Incidents attended by our volunteers, 1990 - 1995
We are in the process of loading our callout data for previous years to when our new website went live in 2012.
Below is the callout summary data for 1996 – 1999. This is an ongoing project and information will be added as our paper based archives are trawled.
Incidents are listed in the table below
1990 - 95 Incidents
A list of Incidents that the team were called out from January 1990 until the end of 1995.
| Incident Location | Date | Incident Details |
| Bittaford Moor Gate | 26/04/1990 | Day callout |
| Shipley Bridge | 04/05/1990 | Night callout |
| Cross Furzes | 18/08/1990 | Day callout |
| Postbridge | 24/09/1990 | Day callout |
| Harford Moor Gate | 08/03/1991 | Night callout. Located and evacuated missing patient from Moorhaven Hospital from near Harford Moor Gate. SARDA and Plymouth also involved. |
| Shipley Bridge | 09/03/1991 | Day callout. Avon Valley searched for potential suicide patient from Moorhaven Hospital. Located with samaritans. SARDA and Plymouth also involved. |
| Wrangaton Moor Gate | 14/03/1991 | Night callout. Wrangaton and Harford moors searched for patient missing from Moorhaven Hospital. Located in hospital grounds. SARDA and Plymouth also involved. |
| Holne Moor Gate | 25/03/1991 | Night callout. Called to Holne Moor to search for 2 missing teenagers from a party of 7. Party appeared as search being mounted. |
| Merrivale | 02/04/1991 | Called to search from Bideford overdue at Merrivale. Walked off at Peter Tavy as search being mounted. Plymouth and Tavistock also involved. |
| Fishlake | 14/04/1991 | Stretcher team called to carry off girl with severe abdominal pains and hypothermia from Fishlake. |
| Chudleigh Rocks | 20/04/1991 | Evacuated climber injured at Chudleigh Rocks from base of crag to ambulance. |
| Dartmeet | 29/05/1991 | Night callout. Evacuated a disabled adult missing from a party in Dart Valley after an all-night search. SARDA and Plymouth also involved. |
| Ducks Pool | 23/06/1991 | Night callout. Located and evacuated a party of 5 girls from Taunton on a Duke of Edinburgh Silver Expedition at Ducks Pool. SARDA and Tavistock also involved |
| Burrator | 03-04/08/1991 | Extended callout (night and day). Searched and located a suicide victim in woods near Burrator Reservoir. All 4 DRG teams and SARDA involved. |
| Fernworthy | 04/08/1991 | Day callout. Located youth missing from a campsite near the beehive hut, East Dart Valley, near Fernworthy. SARDA also involved. |
| Shipley Bridge | 29/02/1992 | Party of 5 scouts searched for north of Shipley Bridge. Came off moor at Bittaford after a navigational error. Ashburton and SARDA |
| Albaston, Tamar Valley | 06/03/1992 | All 4 Dartmoor teams and SARDA called to search farmland, woods and old mining area for lady missing from Albaston in the Tamar Valley. Later found dead in the river. |
| Moretonhampstead | 22/03/1992 | Search for missing person in Moretonhampstead area. Located on road near Bridford by Police. Ashburton and SARDA, |
| Crossways | 21/04/1992 | Search for missing man, south east Dartmoor. Located west of Crossways and evacuated. Ashburton, Plymouth and SARDA. |
| Plymbridge Woods | 16/05/1992 | Search for missing lady in Plymbridge Woods. Later turned up in Norwich. Ashburton Plymouth and SARDA. |
| Ten Tors | 16-17/05/1992 | All teams provided safety cover for Ten Tors. Evacuated 9 participants with various leg injuries and exhaustion. |
| South Brent | 29/05/1992 | Search for 3 members of Surrey Duke of Edinburgh expedition group. Turned up at farm near South Brent as search being mounted. Ashburton, Plymouth, Tavistock and SARDA. |
| South Brent | 12/07/1992 | Called to search for lady missing from a nursing home near South Brent. Located by Police helicopter before search mounted. Ashburton and Plymouth. |
| Harford Moor Gate | 28/07/1992 | Search for missing patient from Moorhaven Hospital. from Harford Moor Gate. Person located in wood near the hospital by Police helicopter. Ashburton, Plymouth and SARDA. |
| Holne Ridge Combestone Tor | 04/09/1992 | Missing walker separated from party of 3 walking from Scorriton to Combestone Tor. Weather: Dry cold and clear. Found safe and well at 01:25. Ashburton, Tavistock and SARDA. |
| Cockingford | 04/10/1992 | 02:25 - Adult acting as follow up sweep for a college walking party walking from Cockingford Farm to Buckland Bridge missing. Well equipped walker but with no torch had taken a few 'tumbles' in the dark and lost his glasses decided to stay put on a ledge camped down in his sleeping bag. Found by Police Dog west of Holne Ridge safe and well around 03:45. |
| Shipley Bridge | 22/11/1992 | Night callout. Search for a party of 5 teenagers and 1 adult from College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth. Located by search team and evacuated to Harford Moor Gate. Ashburton, Plymouth and SARDA. |
