Killin Mountain Rescue Team      Homepage, Killin.

The Killin Mountain Rescue Team was originally established in 1967. Andrew Comrie, the local Police Sergeant at Killin, recruited eight local shepherds, gamekeepers and keen hillwalkers from the Killin area to assist Perth & Kinross Constabulary with the increasing number of mountain accidents taking place in the Killin/Crianlarich area. All eight members were appointed as Special Constables for Mountain Rescue purposes to ensure insurance cover was provided. This formalised what had been taking place for many years with local shepherds and gamekeepers being contacted by the local Police to assist in the search for and recovery of injured/missing climbers.

It is of interest that such a service is recorded as far back as 1874. On 3rd January 1874 Daniel Bower Mitchell, a Dundee businessman, slipped on ice and fell to his death on Ben More during a winter ascent of the mountain. The search was carried out by local shepherds who located the body with sheep dogs. The position of the body was marked. No stretcher was available in these times and a ladder was used for the recovery. This incident is marked by the iron cross erected on the north side of the mountain.

The formalisation of the team in 1967 allowed a small store and MacInnes Mark I stretcher to be located at Killin, with a mountain rescue post at Crianlarich. By 1975 the team had reduced to two members and at regionalisation was re-established by Sgt. Harry Lawrie and Constable Bill Rose, Central Scotland Police, based at Killin. A meeting on a Sunday afternoon in the Clachaig Hotel resulted in 30 persons joining, still mainly shepherds and farmers from the area around Killin, Crianlarich and Lochearnhead. It is pure speculation that such a large attendance was primarily due to the location of the meeting and the chance of an afternoon refreshment which was prohibited by licensing laws at that time.

A learning curve took place a few weeks later when the new members were called in winter conditions to Ben Lui. Declining the offer of ice axe and crampons the majority, mainly shepherds, relied on the sturdy crook to ascend the central gully. Although they were successful in reaching the casualty a few words of wisdom and advice – to secure themselves to a back rope for safety – from experienced rescuer Hamish MacInnes, who had turned up to assist, meant a safe return for all apart from the sturdy crooks which were beyond economic repair. An emergency team meeting resulted in considerable interest from members to attend winter skills training at Glenmore Lodge.

The late 1970s saw some good winters with the training of the team in winter skills standing it in good stead. 1979 found the team in the Ben Lui area in a three day search for the pilot of a Jaguar aircraft which went missing during a training flight. Working with the RAF and neighbouring teams in poor winter conditions team members skills were put to the test in locating the body of the pilot and the aircraft. Members of all the teams involved in this incident were commended by the Ministry of Defence for the skills and assistance provided during a period of severe winter weather.

In December of the same year the team was carrying out a search on Ben More when they were caught on the mountain by a storm with blizzards and winds recording 90 mph. Two injured climbers were located and evacuated from the mountain. One team member succumbed to hypothermia, requiring emergency hospital treatment, and a few others suffered mild hypothermia and frostnip due to the ferocity of the storm driving snow inside protective shell clothing.

In 1981 considerable local interest resulted in the team increasing its membership to 50 with a store and post being set up at Callander. This was a timely move as in November a light aircraft was reported missing in the Callander area. A search over two days finally located the aircraft and pilot, who had been killed when the aircraft crashed near the summit of Ben Ledi.

In December that year a local shepherd failed to return from gathering in the hills above Glendochart near Killin. The alarm was raised when his dog returned home alone. Extensive searches over a four-day period in winter conditions failed to locate the shepherd on the hill. However thoughts had correctly turned to the frozen river and the shepherd was found having drowned beneath the ice.

1st February, 1987 was an almost spring-like day and no-one would have anticipated the dark cloud that would fall on the team by nightfall. Called in the afternoon to Balquhidder the team recovered the body of a climber who had collapsed near Inverlochlarig. The team was then diverted to Ben More following a report of a climber having fallen on the snow-covered top. They set out on to the hill just before a Wessex helicopter picked up two further team members to assist them with a search of the hillside. Unfortunately, when it was attempting to land on the hillside the helicopter rotor struck a rock, it crashed into the hillside and slid down towards the team already on the hill.
Team members immediately entered the smouldering wreckage and assisted the occupants to escape from the helicopter before it was engulfed in flames, but sadly team member Sergeant Lawrie had been thrown from the aircraft, sustaining fatal injury. Another team member, Constable Ian Ramsay, and the air crew seriously injured in the crash were treated on scene and evacuated in a second helicopter to hospital. The job, however, was not finished and the team returned at first light to recover the body of the climber whose fall had instigated the incident. She was found at the foot of a steep snow face with a new set of crampons still in her rucksac. Following this incident Hugh Pearce the helicopter pilot, Team Leader Billy Stitt and team member Stewart Ingles received the Queen’s Commendation for brave conduct and the Central Scotland Police medal at a ceremony in Stirling Castle.

Nevertheless, the team does not dwell on tragedy, with the vast majority of incidents resulting in a safe recovery of the missing person. Incidents such as: a 13 year old boy who had wandered off into the hills wearing Wellington boots and a pullover being found using heather to insulate himself from the frosty night; a climber descending a steep snow slope losing his contact lenses and deciding to shelter in a snow hole for the night. At daylight he found his contact lenses glinting in the sun and was traced by the team on top of a large buttress. Incidents such as these make the work of mountain rescue worthwhile.

Now in its 38th year the team has over 55 members and is available to assist people in difficulty in the increasingly popular west Perthshire hills from Callander to Tyndrum.

With a control vehicle at Callander in 1999 and an Order of St John Land Rover at Killin in 2001 the team is well equipped to meet the demands likely to be placed on it in the future. Yes, things have changed in 30 years. Equipment is much better, technology such as mobile phones and Global Positioning Systems has made a difference. Search and Rescue helicopters are better equipped to work at night as they have night vision equipment. The team now has a modern radio communications system – unlike 30 years ago when we had to rely on flashlight signals and flares to recall the team from the hill.

However, the team retains its original policy of maintaining a membership who provide the local knowledge and skills necessary to deal with mountain rescue incidents, which often occur in poor weather conditions that prevent helicopters operating in the mountains.

The work of the team was recognized in June of this year when it received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. It was nominated by Killin Community Council in recognition of the assistance the team provides to the local community, not just in Mountain Rescue, but other emergencies such as the landslide in Glenogle or flooding in Callander.

The team has run a mountain safety campaign for many years using the slogan ‘Get a grip on the Scottish Mountains’. Accidents are often a result of something as simple as a slip on wet ground, or a navigation error especially in winter resulting in climbers getting on to steep ground which requires good winter hillcraft skills to negotiate safely.

Always wear proper hillwalking boots and in winter carry an ice axe and crampons. Most important of all learn how to navigate and use your equipment before venturing out on the tops. Safe Trekking.

The team would also like to thank the many organizations, individual members of the community and local businesses in Callander and surrounding area who have supported us over many years. Without their support the team would have had great difficulty in maintaining a voluntary Mountain Rescue Service.

Bill Rose (Team member)