Castle Aching

[Nearholmer]

24 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

It reminded me of the letter sent out by HMG to tell us about AIDS way back in the late '80s. 

Do you remember “protect and survive”?

 

It was a similar government mail-shot in the early 1980s, telling everyone that, if they kept a stiff upper lip, lived under their dining table, sang Vera Lynn songs, and subsisted for months on iodine tablets, rice and condensed milk, they would eventually die of radiation poisoning, assuming the air blast nuclear weapons hadn’t already vaporised them. Or words to that affect.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by Nearholmer

[sem34090]

8 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Do you remember “protect and survive”?

 

It was a similar government mail-shot in the early 1980s, telling everyone that, if they kept a stiff upper lip, lived under their dining table, sang Vera Lynn songs, and subsisted for months on iodine tablets, rice and condensed milk, they would eventually die of radiation poisoning, assuming the air blast nuclear weapons hadn’t already vaporised them. Or words to that affect.

 

 

There were films too!

[monkeysarefun]

I was still at school in those nuclear doom days - our  governments response was to add    "On The Beach" to  our reading list. 

 

(I guess in the event of Nuclear winter we were meant to move to Melbourne)

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, sem34090 said:

There were films too!

"The War Game" wasn't shown on the BBC because it was thought to be too frightening. We watched it at school. It was.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

move to Melbourne

Things must've been bad.

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

5 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Things must've been bad.

 

Well Ava Gardner, one of the cast, was supposed to have said that Melbourne was an appropriate place to film the end of the world. And as a native Melburnian I can say that 1950's Melbourne was just about that ....... 

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

1 hour ago, brianusa said:

Wasn't the "Sardonic" a White Star ship, along with the Laconic, in previous comment?  They seemed to like names that ended in ic as in Titanic, et al

      Brian.

 

Well I've always thought there was something icky about the last movie made of the sinking of the Titanic.  

[St Enodoc]

4 minutes ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

 

Well Ava Gardner, one of the cast, was supposed to have said that Melbourne was an appropriate place to film the end of the world. And as a native Melburnian I can say that 1950's Melbourne was just about that ....... 

They stuffed up the ending in the film. The book is far better.

[Annie]

26 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

"The War Game" wasn't shown on the BBC because it was thought to be too frightening. We watched it at school. It was.

On two occasions I got to see 'The War Game' when i was in school.  It certainly frightened me.

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

57 minutes ago, Annie said:

On two occasions I got to see 'The War Game' when i was in school.  It certainly frightened me.

 

Didn't see that one but this American made one depressed the daylights out of me -

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After

 

[monkeysarefun]

The gloomiest one I saw in this genre is When The Wind Blows (1986) an animated film -  based on a 1982 comic. 

 

Portrays what the current UK lockdown is possibly like, except that bits gradually drop off you.

Edited May 19, 2020 by monkeysarefun

[Edwardian]

5 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Do you remember “protect and survive”?

 

It was a similar government mail-shot in the early 1980s, telling everyone that, if they kept a stiff upper lip, lived under their dining table, sang Vera Lynn songs, and subsisted for months on iodine tablets, rice and condensed milk, they would eventually die of radiation poisoning, assuming the air blast nuclear weapons hadn’t already vaporised them. Or words to that affect.

 

 

 

My father was a parish councillor in those far off days.  Each of them was allotted a section of the village in which to run around warning the villagers of imminent attack, during the Four-Minute Warning.

 

This shows generally how well prepared we are for emergencies in this country.  Especially ones resulting from known threats, like nuclear war and SARS-like epidemic.  Proof, if any were needed that Government knows best. 

 

Apart from the fact that he could never have covered that much ground within 4 minutes, there was a certain pointlessness to the exercise, of course, and my father declared, somewhat forcefully, that he would instead be spending his last 4 minutes with his family.

 

There were a whole series of cheery public information films, e.g.

 

Action After Warning

 

Fall Out 

 

The nuclear siren siren system, and much else, has been dismantled due to cost.  

 

 

The gravamen of the advice is 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

"The War Game" wasn't shown on the BBC because it was thought to be too frightening. We watched it at school. It was.

 

Yes, perhaps that ban resurfaced in ... 

 

 

5 hours ago, brianusa said:

Wasn't the "Sardonic" a White Star ship, along with the Laconic, in previous comment?  They seemed to like names that ended in ic as in Titanic, et al

      Brian.

 

Excellent.  Well, there is now; in the Achingverse all things are possible.

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, brianusa said:

Wasn't the "Sardonic" a White Star ship, along with the Laconic, in previous comment?  They seemed to like names that ended in ic as in Titanic, et al

      Brian.

I feel a game coming on.

 

We've already had Laconic and Sardonic, of the White Star Line. Sister ships were Ironic, Pedantic, Cathartic, Catatonic and others.

 

Cunard of course had Ammonia, Pneumonia, Begonia...

