Civil Defence - Locally

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Hughie
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Civil Defence - Locally

Post by Hughie »

Being a retained fireman at Ardrossan in the 1960s meant I was by default a member of the Civil Defence - I'd imagine this would also include local police and I'm wondering who else? At that time at the fire station we had regular lectures and instruction on what to do if there was a nuclear attack.

One national exercise we were involved in at that time was that of a simulated atomic bomb dropping on Dundee. Our group was allotted a "Green Goddess" fire truck - from memory it was a green camouflaged Albion fire truck possibly of the type we knew as "Pump Escapes". Amazed to see so many of these trucks when we finally reached Dundee. Heard it said at the time they were all in mothballs ready for any national emergency.

I'm wondering if there are others out there who may have been involved in the civil defence locally back then, before or since - would be great to hear your stories.
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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by Meg »

Hughie, the Green Goddesses were used during the fireman's strike in the 1980s (dont remember the exact dates but sure someone will). They are still in mothballs ready to bring into service if needed.

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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by geomacintyre »

Meg, I was away from Ardrossan most of the 1980s so don't remember that firemen's strike but in the three-month 1977/1978 dispute (ending January 1978) there was a Green Goddess in Ardrossan stationed, I think, in what was the Brent's chemical factory.
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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by Meg »

George - you are probably right with late 70s - all I remember about it was I was working in St Vincent Street in Glasgow and there had been an accident at the bottom of the hill - a car had gone on fire. It was the Green Goddess vehicles that responded - driven by army personnel. In a city where everyone is impervious to sirens, the whole street turned out to watch the soldiers put out the fire!

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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by Penny Tray »

Hughie,

As a 16 year old I was one of the privileged few who was going to give YOU three minutes warning that a big flash and bang was imminent, having previously been tipped off on the wee machine illustrated in in the link below, which was situated within Saltcoats Police Office in Green Street.

I (the public having previously been brought to a suitable level of panic by International tension hyped up by the media) (resulting in everyone visiting any relatives they might have in the Southern Hemisphere or alternatively white-washing the windows in their Threetoon hooses to deflect the astonishing light that was about to brighten up their lives nae end) would activate the sirens, hitherto only heard locally during tests at 11 o'clock every Saturday morning.

Later in life I too attended exercises comprising as I recall - only Policemen, Firemen, Doctors, Nurses, ambulance drivers and voluntary first-aid organisations - during which the muttered expression, "AYE, THAT WILL BE RIGHT" seemed to abound.

The plan, I recall, was that all important politicians would retire to underground bunkers; our wives, families and loved ones would retreat; and the above nutters who hitherto had allowed their wives, families and loved ones to set off for Australia and New Zealand with all their worldy goods in a pram, would sort everything out.

Thankfully I was never put to the test but I had long since decided that when the big flash and bang hit "the factory" I would be pushing the above mentioned pram at whichever point was as far away as it possibly could be from the sizzle.

http://objectwiki.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ ... B400A.html
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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by Hughie »

Penny Tray wrote:As a 16 year old I was one of the privileged few who was going to give YOU three minutes warning that a big flash and bang was imminent, having previously been tipped off on the wee machine illustrated in in the link below, which was situated within Saltcoats Police Office in Green Street.
That's a new one on me, Penny. Thanks for the information and link.
Penny Tray wrote: white-washing the windows in their Threetoon hooses to deflect the astonishing light that was about to brighten up their lives nae end)
That's a thing that stuck in my head too during those Civil Defence lectures, Penny. There in my minds eye I was slapping the white wash on our windows to thwart that intense light yet in the back of my mind I was thinking, what about the horrendous blast that would follow. :roll:

I remember the Saturday morning testing of the air raid sirens. There was one on the Gasworks office roof about 400-500 yards from our house in Whitlees Crescent - talk about loud - aching ears were the order of the day.
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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by aland »

the old green goddess' are still alive and just about runners, the last fire strike in the early noughties they were brought out, there was 1 at the fire station next door and I remember having a laugh with the striking firemen when myself and mum did the decent thing and delivered £50 worth of fish suppers one night (cheers Piero for making it a good lot) the lads on strike took one look at the goddess and said to the army lads if they needed to use a real fire engine

I know I am going way off topic here (as usual for me) but in the last strike the firemen actually took BA sets in their own cars if a person's life was in danger, the army boys put out the fire but the lads refused to risk anyone's life for the sake of the government. This went past totally unnoticed and it was wrong.

with the fire station in ardrossan being neighbours of mine all the locals took it in turns to provide something for the lads, pots of soup, pots of stovies etc it was a true community spirit.

anyway back to the goddess' there is quite a few in museums but maintained relatively well, have driven 1 once on private land and strewth how antiquated can you get, no power steering or brakes and not much happens when you press the throttle. good job the firemen didnt stop the army boys from using their tenders
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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by wardog54 »

Read a UK magazine about a couple of years ago, and they were saying that the green goddesses were being sold of at really Low prices.

I'm almost positive it was a land rover magazine and it was one of the ex military dealers who were selling them, fully kitted out too.

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Re: Civil Defence - Locally

Post by Hughie »

Kilmarnock Herald and Ayrshire Gazette
January 11, 1952

Local Civil Defence Numbers

Kilmarnock Herald 1952.jpg
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