diff --git a/parsers/survex.py b/parsers/survex.py
index 25bb028..405771d 100644
--- a/parsers/survex.py
+++ b/parsers/survex.py
@@ -695,12 +695,15 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
                             )
 
         oline = line
+        perps = get_people_on_trip(survexblock)  # What, you don't know Judge Dredd slang ?
+
         if len(line) > 10:
             message = "! DATE Warning LONG DATE '{}' ({}) {}".format(oline, survexblock, survexblock.survexfile.path)
             print(self.insp+message)
             stash_data_issue(parser='svxdate', message=message,  url=None, sb=(survexblock.survexfile.path))
             if line[10] == "-":  # ie a range, just look at first date
                 line = line[0:10]
+                
         if len(line) == 10:
             year = line[:4]
             # TO DO set to correct Austrian timezone Europe/Vienna ?
@@ -708,7 +711,6 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
             survexblock.date = datetime.strptime(line.replace(".", "-"), "%Y-%m-%d")
         elif len(line) == 7:
             year = line[:4]
-            perps = get_people_on_trip(survexblock)  # What, you don't know Judge Dredd slang ?
             message = f"! DATE Warning only accurate to the month, setting to 1st '{oline}' ({survexblock}) {survexblock.survexfile.path} {perps}"
             print(self.insp + message)
             stash_data_issue(
@@ -717,13 +719,36 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
             survexblock.date = datetime.strptime(line.replace(".", "-"), "%Y-%m")  # sets to first of month
         elif len(line) == 4:
             year = line[:4]
-            perps = get_people_on_trip(survexblock)
             message = f"! DATE WARNING only accurate to the YEAR, setting to 1st January '{oline}' ({survexblock}) {survexblock.survexfile.path} {perps}"
             print(self.insp + message)
             stash_data_issue(
                 parser="svxdate", message=message, url=None, sb=(survexblock.survexfile.path)
             )
             survexblock.date = datetime.strptime(line, "%Y")  # sets to January 1st
+        elif len(line) == 9 or len(line) == 8:
+            year = line[:4]
+            message = f"! DATE format WARNING, single digit day or month number,'{oline}' [{line[-5]}][{line[-2]}] ({survexblock}) {survexblock.survexfile.path}"
+            print(self.insp + message)
+            stash_data_issue(
+                parser="svxdate", message=message, url=None, sb=(survexblock.survexfile.path)
+            )
+            if line[-2] == "-" or line[-2] == ".":
+                line = line[:-1] + '0' + line[-1]
+                survexblock.date = datetime.strptime(line.replace(".", "-"), "%Y-%m-%d")
+                print(f"! DATE -2 '{line}' '{survexblock.date}'")
+            elif line[-5] == "-" or line[-5] == ".":
+                line = line[:-4] + '0' + line[-4:]
+                survexblock.date = datetime.strptime(line.replace(".", "-"), "%Y-%m-%d") 
+                print(f"! DATE -5 '{line}' '{survexblock.date}'")
+            else:  
+                year = line[:4]
+                message = (
+                    f"! DATE Error SHORT LINE '{line}' '{oline}-{survexblock}' ({type(survexblock)}) {survexblock.survexfile.path}"
+                )
+                print(self.insp + message)
+                stash_data_issue(
+                    parser="svxdate", message=message, url=None, sb=(survexblock.survexfile.path)
+                )       
         else:
             # these errors are reporting the wrong survexblock, which is actually a SurvexFile (!)
             # see To Do notes on how to trigger this. Still needs investigating..
@@ -737,13 +762,16 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
             print(f"  {type(survexblock)=}")  # survexblock.parent fails as a SurvexFile has no .parent ...ugh.
             print(f"  {survexblock.survexpath=}")
             print(f"  {survexblock.survexfile=}")
+            # Not setting 'year' crashes entire import on databaseReset.
+            year = line[:4]
+            perps = get_people_on_trip(survexblock)
             # raise
             
         try: 
             setdate_on_survexblock(year)
         except NameError:
-            print(">> why is year not set ?! {survexblock.survexfile.path}")
-            setdate_on_survexblock("1970")
+            print(f">> why is year not set ?! {survexblock.survexfile.path}")
+            setdate_on_survexblock("1976")
         if survexblock.date:
             # do not actually need a distict variable 'currentdate' but it makes the code clearer
             self.currentdate = survexblock.date
@@ -1383,8 +1411,8 @@ class LoadingSurvex:
         self.fix_undated(survexblock) # null-op if already set
         try: 
             expoyear = str(survexblock.date.year)
-        except NameError:
-            print(">> why is survexblock.date.year not set ?! in LoadSurvexQM()/n {survexblock.survexfile.path}")
+        except:
+            print(f">> why is survexblock not set ?! in LoadSurvexQM()/n {survexblock.survexfile.path}")
             expoyear = "1970"