Originally Posted by
Shack37
When I was there (1968 to 1971) I was never allowed to take my pickaxe handle off base even when going to Vera´s for a few Guinness.
When I was at Ulster Radar (1974-76), the only time we were armed was when the RAF Police and Regiment guys knocked off for the night. That's right, when it got dark our security protection went home!
Occasionally there would be a dog handler inside the perimeter fence, but mostly security was left in the hands of the Air Traffickers and Radar Techs.
This included manning the gate for shift changes which were at different times for the civvy controllers, one of which we were warned had republican sympathies.
Drivers were supposed to turn off their headlights when approaching the gates, but he had to be "persuaded" to comply on a number of occasions.