Above is the call outs attended by the Kinloss team in 1972. All apart from 1 we’re for missing walkers or climbers. The other was an aircraft crash near Kintail. As the reader can see they incidents were all over the North of Scotland . This is why we trained in different areas to get the area knowledge especially if the big cliffs. The best way to get this was to climb routes on them . The tragic incident in Sept 1972 on Tower Ridge was a sad event and one I will never forget.
In 1973 we had a big Aircraft search on Ben Mor ( Crianlarich ) for a missing Viscount aircraft. There were also a couple of incidents on Ben Nevis and two more up North. It was all part of assisting the local Mountain Rescue Teams.
1974 was my first big lower on Ben Nevis in Zero gully it was amazing being a small part of a big lower. I think it was all done on a single rope lower with very basic equipment. I was in awe of Lochaber MRT and the bravery of those going over the edge on such a huge cliff. I had a huge amount to learn and over the next few years we did a few lowers in Skye and in the North West. I was learn how hard it was to carry in gear like ropes stretcher and casualty bag. Add to that your personal gear you all have to do your bit. No wonder my back is knackered.
It should be noted that we rarely spoke about incidents especially the fatalities. We all coped on our own way. We have hopefully come a long way since the It was great that even as a young lad you got to know many of the other teams and their characters. Many are still friends to this day.
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