HM's speech in event of WW3

[tartare]

Retired V-Force members.
Here is what we all may have heard on Radio 4 from the Queen as you took off - if the balloon had ever gone up.
Interesting... from the BBC released under the 30 year rule.

'WWIII Queen's speech' script revealed

In a Whitehall-written script, the Queen speaks of the "madness" of war
The Queen was expected to urge the people of the United Kingdom to "pray" in the event of a nuclear war, government documents from 1983 reveal.

The script for a hypothetical broadcast has the monarch describing the threat to the "brave country" as "greater" than any other in history.

It also mentions the Queen's son Prince Andrew, then in the Royal Navy.

Devised by Whitehall officials at one of the most fraught periods of the Cold War, it was never recorded.

The document, released by the government under the 30-year rule, was drawn up as part of a war-gaming exercise in the spring of 1983, working through potential scenarios.

'Terrors'
Although it was only a simulation, the text of the Queen's address - written as if broadcast at midday on Friday 4 March 1983 - seeks to prepare the country for the ordeal of World War III.

The script reads: "Now this madness of war is once more spreading through the world and our brave country must again prepare itself to survive against great odds.

Prince Andrew
The speech includes a reference to Prince Andrew, then serving in the Royal Navy
"I have never forgotten the sorrow and the pride I felt as my sister and I huddled around the nursery wireless set listening to my father's [George VI's] inspiring words on that fateful day in 1939 [at the start of the World War II].

"Not for a single moment did I imagine that this solemn and awful duty would one day fall to me.

"But whatever terrors lie in wait for us all, the qualities that have helped to keep our freedom intact twice already during this sad century will once more be our strength."

Striking a personal note, the script continues: "My husband and I share with families up and down the land the fear we feel for sons and daughters, husbands and brothers who have left our side to serve their country.

"My beloved son Andrew is at this moment in action with his unit and we pray continually for his safety and for the safety of all servicemen and women at home and overseas.

"It is this close bond of family life that must be our greatest defence against the unknown.

"If families remain united and resolute, giving shelter to those living alone and unprotected, our country's will to survive cannot be broken."

In the war-gaming exercise, Orange bloc forces - representing the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies - launch a chemical weapon attack on the UK.

Blue forces - representing Nato - retaliate with a "limited-yield" nuclear strike, forcing Orange to sue for peace.

The exercise came in the year that US President Ronald Reagan both enraged and alarmed Moscow with his denunciation of the Soviet Union as the "evil empire", his plans for a "Star Wars" ballistic missile shield in space, and the deployment of US nuclear cruise missiles to Europe - including to RAF Greenham Common.

Tensions increased when the Soviets shot down a South Korean airliner that strayed into their airspace, killing all 269 on board.

A Nato military exercise, codenamed Able Archer, then nearly triggered an actual conflict with the Soviet leadership apparently convinced it was cover for a genuine attack.

The Soviet Union and the US later negotiated a reduction in the number of nuclear weapons, as the Cold War came to an end.

[Heathrow Harry]

if the balloon had gone up I doubt there'd have been time for any broadcast.........

[Al R]

You can imagine some faceless suit crafting those words together: "Ma'am, it doesn't matter - just READ IT". I wonder how that would play out now, I wonder what the message would be now; that all seems a throwback to a different age, an uncertain hinterland between when we munched sepia toned ice buns with the vicar and started to kick Charles and Camilla's poor Rolls.

But it seems the super soaraway Sun was right all along - the front page of (I still have it, in my junk) screamed: "Cruise - we'll shoot to stop Yanks". My first tour was at Greenham Common; also covered in the release. I remember some aged soul coming from somewhere and reminding us (the British Contingent of the Cruise force) that our responsibility was to the Crown and the UK - and not the Americans. He also made a jolly comment about not getting 'too close' (or something like that) to the Americans in case things got a bit stroppy going down to the wire and there was a 'bit of a bust up'. On the plus side, we only had M-16s so no one would have been hurt.

"On the idea of dual control it was thought that in the unlikely event of a crisis and the US did not fulfil its obligations to consult with the UK Government, British personnel could as a 'last resort' be ordered to take action which would make it 'virtually impossible for the Americans to launch their weapons'." Anyway, now I feel old.. I'm not even covered under the 30 year rule anymore.

