out to the North Sea, working in the oil industry. Alas Jim and Sandra separated, and he was grieved in the happening of it. His greatest service was yet to come.

He started to undertake the organisation of running the annual re-union, and did it for about 20 years; not something I would care or dare to contemplate. As his home was in Aviemore, the re-unions would be in Aviemore! It worked well. A central venue with road and rail links. And now we must look to the future!

At the end of March, this year, 2003, a good number of the old team re-assembled at Aviemore, to say good bye to Jim. A huge contingent arrived from Ireland.

In his last years Jim had become a pillar of the little Roman Catholic Church in Aviemore. He had also housed and nursed Sandra for some years through a traumatic illness.

The church was full, with late comers having to stand at the back. George Bruce gave a few words, portraying some of his experiences with Jim. The requiem mass continued and the grief of the family was palpable. We could only stand and witness the farewell to a colleague and a friend. He was laid to rest in the cemetery to the North of his home. In sight of the hills, a fitting resting-place.

Jim Gilligan HSDR [Handsome, Suave, Debonair, and Rich] R.I.P.

Colyn and Jutta James

PEOPLE, PLACES AND POSTINGS

THANK YOU GENTLEMEN

Work on the committee is largely unseen and continues quietly in the background but it does eat in to that most precious resource, time. As two and possibly three committee members are standing down this year it is timely to say a warm thank you to them for their considerable input as follows.

Paul 'Semi' LeBon has held two posts for several years, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, both equally important and both vital to the MRA. Paul has carried out these duties in an exemplary fashion and we wish him well as he concentrates his energies on resettlement, thank you Paul. He is retaining the Treasurer post, but relinquishing the Membership Secretaryship.

Dave 'Taxi' Carr has kindly agreed to take over as Membership Secretary.

Len McNab was our first Memorabilia and Museums Liaison Member and he has done a superb job in setting up contacts with the RAF Museums with a view to a permanent display at the Aerospace Museum adjacent to RAF Cosford. Sadly ill health precludes Len from continuing but his concerted efforts in obtaining permanent storage space, establishing relations and acquiring memorabilia mean that he has left his mark on the MRA just as he did as a Troop and team leader in the MRS. Who will take up Len's torch: would YOU?

The impact of the www could never be ignored and so, several years ago, Tony Bradshaw stepped forward and established the MRA's website. Controversy regarding other MR websites has led Tony to tender his resignation and his concerns will be raised at the AGM, hopefully this will lead to a positive outcome for all concerned but either way Tony deserves and receives our sincere thanks for some ground breaking work in advertising. promoting and recruiting for the MRA across the www.

· Would you be prepared to help run the MRA as part of the committee ? It does take time but is very rewarding and the paperwork and meetings are kept to a bare minimum - how else could it reflect the MRS?

Brian Canfer

Chairman

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Some of you may still be searching in the Newsletter for the date of the AGM. We were just testing you, so search no longer. It will be at 10am on Sunday the 30 November, in the Border Regiment Association Club, Carlisle Castle. See you there.

STAFFORD FAMILIES

Les (Taff) Jones and Dave (Yanto) Jones would like to thank all who attended the Stafford Families Reunion in Llanberis in October 2002. They consider it a success and would like to thank Teutch Salter for his very important input. For 2003 it will be on 18 October and we would like to see an even bigger turnout.

STEVE PRICE - KINLOSS MRT

Tom Taylor informed us that Steve was badly injured in a road accident in or near Lossiemouth on the 7th of December last year. He suffered serious arm, head and facial injuries, and initially was in intensive care in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He was moved to Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin in January and was allowed home for short-duration stays. Kenny Kenworthy and other team members arranged contact so as to minimise pressure on Denise, Steve and their family.

From Tom Taylor, 30 January 2003:

Don Shanks and I went to see Steve Price at his hoose last night. What a treat!

He has made the most remarkable recovery and looks better, almost, than he did before the accident. Steve's had lots of, 'We have the technology' stuff done to him - and better not go within half a mile of one of those scrap yard magnetic blobs on the end of a crane, but otherwise you'd really never know he'd fought a Volvo and survived. Other than the marks on his arm, which will soon diminish, the surgery just doesn't show. Don reckons that he'll have problems with Security at Heathrow Airport when he goes on his summer holidays, but he'll come off best in any head-butting contest...

