A Moment Of Silence Bomb Warning?

[Cherrybomb]

Morning!

Something I kind of remember from my 1980's childhood, was that if there was a break on the radio, and nothing but silence for a minute it ment a bomb had been dropped and was to give warning, to those of us further out to hide/escape.

Anyone else remember this? Was it a UL?

 

[eburacum]

Not a very good warning, as warnings go.
Surely it would be better to say something, rather than assume the DJ had fallen asleep?

I presume you mean a nuclear attack?
Here's a summary of the UK civil defence warning system
http://www.ringbell.co.uk/ukwmo/Page112.htm
note this was discontinued in 1992, after the end of the Cold War and before the start of the War on Terror, which has made warnings almost irrelevant.

 

[Cherrybomb]

Thanks for the link, eburacum! Some very interesting reading.

Yep, that is what I ment, I almost put it in the school legends thread as I wasn't sure if it was just something that us kids had made up!!

Also, you're totally right, what a rubbish warning system, glad it's long gone!

 

[Limelight]

Possibly related the the idea that if Britain's nuclear subs couldn't tune in to BBC's World Service radio for a certain number of consecutive days, then they should presume nucear attack and open the secret orders, which I'm going to go ahead and assume simple say 'Fire the Missiles!'

 

[EnolaGaia]

Possibly related the the idea that if Britain's nuclear subs couldn't tune in to BBC's World Service radio for a certain number of consecutive days, then they should presume nucear attack and open the secret orders, which I'm going to go ahead and assume simple say 'Fire the Missiles!'

... A protocol known to still be in effect as of 2003:

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... alert.html

 

[EnolaGaia]

Back in the 1950's / USA, radio silence was an indicator of impending attack under the CONELRAD system:

http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/conelrad.html

I vaguely remember people getting edgy when a station would suddenly 'disappear' for more than a few seconds - at least until they moved the tuner and confirmed other stations were still broadcasting.

In principle, though, ordinary broadcast stations were supposed to give a CONELRAD announcement before going off the air. They weren't supposed to simply 'vanish'.

 

[Cherrybomb]

IIRC I think there was a band in the late 90's who put a 5 second break of silence into one of their songs because of this. So when it was played on the radio it would scare people. Am I mad? Did it happen? Or is it just another UL?

I'll do a google for it later - better get back to work now

 

[Number 6]

IIRC I think there was a band in the late 90's who put a 5 second break of silence into one of their songs because of this. So when it was played on the radio it would scare people. Am I mad? Did it happen? Or is it just another UL?

I'll do a google for it later - better get back to work now

I don't remember it personally but it sounds like the sort of thing The KLF might have done. I've done a very brief search on Google for it but I can't find any references.

 

[sirwiggum]

U2 on the Europa album, at the end of The Wanderer (an excellent song with post apocalyptic lyrics sang by Johnny Cash) there is a break of silence followed by an alarm (which was meant to replicate the alarm that plays in radio stations for 'dead air').

As an aside, I know some of the folks behind KissFM Monaghan and Energy 106, broadcast from Alien Mountain just across the border. They have stories of abductions, and positive Intelligence Transfer Sequence signals in their output...
(see the megawatts1066 channel on youtube for more)

 

[jeff544]

Reading this thread took me back a few years. I am 50. I guess like so many others around my age, from when I could remember up to my mid twenties it was my firm belief that I would die in an unpleasant and colourful way as a result of a major nuclear war. It was not that we woke up every morning thinking about it, or worried about it constantly, but it was sort of there in the background.
When my daughters were about 10 & 12 I took them to Kelvedon hatch in Essex. It is a disused govt nuclear bunker - still fully kitted out (good afternoon out by the way) They were horrified, but to me it was just part of growing up.
Shows how times change.

 

[SHAYBARSABE]

When my daughters were about 10 & 12 I took them to Kelvedon hatch in Essex. It is a disused govt nuclear bunker - still fully kitted out (good afternoon out by the way) They were horrified, but to me it was just part of growing up.

You can visit Kelvedon hatch online here: http://www.secretnuclearbunker.com/