Hi John

if you want to know more about the ROC there is a book called Attack Warning Red written by Derek Wood which will tell you a lot about the history of the corps.

at my post in Brent Pelham we were in a cluster of three ,Brent Pelham was the master post as was equipped with a radio as well as the private wire teletalk system ,we would use the radio to comunicate to HQ in Bedford ,we could also contact other master posts,the idea being that we could still contact the other posts in the cluster via the private wire ,and then transmit the data through to group HQ via the radio ,however I doubt many of the telephone poles would have survived the effects of a nuclear blast,the other two posts in our cluster were at Much Hadham and Hertford

We usaully had four training exercises a year ,as well as a private wire test once a month ,and a cluster meeting with the other posts in the group which used to be held at the Angels Reply pub in Hitchin ,we also had an annual camp which was usually held at an RAF station ,we also had a master test once a year ,to make sure our training was up to scratch .

Bedford 50 post was one of the better posts to be at ,for one thing it never flooded !! and we had an above ground post which had excellent views over the surounding countryside ,we also had use of the old school hut ,which the Barclay family kindly let us use ,we used to have weekly training meetings there ,much better than sitting in the freezing cold post !! and very handy for the Black Horse just over the road

We had quite a few caracters on our post one inparticular was Dick Wilson whos used to also be headmaster of Sandon JMI school and was also ex bomb disposal ,he used to constantly smoke roll-ups ,infact most people used to smoke back then sometimes aproaching the entrance hatch was like approaching a chimney stack !! one observer was a bit rotund ,and once got stuck in the entrance shaft ,we had to pull him free with a rope !!

I joined the ROC mainly because my dad and one of my brothers were in the corps ,infact even as a small child I can remember going up there and having picnics outside the post ,me and my sister used to slide down the hand rail of the above ground post ,we used to pretend it was a firemans pole

My dad has some colour slides somewhere ,I will see if I can find them and load them up

Hello there can anyone help??

I am trying to find out who owns the land that the Royal Observer Corps post is located on ,can anyone help ? I am guessing it is one of the farms ,the reason I ask is that I would like to visit the post ,but I would like the land owners permission first


Regards

Adam Jackman (ex observer Bedford 50 post Brent Pelham)

I own the land around the observer post in Brent Pelham and bought the post itself when The Observer Corps were stood down. I would be pleased for you to visit it but it has been visited by vandals. Otherwise it seemed in good condition when I last looked. Prehaps you could give me a ring before going there. Tel 01279 777254.

Ted Barclay

Hi Ted

thanks for responding ,i am glad the post is still there ,I will contact you and arrange a suitable time to visit thanks again for your response

Adam

Hi Adam,
I'm doing some research on Civil defence measures
in the UK during the Cold War and have been very curious
about the role of the Royal Observer Corps and in particular
its routine exercises in their remote 3 man bunkers.
The Royal Observer Corps seems to have occupied
a unique position in the armed forces during the Cold War in
so much as they are largely composed of civilian volunteers,
within the Royal Air Force and yet their normal duties were
to remain on stand by in the event of a superpower
confrontation between the Soviet Union & the United States
and her allies.
Whereas members of the Territorial Army would
have been called up, to serve overseas in the event of the
Cold War turning hot, members of the Royal Observer Corps
would have been told to 'man their posts' that is to occupy
one of the ROC Posts, like Brent Pelham during any transition
to war.
Of course the ROC would only be 'putting into action'
what they have been trained to expect, if the conventional war
between the Soviet Union & the Warsaw Pact versus NATO
ever turned nuclear and ICBM's were launched against the United
Kingdom. The field force of the ROC being detailed to occupy
many of the 872 ROC Posts ( from the 1500 built ) in order to
carry out their nuclear detonation detection and monitoring
role, in order to warn the public of any possible fallout.
By such time the British Government would have
retired to Turnstile ( the UK Government bunker ) at Corsham
while the country was split up by Regional Commisioners, each
reporting to their own RGHQ' bunkers in various parts of the
country.
Anyway I'm curious about the training and preperation
for war exercises that were carried out in your ROC Post and
how communication was maintained between the Brent Pelham
ROC Post cluster, as originally it was by telephone but then
some of the ROC Posts had VHF Communications.
To my mind many of these exercises seem like 'phoney
war' exercises, as you were preparing for an event that many
of the ROC no doubt hoped would never happen. As I'm sure
many volunteers in the ROC must have come in for 'some stick' from
friends and family about your 48 hour UKWMO exercises being
stuck down a cold dank bunker ( in some farmers field ) somewhere
in the middle of nowhere with only the cows for company, lol.
So a few overtones of Dads Underground Army here, I think.
Nevertheless I'd be curious to find out what made you
want to join the ROC during the Cold War, can you describe some
of the duties your team performed at Brent Pelham ROC Post and
of course were their any humourous stories to tell about your
time in the bunker and with the ROC. Also can you recall any
time when it looked like you would have to man your posts and
your preperations for putting your ROC Post on a wartime
footing. I'm thinking of the Cuban Missle Crisis here but perhaps
your service in the ROC doesn't go that far back ? although if
youve heard any stories from your colleagues in the ROC
during the crisis, then please let me know.

John