Tributes have been paid to Burghead mountain search and rescue veteran David ‘Heavy’ Whalley.
David, who has been described as a “leader, mentor and friend to many”, has passed away aged 72.
He served with the RAF Mountain Rescue Service for almost 40 years.
During his career, he attended more than 1,000 mountain incidents, dozens of air accidents and helped save hundreds of lives.
He was the senior team leader of the rescue effort at the scene of the Lockerbie bombing.
David was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer early last year.
Tributes paid to David ‘Heavy’ Whalley
He was known affectionately by his nickname Heavy which was given to him when he joined the RAF as a 5ft 4in recruit weighing just seven stone.
Scottish Mountain Rescue (SRS) said they were “deeply saddened” by his passing.
They added: “Heavy dedicated his life to helping others in the mountains, giving countless years of service with unwavering commitment, skill, and compassion.
“He was a leader, a mentor, and a friend to so many in the Mountain Rescue community and beyond.
“His knowledge, experience, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who worked alongside him.
“His legacy will live on in the Scottish outdoors through every team member he guided, every life he touched, and every summit where his spirit roams free.”
Outfit Moray also paid tribute to David and said: “As with so many others, we were deeply saddened to hear the news of Heavy Whalley’s passing at the weekend.
“Heavy was a proud patron and a long-term supporter of Outfit Moray, and we join a long list of people who will miss his stories, zest for life and passion for the outdoors.
“He will be remembered fondly by so many and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”
Whalley worked as a team leader for the RAF Leuchars and RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue teams.
He was also deputy leader at RAF Valley in North Wales and president of the Search and Rescue Dog Association Scotland (SARDA).
After leaving the RAF he joined the Torridon and and Kinlochewe Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) serving with them for three years until he retired.
In 2023, Whalley was the 16th recipient of the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture.
David among first on the scene at Lockerbie bombing
Whalley attended more than 70 aircraft crashes and was senior team leader of the rescue effort at the scene of the Lockerbie disaster.
Pan Am Flight 103 was brought down on December 21, 1988, killing 259 passengers and crew and another 11 residents.
David was also involved in the hunt for survivors when a Chinook helicopter crashed on Mull of Kintyre in 1994 and the four RAF crew and 25 terrorism experts were killed.
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