Unit History: RAF Mountain Rescue

The Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service (RAFMRS) provides land rescue service in the mountain areas of the United Kingdom. The organisation was set up during the Second World War. The first organised team were created by George Graham at RAF Landwrog in North Wales. During World War II, the RAFMRS had to provide rescue service for a number of crashes that had occured in the mountains. In the United Kingdom, the mountains are not tall, but they can have a sub-Arctic climate, so it is essential for the RAF to provide a rescue team. Special equipment and people trained to a high level in mountaineering are needed to perform these operations.