Steve's fitness and natural resilience have undoubtedly played a big part in his speedy recovery which has raised eyebrows in the medical establishment, too.

Though he has a large gap in his memory over the incident, he seemed to me to be as mentally alert as always and honestly, Don and I didn't see any problems there at all. His ability to hold together all the strings of the conversation with Denise, Don, the dog, and me (in descending order of intellectual ability), was at least as good as mine.

He will have to endure a while of checks, tests and adjustments, but he is just great. His arm movement is still restricted and stiff - needs WD40 and free-ing off a bit - and how much that will get back to normal, I don't know, but if it's like the rest of him, it will soon be back in full working order.

ANDY WATKINS

Heavy wrote in December 2002:

Heavy Whalley and Jim Morning visited Andy "Pigpen" Watkins, who was knocked off his bike 2 years ago.

He is paralysed but can use his arm and uses a computer to speak, which is great but tires him. Heavy says that his brain is extremely sharp and his memory good. His machine speaks with an American accent and takes a bit of getting used to - you have to listen hard but it is a great help to him. Heavy asks us not to forget Andy or his family; a card now and again makes his life a bit better and helps his nurses and family. He can speak on the phone but it is very difficult as it is through the machine. He can speak a very few words and it was very emotional for us all, but a wee photo of the Ben in winter made his day. If you are around this area please pop in to see him.

Andy Watkins update 5 July 03

Andy Watkins is still in hospital in Bristol. To those who know him he was a member of St Athan MRT and RAFMA he was one of our finest all round mountaineers. He made an early ascent of Shiviling in the Himalayas and some of the hardest winter lines in UK, many solo. Andy was knocked of his bike in Aberdeen nearly 3 years ago and now spends his life in a wheelchair. He is paralysed. He can communicate by a computer that he can use with one finger. His brain is very sharp and memory excellent, his knowledge of climbing and routes is outstanding. Please get in touch with him. If you send cards or postcards to the ward it will brighten his day and mean so much. The address is: Andy Watkins, Frenchay Brain Rehab Injury Centre, Frenchay Park Road, Bristol, B51 61LE

If you are passing Bristol, please pop in and see him it would be special for him. Call the ward and check how he is, the number of the ward is: 01179 562697. I have his mobile number and he can text back, which is great, I will pass on his mobile number if you contact me.

If you knew Andy please do not disregard this, he asked for so many of you. We all live busy lives, but used to spend days looking for people on the hill we did not even know, surely a card or a text and maybe a visit would not hurt. He said the only visitors and news he gets is from his parents!

Heavy Whalley

Email: heavy_whalley@hotamail.com

BILLY STITT

Mark Hartree, otherwise known as 2ba (a small nut - geddit?) told us in December:

I think all of you know Billy Stitt as Team Leader of Killin MRT, a long term friend and supporter to the RAF MRS.
Billy and Lesley were married on a frozen Lake Louise in -20c near Banff in the Canadian Rockies in December.

JACK EMMERSON

Jack Emmerson and Enid Rose were married in December 2002, and we extend our congratulations to the couple.

Jack was a member of the RAF Nicosia MRT, one of his major callouts being to the high-altitude crash of an Avro Tudor in the Kyrenia Mountains, Turkey, in 1959. At that time, this operation was the biggest and riskiest operation that the MRS had undertaken. This was followed very shortly by the crash of a US Navy Martin Mercator on its approach to the US base at Adana, in southern Turkey.

He was a member of the RAFMA expedition to the Kulti Himal of Lahoul in 1955, with Tony Smyth, Mike Holton, Dan Stewart, Donald Bennet, Mike Holton and Johnnie Lees.

MATT FORD

This appeared on the RAFMRA website in April:

Through your Association I am hoping to trace an old service mate. We were RAF police dog handlers, his name is MATT FORD is also ex Royal Navy. His son, I am sure, was in the Mountain Rescue and was also named Matt. MATT and wife were both from Glasgow. We joined up 1962, and I left in 1987. I don’t know when Matt left; last heard of in Laarbruch and Machrihanish.