| Coombestone Tor | 01/12/1992 | Night callout. 17 hour operation in force 9/10 winds and torrential rain on Nakers Hill and SKir Hill, Hexworthy for missing party of 5 boys and 1 adult leader from Weston-Super-Mare College of FE. Party split and 3 located south of Fox Tor Mire and evacuated. Remaining 3 airlifted from Skir Girt during weather break by RAF Chivenor. All teams and SARDA. |
| Moretonhampstead | 16/12/1992 | Day callout - Standby |
| Okehampton | 28/03/1993 | 20:30 - Standby. 4 Duke of Edinburgh group participants from Rendcomb College, Cirencester, missed RV with adult leader at Cranmere Pool. Team found by foot team camped down near Black Ridge peat pass at 23:10. Walked off by team members. Okehampton, Ashburton and SARDA |
| Bagga Tor Gate | 17/05/1993 | Night callout |
| Postbridge | 24/07/1993 | Night callout |
| Newbridge | 26/07/1993 | Night callout |
| Bell Tor Corner | 18/08/1993 | Night callout |
| Tor Cross - Slapton | 17/10/1993 | Day callout. Search with HM Coastguard in the Torcross area for a missing lady with depression who had been last seen dismounting a bus at Torcross 10 days earlier. Foot teams discovered a body at 13:15 in farmland just outside Torcross. Ashburton and Plymouth. |
| Halwell | 15/02/1994 | Day callout. Search for a farmer who went missing at 18:00 on 1th and was known to be in a 'disturbed state'. The weather at the time was atrocious with blizzard conditions and heavy drifting. Roads were impassable. Due to impassable roads, team was not called out until 06:45. Call received at 09:00 that farmer had 'walked into his home'. Taken to hospital with minor cuts and bruising after 15 hours in sub zero temperatures. Ashburton. |
| Bell Tor Corner | 02/04/1994 | Callout 19:30. Search for a person seen by 2 women in Bel Tor area heading towards Widecombe and appearing to be in difficulty, and possibly requiring aid in view of poor weather conditions. At 21:00 Police arrived with 'missing person' who had been at their house. Family had weekend/holiday home in Ponsworthy and a missing person had a disability that gave an appearance he was in difficulty to the uninitiated when he was fine. Ashburton and SARDA. |
| Venford Reservoir | 10/04/1994 | Day callout |
| Chalk Ford | 20/05/1994 | Callout 18:34. A missing team of 7 teenagers from Plymouth College on Duke of Edinburgh Gold expedition in Holne Moor area in thick fog and heavy rain and with possible hypothermia and exhaustion. Team found safe and well 09:35 by RAF Chivenor helicopter after team found near Nakers Hill. All teams. |
| Bovey Tracey | 28/05/1994 | 10:00 Missing person in her 60's missing since 27th May. Believed to have suicidal tendency and connected with water. 11:30 foot team reported find of a body in disused quarry pool at Bradley Ponds. Ashburton and SARDA. |
| Rattery | 19/06/1994 | Day callout - Standby |
| Haytor Rocks | 06/07/1994 | Night callout |
| Hexworthy | 07/07/1994 | School group missing in poor weather. |
| South Sands Salcombe | 21/07/1994 | Day callout. 22 year old female missing after saying she was going for coast walk from her place of work Grafton Towers Hotel South Sands, Salcombe at 13:00 on 20th. at 12:22 on the 21st a body was found in undergrowth beneath a 45-foot cliff by a search dog on the coastal footpath near Stink Cove. Unfortunately, the body became a crime scene as the young lady had been brutally murdered. The lady's murderer could not be questioned as he left a confession note before hanging himself on the 7th August 1994. Ashburton, Plymouth and SARDA. |
| Cheriton Bishop | 29/07/1994 | Callout 08:35 Search for a missing lady in her 40's who had been last seen leaving a friends house in a 'happy mood' on 22nd July, but was known to be unstable. Lady found by search dog at 10:30 and was given food and drink before being evacuated. |
| Fernworthy Gate | 23/10/1994 | Night callout. 8 nurses and a T.A. Captain on a charity walk had requested help 2 had minor injuries and were tired. They thought they were in NE of Great Kneeset Team found at 06:40 and evacuated by helicopter to Okehampton camp. They had remained in their position huddled together for warmth all night. 05:00 they decided to walk off, walked west for 1 hour, met a river and followed north until they heard a rescue team. They were surprised to find out that their position was actually incorrect by 5 - 6km. Okehampton, Tavistock, Plymouth and Ashburton. |
| Haytor | 03/12/1994 | 18:45 Party of 5 cyclists missing in Haytor area. left Rock Inn at 15:00 to cycle to Becky Falls and return by 16:45. As callout was being made, phonecall from Rock Inn to say cyclists had returned but without their bikes! |
