Whensoever

From gum-boots and oilskins to Gortex and plastic boots in 50 years is not so remarkable. What is remarkable is that for 50 years the Royal Air Force has maintained an efficient mountain rescue service, both at home and abroad, manned entirely by enthusiastic volunteers. These men and women give their private time and risk their lives. They are of all ranks. They are not paid for the considerable amount of training they are expected to undertake.

Much of their emergency work is involved with recovering and rescuing, not just aircrew as was intended, but also civilians who have underestimated the wrath of the British mountains. They turn out in all weathers and under all conditions – hence the slogan on their crest, and the title of this book.

They have searched for schoolchildren and pensioners in Scotland, aircrew in Wales, rare falcons in Cyprus, secret devices in an RAF wreck high on a remote mountain in Turkey near the USSR border. They took an important but largely unnoticed part in the Lockerbie and Midlands air crash operations.

For many of its volunteers, mountain rescue became a way of life, and veterans of every decade recall their days with great pride and affection. Frank Card has been able to tell the major part of their story: to tell it all would require several volumes; but by careful and diligent research and the willingness of past and present team members to share their experiences, the author can present to you, their story of WHENSOEVER.