Stewart McArdle

LEUCHARS AND KINLOSS, 1973

I wonder if you would be able to help me. My father was killed in a plane crash on Ben More, Perthshire, on the 19th Jan 1973. Rescue teams from RAF Leuchars and RAF Kinloss along with members of the SAS were involved in the search and rescue phase of the incident. I am looking for any information.
Mike Durward, mike.durward@telecity.co.uk

LEUCHARS TO BE NEW HOME OF 56(R)

Leuchars will be the new home of 56(R) Squadron. The squadron, currently based at Coningsby, will be moving in April 2003.

An operational conversion unit, the squadron trains pilots and navigators for the RAF’s five front-line Tornado F3 squadrons.

From Memorial Flight, Spring 2003

RIGGING FOR RESCUE - WHY, WHEN AND HOW?

Bill Batson

Background

Many moons ago when I was Team Leader at Leeming, I became aware of a technical rescue seminar offered by Arnör Larson in British Columbia, Canada. Being interested in all things technical, I sent away for more details.

The seminar, known as “Rigging for Rescue^©”, sounded great and although, at the time there was no finance available for a humble TL to attend, I maintained my interest and requested that I remain on the RfR mailing list in the hope that one day I might be in a position to travel to Canada to attend the seminar.

Some time later, (in September last year to be exact), I found myself in the position of MRS Chief Instructor, with both the justification and the budget to allow me to finally send off the confirmation of attendance slip from the brochure. (I did in fact suggest that myself plus another attend to gain a truly balanced view, but failed to convince the MRS Flt Cdr at the time.)

So, some 12 years after showing an initial interest in RfR, I arrived in Invermere, BC to join a further 9 people from the industrial and mountain rescue community of North America and Canada. I believe I am the first (and only!) Brit to have attended the seminar, although a few Europeans have been over.

Suffice it to say, the seminar was great. Not only was it exceptionally well organized and run, but also served to introduce me to a whole new philosophy regarding technical rescue and its associated systems. It also served to identify a number of weaknesses in the systems currently employed by the MRS.

Text Box: Suddenly technical rescue had become a thinking man’s game instead of the “monkey see, monkey do” approach that we’d all become accustomed to.

Suddenly rescue had become a thinking man’s game instead of the “monkey see, monkey do” approach that we’d all become accustomed to. I came back to the UK a convert and felt strongly that the MRS should take a long hard look at what we were currently doing and what RfR had to offer. I was, however, very aware that my opinions were just that, opinions, and as such I did not feel justified in introducing change based on my thoughts alone. So what to do?

Hot on the heels of the April 2000 TL’s Conference, I conducted a mini “Rigging for Rescue” seminar at which the Team Leaders were themselves introduced to RfR philosophy and techniques. This was to be followed by a full-blown RfR seminar, for which I had arranged for Kirk Mauthner (who had taken over from Arnor Larson as RfR provider and fount of all knowledge) to come over to the UK. Both Team Leaders and seminar participants agreed that RfR was the way ahead for the MRS and so I set about creating an implementation package that would meet the fundamental requirements of RfR, while minimizing the training penalty and cost of its introduction.

Text Box: Both Team Leaders and seminar participants agreed that RfR was “the way ahead” for the MRS

The Here and Now

This last development brings the story up to date and all teams should by now have initiated the introduction of RfR techniques into their training programmes, with a target of next year’s pre-AFI for full implementation.

So what’s the big deal with RfR?

Text Box: The main drive behind the introduction of RfR to the MRS is to make our job safer………

Firstly, let me make one thing clear. The main drive behind the introduction of RfR to the MRS is to “make our job safer, both in training and during operations”. As the brochures say, mountaineering can be dangerous (and so, by association, can mountain rescue) - a simple statement of fact that we are all aware of. However, although we must all accept the basic truth of this statement, we should still strive to minimise that danger in any way that we practically can. Introducing RfR will do just that. The fact that it is (I consider) a more efficient, more adaptable and more accountable system is an added bonus that serves to emphasise the fact that RfR really is the way ahead. Having read the following notes and tried it for yourself, I am confident that you will agree.