[XV277]

Bit longer than expected.

"My loyal subjects, please place your heads between your legs and kiss your bottom goodbye"

[Pontius Navigator]

The dates don't fit.

In the 60s with V-Force QRA and the National Deterrent the BBC Light Programme would have become a public service broadcast, I can't remember the name Peter Hennessy said it was.

What we expected to hear was:

"Codeword is now in force."

There was little difference from what was broadcast 20 years previously. I have no idea if that was a single message or whether other codewords would have been broadcast as well. That one codeword would have both authorised our strike and declared which target set was in effect.

[Yellow Son]

This is for you younger fellas . . .

Take a look at this petition -
We should honour the service personnel who protected the UK during the Cold War - e-petitions (http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/51147)


I didn't start this petition, but I'm glad someone else has. When the Berlin wall came down, CAS Dick Johns came to HQ Strike and told us 'The Cold War is over, and we've won it'. I asked him - tongue in cheek, of course - when to expect a campaign medal. He said not to hold my breath, and we all laughed.

I didn't hold my breath then, and I haven't been for the last 20 years. I really don't mind not having a medal; it wouldn't change my own knowledge that we all did something worthwhile with our lives. But I have been getting more and more disillusioned about the lack of knowledge, never mind appreciation, in the population at large. It's almost as if the Warsaw Pact and its potential threat had never existed. Whether this petition succeeds or not, it will surely do no harm to generate a bit of a discussion. It's easy to remind people of obvious 'hot' victories like the Falklands, Sierra Leone or the first Gulf War. I'm as proud as could be to have been a member of the team responsible. But the Cold War - which demanded total and sustained commitment and professionalism, and which certainly warmed up from time to time, arguably claiming some victims - did more to keep us safe and well than any of those short campaigns. Forty years without a major war in Europe is an achievement that shouldn't be overlooked, surely? Yet most people under 35 know nothing about it.

Please sign the petition. Even if you don't, please pass it on to anyone you think will support it. Here it is again . . .

We should honour the service personnel who protected the UK during the Cold War - e-petitions (http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/51147)

[Fareastdriver]

Like others I spent eighteen years in the RAF during the Cold War. I believed that all the effort and inconveniences that I was experiencing was ensuring our freedom and the British way of life.

What a waste of time!!!!!

Edited because when I hit my keyboard two keys jump at the same time.

[sitigeltfel]

Like others I spent eighteen tears in the RAF during the Cold War.

Freudian slip? ;)

[Pontius Navigator]

YS, I met a Lthuanian about 5 years ago, 15 years after the war ended when he would have been in his early 20s. He came from Vilnius. I said that had been one of our targets in the Cold War.

He had no concept of the Cold War, no knowledge that his home had been a target, and no idea why we would have wanted to obliterate Vilnius if he even had a concept of what a hydrogen bomb could do.

[NutLoose]

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/images/news/CAB-129-216-a.jpg

Thank God we never went to war, I mean where would we have housed all the prisoners?

[4everAD]

That document is priceless, that was a briefing document for the Prime Minister it looks like my 7 year old did that before breakfast. Imagine giving that to your boss now for up briefing!

[Wander00]

My predecessor as Secretary at a large South Coast yacht club, as a wg cdr, was Callaghan's "Mr Nuclear". Does not look like his writing though.

[Heathrow Harry]

ahhhh - pre-powerpoint days.......................

[Fareastdriver]

On those figures they had a tank all along the Iron Curtain about ten yards apart.

[500N]

HH

"ahhhh - pre-powerpoint days......................."

And now it is death by Power point ? :O

[Hammer Head Too]

Nutloose,

Thank God we never went to war, I mean where would we have housed all the prisoners?

At least we would have known their name, rank and serial number unlike most of the people pouring into our country after labours open door policy :mad:

HH2

[NutLoose]

We would have ran out of chinagraph lead long before we recorded them all though..

Agree about the rest though..

