“The End The Beginning” RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team 26 July 2012

I received an email last week about RAF Kinloss closing and the Mountain Rescue Team moving to Lossiemouth but the great news is that the Team will still be part of mountain rescue in Scotland. There is no name for the new team as yet but I am sure that will be worked out by those in power in a few days? To me it is a no brainer “RAF Lossiemouth Mountain Rescue Team” or is that too simple? The team has always relied on RAF Lossiemouth for personnel and it even had a Royal Naval Mountain Rescue Team when I joined in 1971!   The Team is in great hands just now with Flight Sergeant Wullie Mac Ritchie and  Sgt Ed Jones at the helm and a team of great people.

The details of the farewell get together are as follows for ex Team members.

“At 1200 on the 26 Jul 12 the Royal Air Force Ensign will be lowered at RAF Kinloss for the last time, it will be replaced by the flag of 39 RE Regiment. We currently do not know what the new ‘barracks’ name will be but RAF Kinloss will cease to exist.

RAF Kinloss MRT has been around since 1944; the Team will remain but will undergo a ‘name’ change. To mark the occasion of the ‘demise’ of RAF Kinloss MRT and the ‘birth’ of the RAF Lossiemouth MRT it is proposed to hold a ‘gathering’ in the MRT Section at Kinloss on the 26 Jul 12.

We would like to invite all MRS troops old and new and the many wonderful friends, colleagues and supporters who have been there for us over the many years to ‘drop‘ in for a bite to eat and some refreshments. If you are a past member of RAF Kinloss MRT please contact the Team Leader/Deputy Team Leader for more information.”

RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue was a huge part of my life and has played an incredible part in Rescue in Scotland. The Kinloss team was formed in 1944 and has a huge history, I was extremely lucky to have joined the team as a skinny 18-year-old and served with the RAF Mountain Rescue Service  for over 36 years. I also was the Team Leader at RAF Kinloss for 4 years and during that period and for the next 15 years worked at saving the history and photo archives of this unique period. It is incredible that most of the Stats were lost for the other RAF teams but we saved RAF Kinloss and what a history, what people and what an effect on Mountain Rescue over the years. The number of lives saved over the years is incredible and it is wonderful to have the figures and I am just up dating them for  future reference.

The Kinloss Team was part of many of the huge Rescues in the early days of Rescue (and still is) in Scotland and  was at the forefront of Rescue especially during the early years. Kinloss has an  unparalleled history in Mountain Rescue.There are so many tales to tell, I will try over the next few weeks to tell some of the story. It is great the team lives on in these days of cuts but there will be tear in my eye when the Team moves on 26 July hopefully it is a new chapter in a for a wonderful service. All the best to the new Team and I am sure RAF  Lossiemouth will be proud of its new addition.

Well done Andy Murray – how my Mother would have loved the day that Andy got into a Wimbledon final. No matter what happens a great achievement maybe they will appreciate you down South Andy?