Rigging for Rescue Basics

RfR introduces the concept of applying critical analysis to technical rescue. By this I mean that it encourages us not just to accept that “what has gone before works, therefore it must be right”, but to ask WHY? and WHAT IF? and CAN IT BE DONE BETTER/SAFER? What happens if lightning strikes.........

Picture this......

The team is using the “old” method to horizontally lower the stretcher, complete with 2 guides and a casualty. What would happen if any one of the following events occurred.........?

a. The main belay anchor fails

b. The belayer loses control (for whatever reason) and lets go of the ropes.

c. A falling stone or a sharp edge cuts through one or both ropes.

d. The barrow-boys slip as they go over the edge - they and the load drop vertically until “caught” by the ropes (now running over the edge).

The answer to the above is that one or more troops could very easily be injured or, at worse, killed. Certainly events a - c could be regarded among the “nightmare” scenarios with which we hope never to be faced while d, although perhaps not as dramatic, is a fairly commonplace occurrence which has the potential to lead very quickly to events a, b or c. While it’s true to say that we have never had an MR troop seriously injured during technical rescue training or operations, having considered the above nightmares, are you not left with the impression that we have merely “got away with it” for all these years? Frightening, isn’t it?

So how does RfR avoid these situations?

The most fundamental difference between the “old” and the “new” is that instead of using 2 ropes which essentially “share” the full load (using one anchor and controlled by one person), we now use one rope as the {Main} working rope and one, independently anchored {Safety} rope to provide a hands-free autoblock that remains unloaded until required. Should any of the events at a - c above occur, the load will be effectively “caught” by the Safety rope by means of the {Tandem Prusiks} autoblock.

A further fundamental difference is that each of the RfR systems have been critically analysed both on the white board and on the crag. They have been tried and tested (to destruction where necessary) with documented evidence replacing the opinions, folklore and inconsistencies of the “old way”.

Text Box: …each of the RfR systems have been…tried and tested…with documented evidence replacing the opinions, folklore and inconsistencies of the “old way”.

RfR - the Way Ahead

Each team has been provided with sufficient RfR equipment to make up 2 kits, with further kits being purchased by team leaders to meet their team’s specific needs. Eleven MRS troops have attended the full RfR seminar and a further 6 have received an introduction to basic techniques during the recent AMR course. I am currently arranging 2 more full RfR seminars for next July and also hope to visit each of the teams to discuss/demonstrate RfR with team members over the next few months. Interim Training Notes were issued in July and a revised Chapter 6 (Stretcher Lowering and Raising Techniques), giving full details of RfR techniques, has been written and will be issued to every member of the MRS with the 6^th Edition of Pam Air 299.

Text Box: ask yourself which system you would prefer to be using when lightning finally does strike........

I firmly believe that “Rigging for Rescue” is the way ahead for the MRS. At first glance it may seem complicated or, even, unnecessary. However, ask yourself which system you would prefer to be using when lightning finally does strike........

FS Bill Batson is Chief Instructor of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service

AROUND THE TEAMS

MRS HQ

HQ Flt have continued with their various tasks and projects, with the recent introduction of the new C3 vehicle probably being the highlight over the past few months. We have taken delivery of the vehicles, and training on the vehicle is being conducted. The ‘new’ vehicle will hopefully be a large step forward, and will enhance our operational capability.

The delivery of the new C3 vehicle represents a culmination of two years work by not only the HQ Flt, but in liaison between a number of parties including Mercedes-Benz, Dytechna (responsible for the internal fit of the vehicle), and Lex Defence. The Mercedes-Benz 416 CDI Sprinter provides the platform for the vehicle, which is capable of 70 mph, so it can get to incidents quickly without hindering the convoy. Furthermore the size of the vehicle has increased making it an ideal incident command post, and it has secure seating for three people, so enabling it to remain fully operational on the move. It also has an all-terrain facility as it is equipped with four-wheel drive, ABS, traction control and snowchains.

The HQ Flt personnel have continued to be an integral part of Stafford MRT and have carried out their training and call-outs. Highlights include a good Christmas and New Year grant, and also a successful pre-AFI weekend at Beddgelert.

