Having spoken to my Dad about this he said several things:
1. He was an RAF reservist at the time and had been warned that he may be called up again if it escalated (Although mobilization would have taken way to long in the event of a nuclear escalation).
2. People in the Country knew that the crisis was going on and it was covered on TV and Radio but were not aware of the level of readiness that the RAF was at.
3. That the people in the Country were aware of the seriousness of the position. He said that on Friday afternoon people went home from work having said goodbye to their work colleagues fully expecting that there may not be a 'Monday Morning'. He said that although there had been a few rumbles from various countries in the 50's and 60's about 'Armageddon' he felt this was the only time when it could really have happened.............
Glad I wasn't there...............
Arc