Greenham Common | Britain's Cold War Nuclear Country Park

[@NiceCakeMix]

Your videos are some of the best I have seen on the Cold War. They explain it in a simple manner that is easy to follow. Thank you for sharing this again.

[@AndyMcloone]

Hi all! Yes this is a re-upload. I got hit with a Copyright claim, 3 years after I published the original back in 2021 !!! For a 90 second clip of the runway scene from the movie 'A Bridge Too Far'. Never mind, I've taken the opportunity to re-edit and improve the whole video. Enjoy Greenham Common v2.0..... 🙂

[@Chainsaw-ASMR]

I really enjoy your Cold War history videos. Even though this one was a re-upload, I hadn’t seen it so I’m winning today.

[@herbertdeppel659]

The topic seemed so familiar to me, now I know why. It's still fun to see it again. Thank you

[@Archangelm127]

If I'm not mistaken, 90 seconds is *well* within the bounds of Fair Use. Such bullshit.

[@UK_Lemons]

I had not seen that episode before. Glad it showed up on my recommendations. Was there a reason you showed North at the bottom of the aerial view? Interesting choice.😮.

[@AndyMcloone]

@@Archangelm127 It was a ContentID hit not a Strike. The copyright owner must have had problems elsewhere on KZbin and uploaded a new hash. I find it's easier simply to edit out the dispute rather than argue Fair Use for contentID. Ironic I can use the 2014 Star Wars clip under Fair Use without problems, but not a 90 second clip from a 1977 movie. 😖

[@rorysandison7954]

I don’t care that this was a re upload. I really enjoyed this documentary. Thank you for taking the time to put it together!

[@jshawbitter]

One of the best channels on KZbin I love it fantastic video well done

[@Hansaman58]

Outstanding production Andy! Brings back a lot of memories for this Cold War veteran. Visited the UK in the early 1970’s as a high school student and in the early 1980’s as a US Air Force member. Never made it to Greenham Common though. I was stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany from 1981-1985 and remember the stationing of ground launched cruise missiles in the UK and in Germany. Although none were anywhere near Wiesbaden, protesters used to show up outside Lindsey Air Station (where I was billeted) which I found somewhat amusing. Never more than half a dozen or so. However, one day upon arrival back to Wiesbaden from a car trip to West Berlin, we came upon a large protest march in downtown Wiesbaden which was a bit intimidating. The Polizei actually stopped the marchers to let us cross the road in our car. That was cool. I really enjoy you videos. Thank you. Update!!! Forgot to mention that the USAF General in the graphic of Able Archer 83 is the late Leonard Perroots. I worked for him (I was way down the pecking order from him) while I was stationed in Wiesbaden.

[@garyiow8482]

That was really interesting Andy. Thank you. Amazing to see how it has changed over the years. My first wife was one of the protestors in the early 80s. I met her in 1986. She was always an 'earth mother' but she was very kind and very gentle. She'll be in her 70s now. I often wonder what became of her.

[@ColdWarFilms1947]

Outstanding! I saw the original, and this version is even better. Thanks for making this video Andy.

[@simonbird1973]

Used to love the Greenham Common air shows back in the 80s

[@adder3597]

I will say for the record Andy- I'm 24 going on 25 and I have at least some idea of the state of play when Greenham Common was at its height. Even the jingle for Protect and Survive gives me chills. It's part of why, even though my first love history wise was WW2-era, I've found myself ever increasingly enthralled by the Cold War. So many things that are stranger than fiction and yet absolutely true.

[@pstonard]

Very interesting, thanks for your research and video production. I grew up in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s, and left before the collapse of the USSR and the closeure of Greenham Common. You have filled in a few gaps in my memory and what came later. Greetings from Portland, Oregon, USA.

[@wochee]

Thanks Andy. I was a student at Oxford at the time. I remember it well, not that I shared anything with the protesters. With best wishes from Australia.

[@stuartwarrick6444]

As a local guy living nearby I was always told that not much went to greenham most warheads went to Welford air base which had its own road off the M4.

[@Ade2bee]

Thanks a lot for making this video was interesting

[@k.r.baylor8825]

Andy, a fascinating brief on Greenham Commons, its history, and its present-day situation. I remember it well from news coverage in the late-1980s. I always look forward to your vids; you have a terrific professional briefer presentation style and I enjoy your work immensely. Cheers from Virginia, USA. (Former 11B infantry during the 1980s).

[@andrewwilson6091]

The combination of retained WWII & Cold War relics, historical acknowledgments, wetlands, and contemporary community & business reuse looks really great. Hopefully the whole lot will never need flattening to rebuild a functioning nuclear airbase against the Ruskies (or anyone else).