Steve Beverley has now been in post for a few months, which seems to have eased the paperwork burden on Biffa, who has recently been promoted to substantive Chf Tech. Also recently promoted and posted to St Mawgan is Alfie Jones. We offer our congratulations to both of them.

Cpl Mike Potts, HQ Flt

Kinloss MRT

A fairly quiet period on the call-out front. Thankfully the dogs have had their share and the free “RAF dog search and rescue services” must be saving the Grampian Police budget thousands. Daz Steatham’s dog, Bracken, keeps finding the odd body even if he (the dog) has to swim lochans and dive for them !! Dinga Bell’s dog, Oscar, ignores the bodies and tends to go for the discarded items of clothing. Both have had good finds in the last month.

We have had to say goodbye to Ian Venables who was promoted and posted to RAF Leuchars. Ian did a tremendous job motivating and teaching the novices. His acolytes are now having to maintain a long distance relationship, although they occasionally meet up for cloak and dagger climbing raids in the Cairngorms. We also had to say goodbye to Sarah McIlroy…..then hello again (changed her mind !). I am pleased to say that at the moment she is still on the bus. Sadly we also lost Al Copeland, the MRTLO. Al was the sort of guy who was not just behind you backing you up, but with you, side by side every step of the way. However, it is welcome back to Nick Barr who will be the new (again) MRTLO. Despite being excessively busy (that’s aircrew busy !), Nick has offered to take on the job. As the new OC ARCC (from March 03), he will also be in operational command. I am pleased to say that four guys have discovered the best kept secret in the RAF, and have shown the determination and stamina necessary to pass their KMRT trials. So welcome to Fergie Cliff, Abo Alexander, Dave Warburton and Mad (he is, very) Marsay. Lastly, welcome to Conor Cairns who has been brought in to do a “Red Adair” on the WOP’s job, which had previously been put into administration.

Team members are still spending leisure time down at “The Lodge” (Glenmore) overspending the underspend. The team remains strong with 36 on the books, with no more triallists being put through their paces until after the winter. Finally, I am pleased to say that both Tim Sugars and Stevie Price are well on the road to recovery.

The big news up here at the moment is the conviction of Nat Fraser to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife, Arlene. Anyone on the team at the time will remember searching for Arlene during April and May 1998. It seems that her body had been dumped on farmland somewhere, although Elgin and its environs were searched thoroughly during that time. Her body was removed and destroyed afterwards by Nat Fraser.

FS Kenny Kenworthy, TL Kinloss MRT

Leeming MRT

The last six months have been a busy time for the station here at Leeming. With reduced manpower available through the ongoing operations – Fresco and Telic, the team’s strength has been reduced by 25%. Currently standing at only 20 personnel on strength, there have been times when we have been stretched, with the PS having to go at least TWO whole hours between cups of tea. Times are hard indeed !!

On the operational front, we have had a very quiet period, and since last August we have seen only five jobs. First was a standby to assist Stafford at Lowestoft. As everything was in the North Sea this could have been an arduous beach combing and ice cream eating exercise, however, it was not to be. Second came the phantom F-15 crash somewhere in ‘Northern England’, and as I write two USAF F-15s with ‘fuel priority’ (ie they had just run out) has been called. It looks like these F-15 fellows could keep us in business for some time to come !! The third call-out was a search for a missing couple in the Scafell area, who turned up safe and well, although somewhat cold the next day. Although only few in number, we managed to field an effective search party on the day. The first rescue of the New Year was a paraglider pilot who had crashed on Seat Sandal (definitely not Jimmy !). Hauling large quantities of ‘rescue stuff’ up the hillside for Langdale/Ambleside MRT, we arrived on scene in time to watch the casualty being winched aboard R131 – B****R !! A few hours rest and once again we were called out to Scafell again for two missing female walkers. After a half-day search, and some outstanding driving by ‘Lui’, they were found safe and well by R131. Bill B and ‘a much loved family pet’ were even seen on the telly !