[smujsmith]

With respect Gentlemen,

As I read it this was a script, invented by a civil servant, for exercise purposes in training the chimps (I mean senior MPs) in WW3 type scenarios. I doubt that anything like this would have ever been presented or recorded by HMQ. Assuming the guy who wrote it had a "non aggressive" intent, this may have served to make a few of the "public servants" ( oohh MPs again) consider any rush to bravado. Then again, probably not :sad:

Smudge

[Wander00]

Hope none of it would have been read on-air by the guy who did the Falklands reports on TV. What was his name?

[500N]

Are you talking about the famous BBC journalist Brian Hanrahan ?


I still remember that report from the deck of the carrier.

[November4]

Hope none of it would have been read on-air by the guy who did the Falklands reports on TV. What was his name?

Ian MacDonald

http://db2.stb.s-msn.com/i/c2/ad18d415bf17f92441d0cb3f1a85a/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg

[NutLoose]

"And this Gentlemen is the maximum range of our bombers as ones pointer will not reach further"

[tartare]

Stood under the bomb-bay of the Vulcan at the Museum in Hendon and watched the video of the streamed take off.
It's chilling.
Hennesey's books are very interesting.
Can any of you who used to be on Vulcan QRA know recommend any detailed and accurate books about what it was like to be a Vulcan crew during the Cold War?
In particular - any that mention (classification and BEADWINDOW restrictions accepted) the scenarios for what would have actually happened, routes and altitudes into the USSR, expected attrition rates etc?

[Yellow Sun]

Can any of you who used to be on Vulcan QRA know recommend any detailed and accurate books about what it was like to be a Vulcan crew during the Cold War?
In particular - any that mention (classification and BEADWINDOW restrictions accepted) the scenarios for what would have actually happened, routes and altitudes into the USSR, expected attrition rates etc?

I am not aware of anything substantial that goes beyond the descriptions found in Henessy's book "The Secret State". There are a couple of articles around but they are essentially similar.

If you search the "Did you fly the Vulcan" thread here on Pprune you will find some references to the war plans and profiles. There are also a couple of threads on other forums, here (http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?74152-V-FORCE-Questions&highlight=) and here (http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?114334-Another-V-Bomber-question&highlight=) that have some reasonable accounts.

The RAF Historical Society (http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/rafhistoricalsociety.cfm) has a number of relevant documents in their back catalogue and it is noteworthy that they hope to fill in some "gaps" in the Vulcan's career at the next meeting in October 2013.

YS

[tartare]

Many thanks Yellow Sun.
Gentlemen - anyone who has any further suggestions - I would welcome them.

[Yellow Sun]

An oblique look at targeting policy may be discerned in "Project Emily: Thor IRBM and the RAF". There is some discussion on the targets within range of the Thor system. These were obviously countervalue, so with a little research it's not too difficult to come up with a reasonable list of targets.

YS

[SOSL]

I think Wander00 means John Nott who was S of S for defence at the time.

During the Falklands campaign he used to read out press releases in the most deadpan monotone I've ever heard from a UK govt minister.

I think he may have resented being forced to go to war so soon after swingeing cuts in the defence budget, especially to the RN.

Rgds SOS

[airborne_artist]

I think Wander00 means John Nott who was S of S for defence at the time.

During the Falklands campaign he used to read out press releases in the most deadpan monotone I've ever heard from a UK govt minister.The official who read the the press releases was Ian McDonald.

http://tinyurl.com/phvfeoa

[SOSL]

How right you are AA thanks for reminding me, I should have looked further up the thread!

We all know that John Nott was a bit pi$$ed by the whole thing.

Rgds SOS

[Wander00]

Thanks, not "Nott", it was Ian MacDonald's name I could not recall.

[airborne_artist]

McDonald was in part briefed by my father most days ;)

[sisemen]

The "Queen's message" referred to was written for CIMEX 83. The Cold War was in its death throes at that point.

It is understood that the first bit of the exercise message was deleted before publication and was "Aim speaking to you from a secure location well underground....." :E

[Ian Corrigible]

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/images/news/CAB-129-216-a.jpg
I think I see now why all the attempts at building a 3rd-gen European ATGM during the 1970s and '80s failed: for the want of a ruler we visually convinced ourselves that we had a 'positive' missile gap vs. the USSR...

I/C