Brecon Mountain Rescue Team – where it all started...

The formation of many mountain rescue services in the UK can often be traced to a specific incident that highlighted, often tragically, the need for a dedicated team of search and rescue specialists. 

In 1903 the Scafell Disaster saw 4 climbers fall to their death when climbing Scafell. This was a pivotal moment in the UK that highlighted the need for an organisation to assist people in difficulty in mountainous or remote areas.

The first civilian search and rescue team in England, Coniston MRT, was formed by Jim Cameron in 1947. After a 3-day search for a missing climber the local community commented that ‘it was clear that a specific body was required for search & rescue to be efficient and effective’.

Calder Valley Moorland Rescue commenced in November 1965 after a reservoir keeper was reported lost and initial searches failed to find him. He was found 3 months later when the snow depleted. Keswick MRT (started as Borrowdale MRT) were formed after the rescue of a climber by volunteers which took 21 hours to complete. 

The Brecon MRT is no different to the teams mentioned above. It was in 1968 that a lone walker was reported missing from a walk in the western area of Brecon Beacons National Park. An initial search was organised which involved 100’s of personnel including the army, police, and many local volunteers.

Despite their best efforts they were unsuccessful in their endeavours. A small group of local people; George Batten (warden at Plas Pencilli Outdoor Education Centre), Eric Bartlett (warden at the local Youth Hostel) David Newman (head warden of Brecon Beacons National Parks) and Peter 'poj' Rowlands, (Brecon Scout Leader) met to reconsider the search methods used. With some researching search techniques they developed a new search plan. With a search plan finalised each founder brought several others from their respective organisations to recommence the search. This comparatively smaller and better informed search party was then successful in locating the body of the missing person. 

From this group Brecon MRT was established in 1968. and it proved a point that “if you have an organised group of people who have a better knowledge, experience, training and are more adapted to working in mountainous and remote areas, then they are likely to be more effective than having significantly larger groups of people who don’t have this specific knowledge or understanding”. 

When the team first commenced it operated from the boot of a team members Triumph Herald car which carried some basic equipment. Shortly after this the team were allocated a storeroom in Plas Pencelli Outdoor Education Centre. Now they could store equipment that they had acquired consisting of; a Thomas stretcher and splint, several long ropes, some metal stakes and a sledgehammer, two rucksacks, one containing first aid kit, the other old warm sweaters and clothing. 

The first team vehicle purchased was an ex GPO pole wagon at a cost of £350, the funds for which had to be borrowed from one of the team members. This highlighted a growing problem in the team. While they were able to recruit dedicated volunteers who would give their time and expertise free of charge, without financial resources the team could not function. Fundraising became an essential team activity as no financial support was forthcoming from any government or local authority sources. To this day funding to support the team is through public donations.

The teams base at Frwdgrech Industrial Estate opened in 1991 and is used for internal training sessions, garage, equipment store and equipment maintanence. 

From its early days in 1968, when the team responded to around 15 incidents per year the team now resounds to around 120 call outs annually.