Summer saw a great ten days up in the Highlands in Torridon and Kintail. We nearly fell foul of the land clearance rules, but some quick work by Don Shanks and Kenny Kenworthy (after he had sorted out his WOP !) saved the day. Heavy has been out with the team for a few weekends, and his Everest lecture at Santon Bridge was outstanding. Winter has been much quieter, with some snow from time to time, but it has not been on the ground long. Even in Glencoe in the New Year there was not much of the white stuff. Despite low numbers from time to time, we have deployed onto the hills every weekend except one, and have had some memorable joint-exs with the Stafford and St Athan teams. With the masterly theft of one of our cakes, Saints are now in the lead in the pranks war, however, we have a cunning plan!

On the courses front, ‘Lui’ Llewellyn has had a great year, and is back up to speed as a party leader – well done ‘Lui’. The winter course has come and gone, with Chris Hufton and Gaz Thomas representing us this year. Although Dave Adams and myself went somewhat astray on the final exercise of the team leaders course, we would both like to pass on our thanks to all the troops who took part in the selection and final assessment weekends.

Kenny Tait was awarded a well deserved C-in-C’s for his time with the MRS and decided to make the presentation day his wedding day as well. We only found out after his presentation and his Mum only found out about twenty minutes before the marriage ceremony. Congratulations to Kenny and Sue. Jason Taylor was awarded an AOC’s commendation for his outstanding immediate emergency care with the lady who fell 50m onto a scree slope on Raven Crag, Langdale. Alister Haveron was awarded the MBE for his work with the MRS over the years and he is soon to leave the RAF. His last weekend with the team is at Grasmere on 2 – 5 May (details from Jimmy).

This has been a time of many comings and goings; and the Team says hello to Mark Stone and Steve Gratton. Whilst we say goodbye to Steve Catheral, Gareth Davies (North Yorkshire Ambulance Service), Chris Burke (promoted and off to teach at Halton), ‘Maca’ MacDonald (posted to Northern Ireland), ‘Johna’ Jones (back to the Army), Chris Hart (promoted and off to Cottesmore), and ‘Harry’ Harrison.

With ongoing events in the world things are going to be difficult at the moment. However, the troops will always try to produce the goods. For our last callout we got 14 personnel, including ‘TC’ (who had returned from the Gulf the day before), and ‘Lui’ (who was on 48 hours stand-by for Op Telic).

As always things will pick up. It has been rumoured that they have finished mining the metal for our new C3 ! Oh well, onwards and upwards.

Sgt John Ritchie, DTL Leeming MRT

Leuchars MRT

Although the winter has been fairly quiet for us all at Leuchars in terms of call-outs, we have managed to train almost every weekend. The rare occasions we have stayed op on base it has been due to low numbers in connections with Gulf preparations. Rod Stoddart (our SARDA representative) has remained relatively busy with dog searches, and is off to the Crufts Dog Show with Taff to sell SARDA (and maul a few poodles). Chris Kitt completed the (over subscribed) Winter Course. Abbey Crombie and Neil Baillie completed the Team Leaders Course, which should allow more flexibility as regards time off and expeds for our TL and DTL.

The turn around of personnel has continued during the last few months. Our losses have been Dave Jones posted to Lossiemouth, Dave Green to Germany, Rich Gammage to MOD, and Tony Cregan to HQ Flt. Other imminent postings out are Joe Sprawson to TSW, Fergie Ferguson to Leeming, and Kenny Walker to Lossiemouth. As some of you may have noticed a lot of the postings are from the PS, and this has made way for some fresh faces – myself (Chris Thorne – supply), ‘Wee’ Ed Jones (IEC), Al ‘Duck’ Swaddle (Comms), and Pete Caulton (MT). New part-timers continue to come through at a steady rate – John Sinclair, Andy Inman, Joe Wright, Euan Krogh, and Will Gwilt. We have also been graced by ex-members – ‘2BA’, ‘Fletch’, and Simon Brill – attending on various occasions over the winter.

Providing the Gulf situation is not too disruptive to Leuchars we should manage to continue with regular training, and maintain an operational team. Although the Canada MFT has been cancelled, we still have our fingers crossed for Alaska and the distant possibility of South Georgia. A number of troops have or will be skiing in Norway in the name of AT (more important than MFT!!), and these improved skiing skills will be of benefit to the team in future winters.

