Although I had read bits and pieces about these vehicles I knew next to nothing about the Civil Defence or why it existed. I soon became curious as to the purpose of these vehicles and the whole subject of Civil Defence.
I have tried to put together a brief explanation, but am by no means an authority. If I have written anything here that is inaccurate please let me know.
After only two years of peace the 1948 Civil Defence Act re-established the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) and CD. This was as a result of the Government�s concern over deteriorating relations with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the threat of nuclear war. A call went out for volunteers to be trained. They were issued with a battle dress, blouse, trousers, greatcoat and beret with the option of a skirt for women volunteers.
Despite evidence of the destructive power of the atom bomb, Civil Defence planning was based upon its war time role of rescue and recovery, digging survivors from the rubble and giving them hot sweet tea!
During the first half of the 1950s Home Office funding was made available for the construction of bomb and fallout proof Civil Defence bunkers in the most vulnerable areas, but this money was scarce. Some cities got their hardened CD Controls, but most did not. In most areas the provision was inconsistent and many Operations Rooms were no more than unprotected rooms in council buildings. Where hardened bunkers were built, they were usually on the outskirts of target towns and cities to minimise the risk from an unlikely direct hit on the city centre.
Looking back, it seems incredible that we were planning to respond to a nuclear blast with tea and sympathy, but the sheer scale of these provisions show how seriously the threat of nuclear war was taken. In relative secrecy thousands of vehicles were kept in a state of readiness and hundreds of secret control rooms, bunkers and communication centres were set up in preparation for an attack.
By 1968 it was obvious that the megaton nuclear missile had left the Civil Defence Corps with no role to play and the organisation was finally disbanded.
Much of the infrastructure though lived on, bunkers built for the highly secret `ROTOR' network of radar ground intercept stations were either upgraded or passed to the Home Office and re-developed as regional seats of government. These were designed for military and civilian personnel, their collective task being to organise the survival of the population in the aftermath of a nuclear attack.
Regular exercises using these sites continued until the mid 1980s and many of these facilities were retained until the early 1990�s.
The scale and numbers of these buildings is astonishing. There are a few of these bunkers open to the public as museums, they are well worth a visit.
Although large numbers of vehicles were released when the CD was disbanded many more were retained and have been released in small batches over the years. Austin Gypsy�s, Brockhouse trailers and Coventry Climax pumps are still turning up at auction.
Vehicles such as the �Green Goddess� fire pumps have remained in service up until the present day, being pressed into service during the recent fire brigade disputes.
This period in history was shrouded in secrecy, which considering the extent of the activity is quite astonishing. Thousands of vehicles were procured acres of land requisitioned and huge construction projects undertaken (Bunkers were often built under the guise of underground reservoirs to avert curiosity). A lot has been written about the various buildings bunkers etc. and the mechanisms of the early warning systems, but very little information has come to light on the vehicles used � my original undertaking!
The Internet has helped greatly with the sharing of information, making it possible to contact people with similar interests and people who were actively involved in the CD.
A book �The Green Machine� has some information on the roles of Land Rovers in the CD and AFS along with Green Goddess fire engines and numerous other vehicles. It contains lists of registration numbers against the various types of vehicles and gives an insight into emergency planing measures during the Cold War.
If anyone does have any relevant information I would love to hear from them.