Rushton Spencer’s very own Underground Nuclear Reporting Bunker
Rushton Spencer has its very own Nuclear Bunker. The structure in its current location has only been there since the early 1960’s. Normally referred to as a “Post”.
The original role of the Royal Observer Corps can be traced back to the Elizabethan beacon lighters who warned of impending sea attacks, IE. The Spanish Armada. The crest of the ROC is in fact an Elizabethan “lamp-lighter” holding a flaming torch.
Originally the role of the ROC was aircraft spotting and reporting which started in 1914 in London, (WW1).
Our original Rushton “Post” was in Turner’s Field a few hundred yards from the current location towards the village of Rushton and was an open-air Post with a small wooden shed to house the minimal equipment supplied to operate.
That original Post operated from before WW2 until the construction of the protected Post in the early 1960’s. The fallout reporting role was introduced into the Corps in 1955 with the first protected Post being built in Farnham, Surry in 1956
Underground protected Posts were to protect 3 ROC (Royal Observer Corps) members from the effects of Radio-Active fallout during a nuclear attack, whilst they warned the Locals of Air attack and/or fallout, they also supplied weather information, bomb blast information and fallout readings to “Group Head Quarters” which would be forwarded to local government Emergency Planning teams to assist in their emergency planning.
From the introduction of the protected Post’s over 1500 were built in the UK these were divided into 5 areas, each of which had 5 groups, giving 25 groups in total. The Posts were approx. at 10-mile intervals throughout the country. However, the Civil Defence cuts in the late 1960’s saw the number of operational Posts reduced to 870
With the decreasing “tensions” world-wide the role of the ROC was ended in September 1991 and the Corps “stood down”, certain Posts continued for a couple more years after that, (typically on RAF bases).
Several Ex-Post members and likeminded friends decided to manage the Post as a museum from its closure and have kept it in the state at which we were stood down, having managed to procure a lot of equipment from Group Headquarters before its eventual disposal.
If you would like to have a look in a local “hole in the Ground” : –
Dates for Post visits: –
Saturday 14th June 2025
Saturday16th August 2025
First time slot is 13:00hrs (1pm) for each date. Last is 16:00hrs (4pm)
Groups of up to 8 people can be easily accommodated, MAX 10
The visit lasts approx. 1hr at a cost of £5 per person.
Please contact David Arnold for bookings or any queries.
Tel 07745 761 037 or E-mail g8yqa@outlook.com