So as the days get longer, and the ice begins to melt we look forward to a summer of fantastic rock climbing and extended hill days. Once we get back from Spain we will be making guest appearances on the Summer Course, Alistair Haveron’s last weekend in the Lakes during May, and at the MRS 60^th Anniversary celebrations at Carlisle in the autumn.

Cpl Chris Thorne, Leuchars MRT

St Athan MRT

The past six months have been very quiet on the call-out side, with only a few jobs in north and south Wales, none of which were aircraft related.

We organised the South Wales Mountain Rescue annual multi-team training event. It involved all five of the civilian organisations mixing up into mini teams of ten troops solving short scenarios (two hours in duration). As you can imagine this was worthwhile, and very entertaining at the same time.

Bob Orrells has left for a very cushy GDT slot at Shawbury. Nige Hughes went to Innsworth, and now spends his evenings in the mess giving Heavy a good listening to!! On the new troops side of things, Noel Godfrey, a physio in the Med Centre, who is our first MOD civilian for a number of years has finished his trial. Tony Brinnand, a medic passed his trial a few months ago and what Noel can’t treat, Tony sorts out with tubey grip and Brufen.

PS wise, John Roe has returned to trade as an ‘instructor’ on the Aircraft Battle Damage Repair School, which is part of 4 S of TT at St Athan. He must be doing extremely well, despite many years out of trade, his business card already describes him as a ‘Specialist’. This leaves the TL’s post vacant until the start of July when Ginge ‘No Sidies’ Williams arrives as the new TL.

The Team also celebrated the marriage of two MR troops, thankfully of opposite sex. The wedding of Ginge and Fiona was a uniformed, crossed ice axes (not swords) event in Pembroke, and served as an excellent re-union with loads of troops from the past attending. Although we did wonder if someone else is now doing Conor ‘Enrica’ Cairns clothes shopping ? The happy couple’s request for sleeping bags that zip together to be added to the scaling is under review.

Manning is still tight, but with MOD and DARA civilians now allowed to join the team, plus the imminent arrival of the Army, manpower should improve in the near future. Training wise, summer has certainly arrived early on the Welsh Riviera with plenty of climbing being done – Daz Lawson has already got in some air time at Ogmore !!

Cpl Darren Summerson, DTL St Athan MRT

Stafford MRT

The last six months has seen the departure of Cpl Kev Hill (posted to Henlow) and Cpl Joe Regan (promoted to Sgt and posted to Sealand). The gap has partially been filled by Jnr Tech Tony Cregan from Leuchars. The other post is temporarily gapped awaiting the arrival of Sgt Ian Ellis in Jun 03, who will take control of the HQ Flt Supply. Sgt ‘Maddy’ Maddison has joined the part-time staff (instructing at Cosford), and Stafford has its first ‘civvy’ in the shape of Andy Davies (an ex-ranker who works in Survival Equipment).

Stafford MRT have been involved in seven operations during this period. Five were for missing persons, one for a pair of crag fast climbers, and one aircraft incident involving a Puma that crash-landed. Many joint training exercises have been carried out due to low numbers at one or the other teams in England and Wales. Low numbers also limited the attendance of Stafford personnel on the MRS Winter Course.

A great deal of groundwork has been carried out at HQ level with regard to communications, new vehicles and supply. The arrival of the Flt Cdr, although increasing the workload on the HQ staff, has enabled many issues to be tackled and in some cases resolved. The Team has encountered some problems with conditioning stamps at section level. I have not encountered this before at any other team and believe it is a knock on effect from the inquiry.

With one post gapped and three other team members temporarily downgraded, the resources and resolve of the team has been tested to the limit. This is hopefully a temporary problem. I believe that MRS permanent staff should be given the highest available priority to medical services in order for them to be operationally effective. I fear the only other course of action may be to remove and replace downgraded personnel immediately from operational duties. The RAF’s OOA Operations has had minimal effect on the part-time staff, but has raised one or two issues with the permanent staff of which No. 3 Gp are aware. It was hoped that the ongoing inquiry would be over by now, but as we move past the one year mark we still have scant information. This has had an impact on the Team; the effects are being felt in our everyday dealings with Supply, Catering Flt and PSF.

