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Four Minute Warning by Don Scott.
During the 1960’s the ‘cold war’ was at its height, and the world, together with its political and military leaders, appeared on the brink of a disasterous armed confrontation.
An horrendous stand off existed in Europe between the communist eastern block states, and the ‘democratic’ western alliance resulting in world leaders playing off one another for marginal political and territorial gain. The massive amounts of military hardware and atomic weapons of mass destruction were trained head to head, threatening enormous devastation and loss of innocent lives.
Instructional memos, directives and amendments on how best to handle this situation, cascaded down the chain of command to the very basic level – to the ‘sharp end’ so to speak.
A particular example of the futility of political and military thinking was the ‘Four minute Warning’ procedure, which was rather like ‘Dad’s Army’ without it’s bite! And in particular how it applied to County Durham, Durham Constabulary and ultimately to PC Scott, who was the guardian of the peace at Sunniside, which in those dark threatened years was part of the police division of Whickham.
Verbal instructions, written memoranda and manuals of guidance percolated down the chain of command advising PC Scott of what to do, and when to do it, in the event of a nuclear attack on these isles.
Courses of instruction followed by further courses were implemented to ensure that PC Scott could fulfil his duties to Queen and Country should Sunniside be the target of an atomic attack from the communist block!!
The ‘Four minute warning’ was uppermost in the officer’s mind when an electronic transmitter was installed on the wall inside the small police office adjoining his home at Streetgate, Sunniside, together with a medium sized wooden crate containing a mobile siren. The documentation which accompanied these two items of equipment reminded PC Scott that, should he be advised to do so by a government warning broadcast over the radio and television from the B.B.C., this vital equipment so necessary for the defence of the realm, and Sunniside in particular, was to be taken into use immediately, once of course the officer had secured the starting handle to the siren!
The electronic wall transmitter, when switched on, would emit varying bleeping sounds dependent on the state of emergency perceived by central government. A constant bleeping merely indicated a state of readiness, followed by a Red Alert (imminent danger) and finally, the much feared Black Alert giving a warning that the Soviet Block was sending, by one means or another, an atomic explosive device which would be striking this area in the prescribed Four Minutes.
At this juncture, PC Scott, as well as countless other constables throughout the country, was expected to manually operate the mobile siren by turning the handle faster and faster in a clockwise direction, until a very loud wailing sound was being emitted, which was capable of being heard throughout Sunniside.
His next task was to climb onto his pedal cycle, and ride as quickly as he could around the village streets, blowing his whistle furiously!! This sounds more like a very early Margaret Rutherford British film comedy that a serious attempt to save civilization from extinction! The combination of the wailing siren and the sight of a by now somewhat red-faced constable riding furiously around the streets blowing his whistle, was assumed to indicate to all and sundry the impending disaster about to befall the village.
Unfortunately, to PC Scott’s knowledge, very few of the village people would be aware of the message being portrayed by PC Scott during these last Four Minutes of village life as they knew it. Consequently the sight ant sound of this spectacle unfolding before their very eyes, would only lead to the inevitable caustic comment and ridicule directed in the officer’s direction, not to mention the probable injuries PC Scott might suffer from packs of irate dogs which delight in attacking anyone in uniform, particularly if they happen upon a pedal cycle blowing a whistle!
Following numerous complaints from village constables throughout Durham Constabulary area and Whickham Division in particular, it soon became apparent that this aspect of Civil Defence in relation to the Four Minute Warning was totally inadequate.
To be fair to those in authority at this time of world tension, it must have been patently obvious to them that this warning of the approaching nuclear device and its arrival at Sunniside, presented the local population with insufficient time to take any form of defensive action. Nevertheless, they would be duty bound at the very least to try to give people some warning so that they could face together, as a family, the consequences of political and military blundering.