The man who built his own Cold War nuclear bunker

Graham Bate was 30-year-old Civil Servant when he built his own nuclear bunker in the garden of his rural home 20 miles outside Hull in the UK. It was here that the Bate family expected to survive for at least 3 weeks after a nuclear attack. We speak with Graham Bate and his son Conrad … Read more

Nuclear War in the UK (112)

For almost five decades, the United Kingdom made plans for a nuclear attack that never came. To help their citizens, civil servants and armed forces prepared those in power a variety of booklets, posters, and how-to guides. Taras Young is a researcher & writer who has produced a book, “Nuclear War in the UK”,  detailing … Read more

Dr Strangelove film Screening in a Nuclear Bunker (110)

Today is a very short bonus episode I recorded at the weekend while at a film showing of Dr Strangelove in a former UK Regional Seat of Government Bunker in Cheshire… The Hack Green Bunker is my local Cold War museum and a kind financial supporter of the podcast too so if you are ever … Read more

Assigned to a Government Nuclear Bunker (107)

Regional seats of government or RSGs were a UK solution to disperse the machinery of government into the provinces, where there would be a greater chance of survival after a nuclear attack. Today we speak to Andrew who was assigned a role in an RSG and details his experiences on a week long training course … Read more

A visit to a Cold War Royal Observer Corps nuclear monitoring post

Dave Arnold was the Chief Observer of  a Royal Observer Corps nuclear monitoring post in Staffordshire in the UK. The equipment used to record today’s episode has kindly been provided by our supporters who make monthly donations via Patreon – a special thanks to all of them. If you would like to support the podcast … Read more

Cold War Living History Event – The Soviet Threat

  Welcome to Cold War Conversations episode 29 which takes place at a Living History event in and around the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker museum in deepest Cheshire in the UK. I can heartily recommend visiting the Hack Green Bunker and we are planning an audio tour of the bunker as a future episode. … Read more

The Cold War West German Nuclear Monitoring System

  Welcome to episode 24 of Cold War Conversations. Today’s episode. We’re talking about the Cold War nuclear monitoring system in West Germany. Todays guest is Mirko Krumm who managed the preservation of a Warning Bunker in West Germany. West Germany had a number of Nuclear Warning Bunkers dotted around the country. Mirko describes the … Read more

Observing Armageddon – the Cold War Royal Observer Corps in Northern Ireland

Welcome to Episode 11 of Cold War Conversations. Today we’re covering a British Cold War civil defence unit called the Royal Observer Corps. We’re talking to Alistair McCann who has preserved a Royal Observer Corps monitoring post as a museum in Northern Ireland. We talk about the museum, the difficulties of the Northern Ireland Royal Observer … Read more