Four Minute Warning.

[MrLibertyRedux 6,230]

A few of us posted a couple of times in the Not Coping Well With This Shit thread about the Cold War.

Rather than derail the thread any further, I thought it would be worth having a thread for all things cold war related, especially in view of our rapidly changing times as a repository for memories, thoughts and comparisons to today.

A memory I have to share is from primary school aged nine.

We had a supply teacher one day, who came to us practically direct from the protests at Greenham Common. We spent all day getting the spiel from her, and I went home and regurgitated it all at the dinner table, whilst my Father eventually stopped chewing as his face changed through various shades of crimson.

He never had a day off sick in his life, but phoned his supervisor and explained that there was a problem he had to sort out "at the boy's school" the following day.

He drove me up the following morning and immediately caused consternation by parking in the nearest teachers parking spot to the front door, told me to go to the playground and marched off to the staff room uninvited.

I have a crystal clear memory of two of my friends and I sneaking to the corner around from the staff room and being able to hear my Father's voice booming through the closed door. Words verbatim.

"The reason we have these bloody things love, is because any second now three million Ivans could come ROARING across the Fulda Gap while THEIR missiles rain down on us like CONFETTI"

I didn't hear the rest as my friends were shitting themselves and dragged me back to the playground.

 

[The Masked Tulip 57,339]

The spooky thing is that I read your post 4 minutes after you posted it.

[Loki 7,642]

@MrLibertyRedux Your Dad sounds brilliant 

[Bear Hug 3,949]

In Soviet Union we had State Defence lessons at school where they covered radiation, we learnt to use some sort of radiation counter tubes, and had timed exercises of putting gas masks on. 

[TheBlueCat 9,572]

Now 22 minutes after your post so I guess I’m fucked.

[The Masked Tulip 57,339]

2 minutes ago, Bear Hug said:

In Soviet Union we had State Defence lessons at school where they covered radiation, we learnt to use some sort of radiation counter tubes, and had timed exercises of putting gas masks on. 

 

I think we might have a sleeper folks. 

[ashestoashes 11,366]

I thought there was literally an iron wall between Russia and the West when I was young as it was referred to as the iron curtain

[MrPin 20,793]

33 minutes ago, Bear Hug said:

In Soviet Union we had State Defence lessons at school where they covered radiation, we learnt to use some sort of radiation counter tubes, and had timed exercises of putting gas masks on. 

отличный товарищ

[Southmartin 5,227]

2 minutes ago, MrPin said:

отличный товарищ

Vlad, is that you? 

[MrPin 20,793]

2 minutes ago, Southmartin said:

Vlad, is that you? 

I learned a bit or Russian at school or B WKOLA, as I don't have a Cyrillic keyboard.

[Rare Bear 2,538]

24 minutes ago, MrPin said:

I learned a bit or Russian at school or B WKOLA, as I don't have a Cyrillic keyboard.

Maybe you could borrow a ketboard? I'm sure someone here has one.

[MrPin 20,793]

1 minute ago, Rare Bear said:

Maybe you could borrow a ketboard? I'm sure someone here has one.

Many do I think. Some posts are angrmas.

[Stuey 3,748]

One of those things I was totally unaware of. First memory is Aldridge missing his penalty versus Wimbledon and then Hillsborough.

[Popuplights 6,578]

My uncle worked for the MOD. He had a grey speaker thing installed under the stairs. I think it would relay government messages and the 4 minute warning. I think he had a hand cranked siren he was supposed to use if the warning came. As kids we would press the test button and listen to the test beeps which showed the circuit was alive. Happy days eh?

[Chewing Grass 23,607]

I think a lot of big factories had their own civil defence units in the 1950s, I have an old company magazine somewhere that goes on about it and their in-house rifle range.

[Rare Bear 2,538]

10 minutes ago, Chewing Grass said:

I think a lot of big factories had their own civil defence units in the 1950s, I have an old company magazine somewhere that goes on about it and their in-house rifle range.

Stupid idea, that. The population able to defend itself. 

[Chewing Grass 23,607]

2 minutes ago, Rare Bear said:

Stupid idea, that. The population able to defend itself. 

It was probably so the management could shoot the workers if required, doubt they would let the shop-floor onto the CDC* or use the 'Shooting Club'.

*Civil Defence Committee

[ashestoashes 11,366]

25 minutes ago, Chewing Grass said:

I think a lot of big factories had their own civil defence units in the 1950s, I have an old company magazine somewhere that goes on about it and their in-house rifle range.

some places still have a rifle range, thought it was so they could attract the ex public school boys

[Virgil Caine 14,773]

I never really worried much about the Cold War even though I lived through most of it. As often happens when big power blocks have a long running standoff it was a relatively stable set up where most of the conflict was carried out via proxy wars in far away places. The risks only escalated when the superpowers like the USSR in Cuba or the US in Vietnam decided to intervene first hand. Communism was shit for most Soviet and Warsaw Pact citizens who lived in pretty austere conditions but ironically had lots of benefits for western workers since it kept the capitalists moderately honest since they were worried the Soviets were coming to take all their money away.  The situation reversed when the Iron Curtain came down as the western working class lost that external threat. I consider the world a much more dangerous place now than when Brezhnev ran the Soviet Union.

Edited February 18 by Virgil Caine

[23rdian 891]

https://youtu.be/hoX2ixNX6EY

[Dave Bloke 6,557]

This is the last voice you will ever hear. Don't be alarmed.

[Sucralose Ray Leonard 6,393]

3 hours ago, Bear Hug said:

In Soviet Union we had State Defence lessons at school where they covered radiation, we learnt to use some sort of radiation counter tubes, and had timed exercises of putting gas masks on. 

Does this mean you weren't the bad guys? Damn Hollywood!

[23rdian 891]

https://youtu.be/bvFpgUCcUcY

[Bear Hug 3,949]

20 minutes ago, 23rdian said:

https://youtu.be/bvFpgUCcUcY

Useful reminder to keep spare USB power supply charged

[wherebee 22,739]

4 hours ago, The Masked Tulip said:

 

I think we might have a sleeper folks. 

I think it's Donald Trump.

3 hours ago, MrPin said:

I learned a bit or Russian at specialist unit training or B WKOLA, as I don't have a Cyrillic keyboard.

FTFY