| Maldon | 17/12/1994 | Day callout - standby. 78 year old missing believed to have been walking in Occombe Woods. As callout being organised lady was found with a broken arm and team stood down. |
| Dartmouth | 01/01/1995 | Day callout. Missing pyschotic male on medication who left Dartmouth after New year celebrations to walk to Totnes where he had not arrived. Team RV (11:45) at Woodland Leisure Park where we were stood down as he had been located.. |
| Badgers Holt | 01/01/1995 | 16:41 Family of 4 including 70 year old male and young boy overdue at Badgers Holt. Sighting of group confirmed on road and team stood down as making our way to RV |
| Shipley Bridge - Didworthy | 11/01/1995 | 22:30 Extended callout (night and day). Missing (since 21:30) vulnerable male with learning difficulties and past history of going missing wearing inadequate clothing for freezing conditions. Found by SARDA search dog at 10:05. Search involved all Dartmoor teams. |
| Sidmouth | 12/03/1995 | 14:15 85 year old male with dementia missing from a small hospital in Sidmouth since the 10th March. Police dogs and helicopter had failed to locate him. Team searched areas in between Newton Poppleford and Sidmouth following reported sighting of the male in those areas. Stood down at 19:00 with no further sightings. Conclusion on 15th March 1995, Police confirmed body of the man was located by Neighbourhood Watch in an elderly lady's back garden 200 yards from the hospital. He appears to have been climbing the fence when he fell. |
| Holming Beam | 25/03/1995 | Night callout male injured walker who had fallen in to a bog reported as being NW of Rough Tor. Team responded alongside Tavistock and Plymouth. Casualty evacuated via long stretcher carry. |
| Fernworthy Gate | 02/04/1995 | 16:15 Extended callout (night and day). Dry but poor visibility. 4 teenagers overdue on walk from Holming Beam to Sittaford moorgate. Tavistock walked route from Holming beam, Ashburton from Sittaford moorgate. Following considerable confusion the Police officer present managed to determine that the air ambulance had flown to Browns House and removed 2 casualties to Tavistock hospital after the other 2 had walked out and rasied alarm. Incident confused as separate reports made by teenagers and checkpoint adult. Whereabouts of the checkpoint adult wasn't available during operation. Ashburton, Tavistock and SARDA. |
| Whitehorse Hill | 22/04/1995 | 10 members of College team trapped in snow storm, one member with hypothermia. Evacuation assistance rendered. Okehampton, Ashburton and SARDA. |
| Newton Abbot | 07/05/1995 | Night callout Search for 7 year old boy missing from Bakers Park area of Newton Abbot. Eventually found by member of the public at 02:25 near a bridge over the River Lemon. Ashburton and SARDA. |
| North Dartmoor | 13/05/1995 | 18 year old boy missing from Ten Tors team. Extensive search and enquiries made. Located fit and well at yelverton. Ashburton, Okehampton, Tavistock and SARDA deployed. |
| Manga Hole | 14/05/1995 | Walker with knee injury sustained from fall in Manga Hole area during Ten Tors. Evacuated by helicopter. |
| Exminster | 18/05/1995 | Day callout. 12:40 84-year-old man with Alzheimers and angina missing overnight from a residential care home in Exminster. Last seen outside the Swans Nest pub the night before at 21:20 Gentleman found at 2110 deceased partially submerged in a drainage ditch just off a footpath towards the canal. Suspected heart attack. |
| Shipley Bridge | 27/07/1995 | Extended callout (night and day). 03:30 Search for 82 year old male absent from a Didsworthy nursing home. Despite assurance the nursing home had been properly searched by staff and Police, the missing male was located at 06:20 occupying a bed with another resident! Ashburton, Plymouth and SARDA involved. |
| Chagford | 16/09/1995 | Day callout - standby Missing elderly woman in Chagford. Lady found before a callout being issued. |
| Two Bridges | 21/10/1995 | Night callout 20:35 3 teenage boys missing from team of 8 from Dorset whilst recceeing an area between Longford Tor and Bellever Forest. Weather very cold and variable fog. They weren't carrying compasses, torches, maps or extra equipment. Found fit and well by foot team at 22:32 inbetween Longford and Powdermills attracting attention using a camera flash. |
| Shipley Bridge - Didworthy | 05/12/1995 | Night callout. 16:35 Missing vulnerable person with learning difficulties from Didworthy Grange who had been reported missing on many previous occasions. Missing person was found in his bed at 04:50. It was estimated by the damp and muddy condition of his clothing that he had returned very shortly before minus his waterproof. Staff expressed their surprise as he had never before returned under his own volition. |