Nice pleasant surprise to find this one in good all be it a messy condition. A lot of the original features are intact, but showing there age. The best bit was that my little daughter manages to scale the ladder to explore he 1st ever ROC post with Zyge, Ianovitch, a small person and a even smaller person.
We had planned on just having a day just diving around looking at some stuff that had popped up, but thought we should stop by this one. It was nice to see some of the old ration food in there, paperwork, MOD branded poo roll and some of the communication equipment on the wall.. Even thought it had all been stripped back to just plastic casing, it gave you a good sense of what it was like to be down there. Just took internals of this one as there is not a lot to see above ground, and we were pushed for time on the way out...
History Nothing on this post in particular, but if you have ever wanted to know what they are about, then here you go.
Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Posts are underground structures all over the United Kingdom, constructed as a result of the Corps' nuclear reporting role and operated by volunteers during the Cold War between 1955 and 1991.
In all but a very few instances the posts were built to a standard design consisting of a 14-foot-deep access shaft, a toilet/store and a monitoring room. The most unusual post was the non-standard one constructed in a cellar within Windsor Castle.
A third of the total number of posts were closed in 1968 during a reorganisation and major contraction of the ROC. Several others closed over the next 40 years as a result of structural difficulties i.e. persistent flooding, or regular vandalism. The remainder of the posts were closed in 1991 when the majority of the ROC was stood down following the break-up of the Communist Bloc. Many have been demolished or adapted to other uses but the majority still exist, although in a derelict condition.
The first prototype post was built at Farnham, Surrey, in 1956 and on 29/30 September of that year a trial was conducted to ascertain the usefulness of the underground posts. Of the two crews of four personnel engaged in staffing the post during this trial, the second group of four, two ROC and two Home Office Scientific Advisory Branch, were sealed inside with rations bedding and barracks equipment. With a few minor changes, mainly to the hatch and air ventilation louvers, the posts were built as per the prototype. The protection provided by the concrete roof and compacted earth mounded above the post was estimated to reduce any external nuclear radiation by a factor of 1,500:1.
Construction of the original 1,563 posts was overseen by the Air Ministry Works Department and the ROC and undertaken by local contractors. Once a site was chosen (usually the site of an aircraft observation post) a hole approximately 9 feet deep was excavated. Within this hole a monocoque structure was cast using re-enforced concrete with a floor about twelve inches thick, walls about seven inches thick and a roof about eight inches thick. The whole structure was then bitumen 'tanked' for waterproofing purposes. Soil was compacted over the structure to form a mound leaving the access shaft, doubling as an air shaft, protruding above ground. At the opposite end of the building a further air shaft was formed. Two metal pipes, one 5 inches in diameter and one 1 inch in diameter protruded from the roof and above the four-foot mound to be used with operational instruments. The air vents were covered by downward-sloping louvers above ground and sliding metal shutters below ground to control air flow during contamination by radioactive fallout.
The Home Office wanted 100 posts built in the first year (1957) and 250 a year thereafter. By mid-1958 only 94 posts had been handed over to the ROC with 110 under construction. The cost of building the underground posts was approximately £1000, but rose to nearer £8000 in some instances.
As normal I have just looked at the small details, it is good fun playing with the 105 mm f/2.8 macro
and a few wide shots for good measure
We had planned on just having a day just diving around looking at some stuff that had popped up, but thought we should stop by this one. It was nice to see some of the old ration food in there, paperwork, MOD branded poo roll and some of the communication equipment on the wall.. Even thought it had all been stripped back to just plastic casing, it gave you a good sense of what it was like to be down there. Just took internals of this one as there is not a lot to see above ground, and we were pushed for time on the way out...
History Nothing on this post in particular, but if you have ever wanted to know what they are about, then here you go.
Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Posts are underground structures all over the United Kingdom, constructed as a result of the Corps' nuclear reporting role and operated by volunteers during the Cold War between 1955 and 1991.
In all but a very few instances the posts were built to a standard design consisting of a 14-foot-deep access shaft, a toilet/store and a monitoring room. The most unusual post was the non-standard one constructed in a cellar within Windsor Castle.
A third of the total number of posts were closed in 1968 during a reorganisation and major contraction of the ROC. Several others closed over the next 40 years as a result of structural difficulties i.e. persistent flooding, or regular vandalism. The remainder of the posts were closed in 1991 when the majority of the ROC was stood down following the break-up of the Communist Bloc. Many have been demolished or adapted to other uses but the majority still exist, although in a derelict condition.
The first prototype post was built at Farnham, Surrey, in 1956 and on 29/30 September of that year a trial was conducted to ascertain the usefulness of the underground posts. Of the two crews of four personnel engaged in staffing the post during this trial, the second group of four, two ROC and two Home Office Scientific Advisory Branch, were sealed inside with rations bedding and barracks equipment. With a few minor changes, mainly to the hatch and air ventilation louvers, the posts were built as per the prototype. The protection provided by the concrete roof and compacted earth mounded above the post was estimated to reduce any external nuclear radiation by a factor of 1,500:1.
Construction of the original 1,563 posts was overseen by the Air Ministry Works Department and the ROC and undertaken by local contractors. Once a site was chosen (usually the site of an aircraft observation post) a hole approximately 9 feet deep was excavated. Within this hole a monocoque structure was cast using re-enforced concrete with a floor about twelve inches thick, walls about seven inches thick and a roof about eight inches thick. The whole structure was then bitumen 'tanked' for waterproofing purposes. Soil was compacted over the structure to form a mound leaving the access shaft, doubling as an air shaft, protruding above ground. At the opposite end of the building a further air shaft was formed. Two metal pipes, one 5 inches in diameter and one 1 inch in diameter protruded from the roof and above the four-foot mound to be used with operational instruments. The air vents were covered by downward-sloping louvers above ground and sliding metal shutters below ground to control air flow during contamination by radioactive fallout.
The Home Office wanted 100 posts built in the first year (1957) and 250 a year thereafter. By mid-1958 only 94 posts had been handed over to the ROC with 110 under construction. The cost of building the underground posts was approximately £1000, but rose to nearer £8000 in some instances.
As normal I have just looked at the small details, it is good fun playing with the 105 mm f/2.8 macro
and a few wide shots for good measure