[@dimitrioap]

Thanks Andy, it brought back some memories of standing the other side of the fence by the paths that you showed in the woods guarding the perimeter fence in the snow to ensure that the Peace protesters didn't get through the fences (which didn't end up well as they brought part of the fence down) "Fun was had by all lol"

[@wtfbuddy1]

Nice video once again Andy, even if it's a re-upload - history needs to be remembered regardless. If you don't post something between now and Remembrance Day, have a good one and remember those who are not with us, those who still serve and veterans amongst us, Toast to Fallen Comrades. Cheers and take care. Pete

[@Piotrekwrocpl]

Quality video, as always 🧐 Cheers!

[@glennmorrissey5309]

Great to watch this video again with the extra content added. Thank you Andy.

[@ArnoSchmidt70]

Cold War Andy is back!

[@AndyMcloone]

New content is on the way, unfortunately KZbin is just a part time hobby for me and I have other priorities in life, otherwise I would make content constantly 😉

[@andyrad]

Brilliant video. The cold War fascinates me and love researching what's left of old bases. I must visit here one day

[@PS_Games2188]

Thank you for making this content. I have always been fascinated by the Cold War, and ww2 history and how close the world keeps coming to madness. I am born of 1988 so not old enough to ‘remember’ but yet I feel so closely connected. I applaud your dedication, fact finding effort and sheer determination to preserve this history so others may learn from it. I will correct you on one point, those tie fighters are actually x-wing fighters, but given you were focused on other wars, will ignore that small detail . A sub from me, like and all that and heart felt thanks for bringing my parents life a little further to my understanding!

[@aerial558]

Many thanks for sharing your knowledge on Green Common as a young adult during the Cold War brings shivers down my spine that Newbury would have been the main target for any nuclear attack 😢

[@scottnorth1645]

I worked in an rc model shop at greenham Business Park at the time of Star Wars being recorded. The security team came in and told us it was a no fly zone and to tell anyone who bought a drone

[@shaunbarrett5599]

Brilliant video Andy, my father worked on the construction of the extra perimeter fencing as gamma site was being constructed and there was also stories of a tunnel linking RAF Telford to greenham

[@SteveFonzieB]

What a wonderfully useful and interesting video - I am fascinated by the history of this area and I learnt a lot. Thank you

[@janehay4966]

Thank you Andy we love going to greenham

[@TimtimTimson]

Fantastic video. Thank you.

[@tragicgarlic9019]

wow, great video, thanks for posting this, really interesting backstory - i only knew it from the 80s protests and cruise missles arriving there in 83, didn't realise it had all been returned to the common - will have to walk the ground next time i am back in the UK :)

[@buzzabuzza3494]

Great information video, my brother and I visited Greenham common RIAT in 1983 so this video brings back fond memories.I can still remember all the CND activists around the perimeter fence, one of the static SR71 blackbirds was damaged by paint being thrown over it.The sad irony is that we are now going through similar Cold War tensions and rhetoric.🤔

[@Archangelm127]

Yank here. Before your (original) video, my only knowledge of this place was a passing reference to "interface between Christians and the women of Greenham Common" in "Yes, Prime Minister."

[@andrewwilson6091]

Yeah. Me too. In Australia.

[@lesliemurchison4442]

another fact about Greenham a episode of ITV series London's Burning was filmed there..the xtras were fireman from the local fire station (I was one of them)..we did two night shoots at £250 a night was watered and fed and got to meet the stars of the show ..the episode was a petrol tanker crashing into a motel..year was 93/94 I think..

[@DRSEXPLORING]

It's a fantastic place to visit wen it's sunny :) thank for you for your brilliant Commentary.

[@PhilHall-r6h]

I worked in the Bunker when it was an office block post military use. Interesting building. First floor all offices. Ground floor when in reception half offices and to one side big blast door and entrance to ComCen. My understanding was the office ground and first was a frangible structure. Had an oppportunity to go into the hardened structure on the ground floor. It looked as if the Americans had just walked out but had disc cut through all the cables etc. From memory it contained electrical room/ airhandling (scrubbers)/ command centre opps room/ toilets etc and some sleeping. Also the external entrance included the exit route for NBC ops and return section for decontamination. Pity you could not get access.

[@ericdanielski4802]

Nice video.

[@grahamrandle6458]

At Greenham or on exercises on Salisbury Plain, as a Mod Plod spending weeks at a time at either location, keeping peace women at bay, many of us were able to buy our homes from the overtime money earned. It was impressive on occasions when the base was surrounded by coach loads of protesters to the extent that we were flown in and out of the base by helicopters.

