In memorium: Peter Howells OBE, a great mountain rescue colleague and a friend to many in Bolton MRT

It is with great sadness that those of us within the national mountain rescue community learnt of the death of Peter Howells OBE on the morning of Monday 25th January 2016, after succumbing to illness.

A great many tributes to Peter have appeared from across the whole mountain rescue community, and to these we add our own comments.

Peter was perhaps better known to those of us in Bolton MRT from a great many Mountain Rescue Conferences over a considerable timespan, at most of which Peter had a major pivotal role in organising and advising.

Peter was also known to many in our team from his positions within our national council, both Mountain Rescue England and Wales and its forerunner the Mountain Rescue Council.

Less well known even within the wider Bolton MRT membership, was Peter’s guidance and personal advice to some of us in Bolton MRT on specific issues, with Team members Steve Fletcher, our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE and Ken Oakes benefitting many times from his freely given advice and direction.

His kindness and advice, and oft listening ear was also extended to others within our membership – for that, those team members also offer their condolences and thoughts on past friendships, kind words and shared pints!

From those in Bolton MRT who crossed Peter’s path, we jointly offer our condolences to his wife Penny, his family and many friends and colleagues both in his own team, Central Beacons MRT, the South Wales and wider National Mountain Rescue community.

The following tribute is from Peter’s own team – Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, on their website:

Today it is with great sadness that we announce the death of Peter Howells. Chairman of Central Beacons MRT.

Peter was a founding member of the Morlais Mountain Rescue team, later to become CBMRT. He served the team in various roles. It is as Team Leader and Chairman that he spent many years not just leading the team on many hundreds of callouts but also doing the important things of ensuring the team was ready to respond to calls for help, whether that was by picking up a screwdriver to fix something or picking up the phone to help secure funding for “the next big project”

As well as his leadership roles within the Central Beacons team, Peter also held a number of National & Regional level roles helping form and develop Mountain Rescue in England & Wales.

Peter, originally from Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, lived in Newport. Working for South Wales Electricity/Western Power as an electrical engineer and trainer.

As well as being an integral part of Mountain Rescue, Peter also played a leading role in the Gwent Constabulary obtaining the rank of Commandant of the Police Specials for the force.

Peter was awarded the OBE by her Majesty in 2005 for services to Mountain Rescue.

As a team, our thoughts at this time are with Peter’s wife Penny (current Team Leader CBMRT) and Peter’s daughter Rachel.

RIP Peter Howells, OBE, 1947-2016.