FS Dave Wilcox, TL Stafford MRT

SIGNALS TO THE HILL

Gordon Blackburn

Thanks. Was sorry to see an obit for Gordon Blackburn. I knew him very well years ago. We were in the same social group within our air nav course at Thorney Island. He was older than most of us, of course (being an ex-NSA soldier) and married - I spent the odd week end at his place. Towards the end of the course we had to do an expedition and he and I and three other guys canoed the Caledonian Canal from Inverness to Fort William. Took a week and God knows how much beer! That was in 1961 but we drifted apart thereafter, although we occasionally bumped into each other over the next 30 years or so - like you do.

C G ‘Jeff’ Jefferson, RAF Historical Society (email)

Last year’s this-and-that

Very many thanks for sending me the Autumn 2002 issue No. 10 of On the Hill. It arrived nearly a week ago but I have been reading it on and off since then and much enjoyed the sheer variety of articles. The accounts of the Everest expedition by Ted Atkins and Brian Kirkpatrick made very stirring reading and brought home the sheer grit and determination needed to overcome such a formidable obstacle as Everest. As one who ventures out on a Scottish Munro only when a ridge of high pressure is forecast I can well and truly appreciate the achievement of the expedition.

I was glad to see the tribute paid to you by John Bell of Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa, in his letter. Your articles last year in The Great Outdoors and The Scots Magazine will have given pleasure to a large number of people and given the Mountain Rescue Teams the recognition they deserve.

I was also pleased to see the article ‘Lest we Forget’ by David Whalley about the Anson from RAF Kinloss which crashed near Ben More in April 1941. Although it was after the war had ended, I was training as a navigator/bomb aimer at No. 1(O) AFU at RAF Wigtown in Scotland during September and October 1945. Our aircraft was an Anson Mk. II and we were very conscious of the mountains all around us, particularly in bad weather. Hugh Budgen’s note at the end of the article about the number of aircraft which crashed in Scotland and the lives lost between 1939 and 1945 was a sombre reminder of the hazards faced by fliers and rescuers at that time.

Ken Tabor, Malton, N. Yorks

The ‘52 Summer Course

I understand from page 78 of the latest On the Hill (No. 10) that Paddy Caulfield is interested in filling in the name gaps in the photograph.

I offer confirmation that No. 2 is in fact Sgt ‘Andy’ Anderson then Team Leader at West Freugh. No. 1 is I believe John Rowantree, a West Freugh team volunteer at the time.

Enclosed [below] are three prints taken from photographs which give better facial views which should allow Paddy to give confirmation if he remembers. John Rowantree accomapnied Sgt Anderson on at least one course while I was a National Service MRT volunteer with West Freugh MRT in 1952/3.

I have other photographs but the enclosed should give some assistance to Paddy and perhaps be of general interest anyway.

David H E Horton, Southampton

Sgt Anderson with patient (‘Chippy’ Barbour): quarry at Portpatrick

West Freugh MRT: Sledge-stretcher-lowering exercise 1952 - old quarry on coast at Portpatrick; Sgt ‘Andy’ Anderson on R, David Horton crouched on L

West Freugh MRT, Lake District, 1953. L to R: Miles Oakley, David Horton, Unknown, John Rowantree, Michael Gibbs (Flt Lt MO), ‘Batters’ Battersby

On the Hill 2003 (online version)

Table of Contents

(Click on titles to go to the article)

A VIEW FROM THE SERVICE Shane Spence

A VIEW FROM THE CHAIR Brian Canfer

FAREWELL TO THE WHIPPERSNAPPER Bill Batson

Hill Bones Solve Mystery John Ross

Bill Batson

January’s New Years Honours produced the following awards for the following MRS personnel.

Alister Haveron

THE 1951 CONFERENCE

Representing/From

Organisation

ACTION

Is it agreed that responsibility for administration, equipment and training should be placed on a selected Command?

Frank Card

Garadh Gully - Christmas Eve 2002

Andy Watkins update 5 July 03

Background

The Here and Now

Rigging for Rescue Basics

RfR - the Way Ahead

Gordon Blackburn

Last year’s this-and-that