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

White Star had a whole fleet - Pedantic (the captain was a real stickler), Sarcastic (the Chief Officer was embittered), Choleric (the Captain was bad tempered) etc. It was a wonder the company kept afloat    

 

Damn!! Beaten by that much ....... 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Malcolm 0-6-0
Giving credit

[Edwardian]

Breaking news .....

 

Sobriety Tags!!!!

 

Good to know we can at least test, track and trace our drunks

 

 

I'm going on the run ...

 

 

[Hroth]

Both Cunard and White Star were addicted to names ending in a common manner, "ia" and "ic" respectively.  My current favourite is the SS Ceramic that was used on the Liverpool-Australia run. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ceramic 

 

Then there's the "Womble" class ships including the RMS Berengaria.

 

My, we're a bit gloomy this morning!

 

How about the US public information film advising citizens to "Duck and Cover" if they see a nuclear flash?  I think it even had a jaunty little tune.

Yep: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_cover

The turtle was a lert too...

 

Just to cheer everyone up, the news this morning is that the Donald "says he is taking unproven drug hydroxychloroquine to ward of Covid-19".  Someone must have weaned him off the bleach idea.

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Hroth

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

 

 

The nuclear siren siren system, and much else, has been dismantled due to cost.  

 

 

 

They are still on many military site when sounded you are supposed to take cover,  or if off duty you are to immediately report for duty. 

 

Norfolk used them for flood warnings,  until some one living miles inland with a good phone signal decided they weren't needed any more. As the mobile phone would do the job.. It didn't.. 

 

Any way I'm making a 1/148 model Type 84 Radar using the remaining one ( it's now a listed building)  at RAF Neatishead as a model.  On the second deck is the siren, as you can see in the picture in the left hand corner of deck 2. 

Edited May 19, 2020 by TheQ

[Malcolm 0-6-0]

Speaking of ship names I've always found naming a whole class of corvettes after flowers endearing. The Flower class ships that did heroic service on convoy protection in WW2. 

[TheQ]

2 minutes ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

Speaking of ship names I've always found naming a whole class of corvettes after flowers endearing. The Flower class ships that did heroic service on convoy protection in WW2. 

Based on a trawler hull design I believe and renown for being unstable wobbling around causing much sea sickness. 

 

PS is anyone else finding it difficult to get into this thread? It seems to take several attempts but this doesn't happen on other threads..

[Hroth]

12 minutes ago, Malcolm 0-6-0 said:

Speaking of ship names I've always found naming a whole class of corvettes after flowers endearing. The Flower class ships that did heroic service on convoy protection in WW2. 

 

Would any sailor be willing to admit they were on HMS Petunia?  Or Buttercup? Or ...?

 

9 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Based on a trawler hull design I believe and renown for being unstable wobbling around causing much sea sickness. 

 

PS is anyone else finding it difficult to get into this thread? It seems to take several attempts but this doesn't happen on other threads..

 

They were intended to be rather better than trawler hulls and were based on a whale-catcher design.  Initially intended for coastal defence, their long range saw them go into the Atlantic convoy service.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower-class_corvette#Design

 

Not having any problems getting into CA at the moment.

 

 

[Edwardian]

12 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Based on a trawler hull design I believe and renown for being unstable wobbling around causing much sea sickness. 

 

PS is anyone else finding it difficult to get into this thread? It seems to take several attempts but this doesn't happen on other threads..

 

It's the Ministry of Truth, they're on to me for morale sapping satire and lack of moral fibre.

 

 

 

 

[Donw]

8 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Do you remember “protect and survive”?

 

It was a similar government mail-shot in the early 1980s, telling everyone that, if they kept a stiff upper lip, lived under their dining table, sang Vera Lynn songs, and subsisted for months on iodine tablets, rice and condensed milk, they would eventually die of radiation poisoning, assuming the air blast nuclear weapons hadn’t already vaporised them. Or words to that affect.

 

 

 

I do remember seeing something like that but I am sure it was before the 1980s.  

Don

[Hroth]

34 minutes ago, TheQ said:

renown for being unstable wobbling around causing much sea sickness. 

 

It was said that they would "roll on wet grass", but probably the worst thing about them was that they were excessively "wet" ships, especially in the teeth of an Atlantic storm.

 

19 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

It's the Ministry of Truth, they're on to me for morale sapping satire and lack of moral fibre.

 

Minitrue to be precise....

 

They'll haul you off to Miniluv to have a chat with you in Room 101.

 

Quote

You asked me once, what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.

— O'Brien, Part III, Chapter V

 

In your case it'll probably be an Oxford Rail Dean Goods....

Edited May 19, 2020 by Hroth

[Edwardian]

4 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

They'll haul you off to... Room 101.

 

Went there as a child, but managed to survive

 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Edwardian
spelling!

[Hroth]

6 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

 

Went there as a child, but managed to survive

 

 

 

 

Looks more like the delinquent lovechild of a Peak and a Class 37...