Royal Observer Corps (ROC) role in a nuclear attack exercise | 1970's | Cold war | volunteers

[@ianmcclellan7695]

The actor playing the lead ROC chap is Scottish actor Ian McCulloch. He appeared in an episode of Colditz as an SOE agent masquerading as an RAF POW. Great video, we had an ROC centre operating alongside us at RAF Buchan at the end of the Cold War. The HANDEL / CLBS used to send the clicks down the line as a confidence check that the line was working. The UKWMO would send out the air attack warning and the alarm sound would replace the clicks. Every RAF station had one and a lot of police stations too.

[@SM-dt1pr]

Wait a minute - 1:11 matey has to go outdoors to fetch the graph paper from the thing? Good job he put his parka on, eh? Nice to see the above ground bits of the bunker should be painted bright white.

[@mpol701]

Exaclty was propaganda I never seriously believed even when in that it would be anything, I joined only to send all the documents to CND who I was a member of my loyalty was with them nit armed forces

[@mpol701]

To add I never had top secret stuff

[@mpol701]

And withing a few months we were stood down, only had an arm band as uniform as so new

[@Daniel-S1]

@@mpol701 CND amounted to much much less and was delusionist.

[@mpol701]

@@Daniel-S1 CND the greatest peace movement ever

[@Connordabunny]

I was in the ROC.

[@bobbiescrisps9208]

Wow , since finding out about the organisation have been intrigued by the roc. As kids we would see this man go down this green metal box next to a field in Purbrook when we were playing. Then a few years later we would play on top of Portsdown hill near Dead man’s wood and saw exactly the same green box and another man would go down into the green box. We never knew what they were up to and would check out the green boxes but they were always padlocked so never found out what they were doing or really for . This was around the early 80’s. With the advent of the internet and being a lot older I found out what they were really doing down there and what they were for. As kids we were always scared of the threat of nuclear war with films like the day after and when the wind blows so it’s probably best we never knew what you guys were up to! I think both have now been demolished which is a shame but I suppose they would have only been vandalised

[@bravodelta3083]

Same here; 17 Group, Group Control.

[@mpol701]

I was, ashwell hertfordshire

[@ProfessorPesca]

I always wonder how many of the volunteers would actually have showed up if the balloon went up. Knowing your family has four minutes to live and making the decision to leave them to their fate? I don’t think I could have done it. I bet it was a lot of fun being a volunteer though, shame the ROC got wound up.