[@frasergenius]

My dad was Mod Plod, he told fond stories of his deployments to Greenham Common and molesworth.

[@nicolasetherton2534]

My Battalion were deployed there twice in 1983, spent a lovely Christmas there keeping the demonstrators out, or at least trying to, us and the Mod plod on the inside and the coppers on the outside, they were raking it in with all the overtime.

[@tree267]

I played paintball there in about 94. Everything was still standing, there was furniture in all the buildings, even papers and documents lying around. It was very strange.

[@edwardcarr2725]

Great documentary. I used to live near here

[@greyfox8194]

always looking forward to your videos the cold war history of the uk and germany is so interesting

[@stevenbennett3922]

Good reel. When I was there the Blue gate was known as Alpha and the Green as Juliet and there was the world's supply of barbed tape coil. Interesting times.

[@SiVlog1989]

I must be honest, certainly typical for those (like me) who were too young to remember how it was during the Cold War, Greenham Common is an example of a name I'd heard of more than the location.

[@AnomadAlaska]

Thanks for the story.

[@markbooth1117]

Never thought of Greenham becoming a country park. A long way from when I patrolled the wire as part of the RAF Detachment, keeping an eye on the peace women on the other side of the wire. Stood in boxes around the perimeter and around the outside of the GAMA. A lot of history to the place. I note that you mentioned D-Day. The lead C-47 Dakota paratroop transport aircraft of the whole D-Day operation, called "That's all Brother" operated from Greenham, and was the first Allied transport aircraft over the coast of occupied Europe to drop paratroops. She is now preserved, after many years as a derelict in a DC-3/C-47 boneyard at Basler Aircraft of Winconsin, USA (well worth a look at the documentary on YT)

[@GaryOldSkool]

What a great video Very interesting, I will visit there soon

[@John3.3]

Thanks Andy very informative,driven past there many a time & it always stirred my imagination ,didnt realise how well used it was,i think i took the A339 to Basingstoke ,yes the bypass was talked about for years that was a big improvement to all the roundabouts we had to go around.

[@warlikeplate4407]

Where ya been Andy? Hope everything is ok with you. Love your content

[@keefymckeefface8330]

Very interesting:) My mum was loosely involved with some the protests, but me and my sister kinda ended the camping;) (she is one the original cnd 100.)

[@ljt3084]

I grew up about 12 miles south of Greenham in a small village just off the A303. During the 1980's the mobile cruise missile units would set up in a forest next to our village, itself a former WW2 RAF ammunition site. They had multiple secret sites having to rotate between them and send out decoy convoys to throw off the protestors who would block farm tracks and country lanes to harass the night exercises. Whilst camping with friends one school summer holiday we were awoken by the trucks setting up on exercise in our forest. The crews were in full NBC suits. Pretty terrifying site in a dark forest at 1 am. In the early 90's i went to some good illegal raves on the Gamma site.

[@TimHarris2]

cheers mate

[@DRSEXPLORING]

The centre of the runway was left to show future generations of what the cold War runway looked like.

[@wazwulf2698]

In Newbury we didn't like the peace women, and you also missed the ammo storage area cross in Bowden Wood, where the plinths for the builds are still visible

[@nickmorgs]

Andy, could you let us know which drone you use ?

[@lesdonaldson520]

Used to go there for the Air Tatoo back in the seventies/eighties

[@Rob-lu8me]

Weren’t The ‘Rebel Alliance’ X wings also based at GAMA site 😉? I recall scenes of the last Star Wars trilogy was filmed between the silo’s

[@tixy7768]

I would love to see the old RAF upper heyford. They do tours as well so chances are for loads of content

[@Nderak]

7:59 what song is this

[@nickmorgs]

It's known as 'Taps'

[@scottessery100]

I thought it was the last post?

[@Nderak]

thanks for the replies, it is last post. i had never heard of last post before

[@mogsyman]

I used to live in Thatcham and during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s used to fly model aircraft on the main runway most weekends at the eastern end (I have photos of a myself and friends on the huge expanse of tarmac!). It didn’t happen often however there were occasions when we would be asked to move to one side of the runway to allow a Galaxy or Hercules to land or take off - being that close to the larger aircraft was quite something! I also used to use the bowling alley playing in the league with the US and local folk and buy Levi’s and other items cheaper than the UK price, goods were flown in from the US and the base was a little piece of the US in its own right with shops and using $ bills to pay for things.

[@melike1984]

I have been in one of them bunkers when they done a one day visit on a sunday, they had been decommissioned so we could take a look around.

