Seven John of Gaunt School School pupils were rescued by police after becoming lost on Dartmoor while practicing for the Ten Tors Challenge yesterday.

The group of boys, from the Wingfield Road school, in Trowbridge, were taking part in a 35-mile trek when bad weather struck, taking them off course.

Alarm was raised when the teenagers missed a 2.30pm meeting with teachers who couldn’t make contact with them on their mobile phones.

Due to the fog and mist, coupled with rain,  the boys were left with only an emergency services signal, so the school children called the police.

“We were looking for the very last checkpoint when we got lost,” said Sam Read, 14.

“I’m a bit annoyed that we didn’t get to the end of it but I thought we all handled the situation really well.”

The group used strobe lights and orange survival bags to ensure they were visible while they also had a ration supply to see that they didn’t go hungry.

They called for help at 4.30pm and were airlifted in two groups at around 7pm, being reunited with teachers, before arriving back in Wiltshire at 10pm.

Ollie Cooper, 13, said: “It is strange to say it but it was pretty exciting although I was rather relieved when we were rescued.”

The weekend’s expedition, which saw the group arrive at Dartmoor last Friday, was the boys’ second practice, with John of Gaunt’s line-up for the actual event, taking place over the May 11 weekend, expected to be confirmed this week.

Justin Hawkins, 13, said: “Dartmoor is one tough nut to crack, but when you finally do you think you have beaten mother nature.”

The group’s calmness under pressure was praised by their teachers as well as Devon and Cornwall Police, who rescued them.

Headteacher Andy Packer said: “It’s fantastic that schools give students this opportunity to take part in these events and I’m extremely proud of our students, along with school staff who supported them and prepared them for such eventualities.”

The Ten Tors expedition is an annual event, run by the army, featuring 35, 34, and 55 mile treks.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson, Commander 43 (Wessex) Brigade & Director of Ten Tors, said: "In this case the team followed the correct safety procedures as laid down by the Army and local agencies such as the police and Dartmoor rescue group.

"The team members made the correct decision to seek assistance from the civilian emergency services due to poor visibility. None of the team suffered any adverse affects. I am very pleased that our ethos of safety was upheld.”

Parents also praised their children and the training they'd received. 

Kevin Read, father of Sam, said: "I'm so proud of all of them, conditions were obviously bad and they were disorientated but they didn't lose sense of mind or wonder off. 

"They were all quite cool about it all and it gives me great comfort to know they'd received high quality training."