Hinde, John, 1927-2002 (mountaineer, and mountain rescue team leader)
Biography
John Hinde was born on 21 December 1927 in Staveley, Chesterfield. His father was a lorry driver and his mother worked in a local factory. Widowed when John was only five years old, his mother was left to bring up John, his elder brother Frank (d.1950), and his sister Beth.
John was a pupil at Netherthorpe Grammar School between 1938-1943. At 15 he followed his brother Frank into the RAF as a boy entrant and for a while he was its youngest recruit.
Trained as an aircraft engineer, John worked on engines for the first 18 years of his RAF career. He was posted to Kinloss in 1948, the first of three postings, and it was there that his association with RAF Mountain Rescue began.
His passion for climbing and the outdoors had, however, been apparent from an early age. He began climbing at the age of 11 and was was an early member of the Youth Hostel Association. He kept a detailed diary from his early teens until his death, detailing his life, expeditions, and outdoor career.
At age 33, John’s mountaineering experience was recognised and most of the remainder of his 30 years’ service career was spent as leader of RAF mountain rescue teams. Following a few years with the Leuchars team, in 1961 he took over as leader at Kinloss, the team responsible at that time for the north of Scotland and most of the islands. John remained at Kinloss throughout the 1960s. During this time he was awarded the BEM for services to mountain rescue. A joint services expedition took him to Mt. McKinlay in 1962, and another to the Himalayas to climb one of the Dualagiris in 1965.
A posting to lead the team at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus in 1969 gave John the opportunity for further travel. He visited Alum Kuh and Demavend in the Elburz, Kuh-i-Dinar in the Zagros mountains in 1972, Mt. Kenya, and enjoyed a holiday trip to Mt. Etna. He also undertook a trans-Iceland trip in 1972.
During his time with the RAF, John gained the Mountaineering Instructors Certificate, a civilian qualification. Posted back to Kinloss and back to his trade as aircraft fitter in 1972, he responded to an advert for Chief Expeditions Officer on the schooner, “Captain Scott”, built in Buckie at the Herd and MacKenzie shipyard. Buckie was the family home of his wife, Betty. The schooner was to operate between the Outward Bound establishments of the Moray Sea School at Burghead, and the Loch Eil Centre near Fort William. Upon appointment, John resigned from the RAF after 30 years’ service and began his new role facilitating and leading month-long sails upon the schooner for young people in which they sailed the ship around the west and north of the Highlands and Islands, with three land-based expeditions also included.
With the decommissioning of the schooner as a training vessel, John became an instructor at the Outward Bound Centre, Loch Eil, teaching sailing, rock and ice climbing, canoeing, general mountaineering and organising the Skye Treks. He worked with Outward Bound for 20 years.
John also served as a member and past President of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland, and became the Committee's representative in compiling and supplying rescue staitics to the Scottish Mountain Club between 1981-2002.
John Hinde died on 28 June 2002 at his home in Findochty.
[Source: https://diariesofjohnhinde.wordpress.com/]
Found in 98 Collections and/or Records:
Additional Annotated Press Cuttings., 1994-1996; 1998-2001.
This series contains four additional folders of annotated press cuttings compiled by John Hinde. Similar systems of annotation to those used in the MRCS press cuttings can be observed, however, as the folders were maintained seperately, this arrangement has been respected and retained.
Annotated press cuttings compiled by John Hinde., 1994.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes by Hinde. File also includes some statistical details by Hinde.
Annotated press cuttings compiled by John Hinde., 1995-1996.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside notes and statistical details by Hinde.
Annotated press cuttings compiled by John Hinde., 1998.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes and statistical details by Hinde.
Annotated press cuttings compiled by John Hinde., 1999-2001.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes by Hinde.
'Captain Scott' Schooner Scrapbook, Volume I., 1970-1973.
Large softback scrapbook contains an assortment of press and magazine cuttings recording the building, launching, and subsequent sea career of the training schooner, 'Captain Scott', built in the shipyard of Herd & Mackenzie at Buckie, Banffshire in circa 1970. Reference is also made to the land-based activities which formed part of the month-long training and adventure courses aboard the schooner.
'Captain Scott' Schooner Scrapbook, Volume II., 1973-1975.
Large softback scrapbook contains an assortment of press and magazine cuttings recording the sea career of the training schooner, 'Captain Scott', built in the shipyard of Herd & Mackenzie at Buckie, Banffshire in circa 1970 and decommissioned in January 1976. Reference is also made to the land-based activities which formed part of the month-long training and adventure courses aboard the schooner.
Folder, labelled 'Aircraft Wrecks'., 1965-1976.
File contains manuscript and typescript notes of John Hinde concerning annonymous statistics and details for abandoned aircraft wreckages in Scotland.
Folder, labelled 'J.H. Mountain Panoramas'., 1970; 1988-1993.
File contains original photographs of three panoramic views in [?Scotland]; press cuttings; and some correspondence of John Hinde concerning a biography of Ben Humble, and informatin on an incident at Corrour in 1951. File also includes brief reproduced illustrations and photocopied photographs of Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Kinloss Callouts'., 1994.
File contains annonymous statistics and details for Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team callouts between 1952-1994. Also present are photocopied handwritten notes concerning named Kinloss callouts between January 1951-May 1952.
Folder, labelled 'Mountain Rescue Incident Reports'., 1964-1971; ?1977.
File contains handwritten and typescript 'Mountain Rescue Incident Reports' by John Hinde for the Kinloss and NEAF regions. A single press cutting is also present for a 1964 incident on Ben Nevis.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, 1990, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1990.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes by Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, 1991, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1991.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside notes by Hinde relating to incidents in the Northern Highlands. A small number of cuttings relate to 1987 and 1990.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, 1992, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1992.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief statistical notes and other details by Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, 1993, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1993.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside statistical notes and details by Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, 1994, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1994.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside notes by Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, 1983/84, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1983-1985.
File contains original and photocopied press cuttings concerning mountain rescue incidents (1983-1984), alongside John Hinde's annotations, notes, and correspondence regarding the compilation of accident statistics for 1982-1984. A small number of papers also relate to the Executive Committee of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, 1996/97, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1996-1997.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside notes by Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, Ben Nevis 1986-1989, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1985-1989.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes by Hinde. Some earlier cuttings for 1985 are included.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, Glencoe, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1986-1989.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes by Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, Northern Highlands 1985-1989, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1985-1989.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes by Hinde.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, Other Central Highands 1985-1988, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1985-1988.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents.
Folder, labelled 'Press clippings, Western Highlands 1985-1989, MRCS, compiled by John Hinde, SMC Statistician'., 1985-1989.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside brief notes by Hinde.
Loose enclosures found with 'Captain Scott' Schooner Scrapbook, Volume I., 1971-1984; 1993-1995.
Loose press cuttings and papers found with Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland press cuttings., circa 1985-1989.
File contains annotated press cuttings (original and copied) reporting on mountain rescue incidents, alongside notes by Hinde and incident reports. Paper dividers included amongst the papers appear to suggest they may relate to the 'Southern Highlands', the 'Cairngorms', 'Skye', 'The Islands other than Skye', 'Southern Uplands', and 'Misc. Overseas England'.
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