[@Adrian-jk4kx]

My Father and I had taken off from Blackbushe..Cesena 172... Sunday,Farnborough Radar inoperative....out of Greenham and turning straight for us was one of those huge starlifters..presumably with its deadly return cargo on board.....think we just did the customary avoiding manoeuvre ..but it felt uncomfortable...I wonder what they said!

[@TUMBLINJEST]

As a 76-year-old, I do remember this happening in its time, and to be honest glad it's gone as a nuclear base, but what about the others in the UK.

[@paul.alarner6410]

shame you didnt get a close up of all the info sign/posters so we coulsd pause and read them!.

[@Zeebad_1st]

I did some work in the ex servicemen's houses next to there, which are huge, they had a seperate room in each house for a transformer so they could use their American appliances in the houses and they even had US wall sockets. The same up at Upper Heyford. More recentley I did a job in the data centre as was lucky enough to have a tour in the old decontamination rooms with concrete lined doors over 2 feet thick. There was one room that we couldn't get into that had the hotline to the Whitehouse that was apparantley just full of old boxes and rubbish. I was told that the Russians would have not bombed the runway so that they could use it if they invaded but instead would have used chemical weapons.

[@philstabler]

Never off the tv protesting remember.

[@MitchSprague]

The runways are probably still there due to the expense of paying to have it removed. Can't imagine that would be inexpensive.

[@Lee_303]

Went to Glade festival a few times. Realised Wasing Park is close to Greenham Common & Aldermaston Weapons Establishment & should've packed a geiger counter 😅

[@johnkeepin7527]

An interesting presentation. As you noted, some of the old control structure is still in use, albeit for modern equipment that many of use all the time. No doubt the MoD has attracted some revenue after the development of systems like the one I’m using now - not just here, but there is quite a bit of demand for secure places with decent power supplies etc. It’s worth noting that the timing of the development of the modern world wide web more or less happened at the same time as the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The need to implement modern equipment has become a useful second hand customer for the Government, in effect.

[@garethlloyd5644]

Shouldn’t have reduced all that including BAOR should we

[@jonathangriggs9123]

Interesting to see how it has changed from its dats in 70's and 80's, went to the International Air Tattoo, now the Royal International Air Tattoo which has been recited into the West of England.

[@Underwatergoat1]

Could that guy with the rifle in the 101st have been Malarkey from band of brothers? Kinda looked like him

[@lauren-n3z]

such a cool bti of history

[@steverees9482]

I have worked there .there was a couple of lady's who lived in a caravan by the main gates they had been there from the early days we had cars stored there

[@praisane]

Anyone even flirting with the idea of communism to this day and age, please watch this. This is what communism leads to.

[@280StJohnsPl]

Many USAF bases in the UK had nuclear weapons. i was stationed at RAF (USAF) Bentwaters. I stood duty many times on the Alert Pad as an F-4 crew chief and the aircraft were nuclear armed.

[@michaelbailey2476]

I did a detachment there in 86 looking after the perimeter lighting. First night was freezing, sleeping in a room made from a small container. Found the heater on the second night. There were 3 camps of women and they didnt get along with each other ironically. Same idiots as today. The yanks were great lads, we went for a beer with a few. On camp it was rumoured that if we went within a certain perimeter where the nukes were stored we would be shot without question but no one ever tried so can't confirm that. Newbury was a lovely town, I bought a Dr Feelgood LP album from the local record shop.

[@chieftandriver703]

I really enjoyed this video. This place played such a huge place in my memories Looking back those women were probably right. Ancient history now

[@daviddoorbar4814]

Rubbish, it was the right for that time. Deterrence is the only thing that the Soviet Union understood and it’s kept the peace for the last 80 years. And by the way those protesters didn’t spend all their time in tents. They were on a rota and were living in a nearby house when not in the tents. A bit like Blairs’ champagne socialists.

[@michaelbarlow3686]

Thanks for this I really enjoyed it and indeed remember the "ladies" sat on a sofa at the gates, they really responded when I tooted my horn. Property prices in the area plummeted but later soared after de-commissioning.

[@ade-1772]

So funny I was a kid and my mum and dad had a campervan back in the day and we camped with the protesters that were in the news back then and the next day my dad drove down this lane in the van and was escorted by MP cuz he was too close to the bars and a jeep pulled up and two mos came up and told him to leave 😂

[@Waynzo-i3w]

Not much to see now, looks same as any UK countryside lol, being age 53 I remember the protests but didn't really understand it at the time, same as now really, the World is hard to understand and sometimes a flipping mystery!

[@Hasdac1896]

Scary? Fear equals control..

[@roosterbooster5990]

Used for car storage , What a waste! Uk military should have taken over the site

[@anthonybowers7571]

That is where the army used ( tried out ) EMP on the women protesters in the 70's