DURING the very scary days of the Cold War, a Honley RAF serviceman at an East Yorkshire nuclear missile site was told that if they ever had to launch their rockets they should then lock up and go home because that would be the end of civilisation.

Memories of that time have been recalled by my recent references to the comedy radio show Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh. This was broadcast during the war and into the 1950s and was about the activities of a fictitious RAF station which was based on a real airfield at Moreton-in-Marsh.

Mike Shaw from Linthwaite was re-called there as a reservist in the 1950s in the height of the Cold War for fire service training in case of nuclear attack.

Rodney Hey from Lindley also undertook fire service training at Moreton-in-Marsh during the last weeks of his National Service in 1957. He says the station later became the Home Office Fire Service College.

He said: “The idea was that in the event of nuclear bombs being dropped we were to join large mobile columns of firefighters deployed around the country and go where needed. As it was put to us in training, the aim was to be able to place a branch (fire service term for a hose nozzle) every 50ft around London. Presumably, no bombs would be dropped on Wigan!”

He adds: “National Service taught me a lot. Besides expanding my technical knowledge of radio and electronics, I had flown in fighter aircraft, learned the basics of flying with the gliding club at Biggin Hill and now had firefighting and first-aid skills. The young men of today miss so much by comparison with our time in service.”

Joe Froggatt from Honley recalls a different aspect of the Cold War when he was serving with 102 Squadron not far from Bridlington in the early 1960s, manning part of Britain’s nuclear deterrent.

“At 102 Squadron at Full Sutton, alongside 19 other squadrons throughout England, we were standing-by with three Thor Intermediate Range Nuclear Ballistic Missiles,” he said.

He was there during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 when President Kennedy faced down Kruschev.

“As a result, 102 was at a most advanced state of readiness,” adds Joe. “I believe not many of the general public had the same realisation as we on the squadron had as to how close we were to the nuclear annihilation of the world. We were told that if we were ordered to launch the missiles we should do that, then lock-up (not sure why!) and go home as that would be the absolute end of civilisation. A frightening time.”

The US and Soviets came to a deal in which the Thor missiles manned by the RAF were decommissioned.

Joe adds: “We got little publicity, but those of us at Full Sutton are aware of the key role 102 played to prevent a worldwide disaster. The missiles were returned to the United States and eventually used to launch satellites.”

Which was a more productive use.