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Just north of Anstruther in Fife is a surviving example of Scotland’s Cold War defences. From the end of the Second World War in 1945 until 1989, and the break up of the Soviet Union, nuclear attack and Soviet Special Forces raids in Scotland were considered a real threat.

The large underground bunker in Fife built in the 1950s was intended as a command headquarters for the government of Scotland in the event of such an attack and regular rehearsals and exercises were held throughout the country run from this bunker. Civil Servants, the military, the Royal Observer Corps, the police, the fire service and welfare services were all involved.

A Veteran of the Fife Bunker remembers:

Nearly every year in the 1970s there was a Home Defence Exercise which would last about 10 days. Sometimes it was simply a paper exercise and sometimes there were real forces on the ground for us to direct. During these 10 days we would live in the bunker in Fife, which was called “the hole”, and although senior military officers were there I can’t remember seeing too many senior civil servants or government ministers.

We would be given a scenario, which was called “the Pink”, and we had to arrange our forces and resources to prepare for the situation. To the original “Pink” was then added a series of “serials” or events. It could be a sabotage raid by Soviet Special Forces or it could be a limited nuclear strike.

Our job in the bunker was to defend areas with the troops available on the ground, evacuate refugees and feed, cloth and house them, arrange for the burial of the dead, plot the spread of radiation, maintain order and keep people out of the contaminated areas. It was very interesting work and there is no doubt in my mind that if any attack had come there would have been some sort of system in place to deal with it. It was the first time that I had worked with the other services and with the civilian services and I remember I was particularly impressed with the efficiency of the Police.

The bunker was just part of our world. It was not sign posted but I used to drive to it in my car. It was an impressive place inside with big maps and wind and weather plotting boards for the radiation tracking. It always smelt slightly of wet concrete and it used to get hot and stale inside – in those days everybody smoked. The shifts were usually 6 or 8 hours long and we slept on bunks in sleeping bags. It was however pretty spartan and because it was not occupied permanently, if you wanted any luxuries you had to take them with you when the exercise began. We always had a little Mess where you could get a drink and buy Mars Bars.

It was a strange sensation coming out at the end of an exercise. We took very seriously the scenarios that we were presented with and we worked hard so you got to know the people of all ranks and services really well. When we came out the air was fresh and cold and it took a moment to realise that “it was just an exercise”; and then we all went home to get on with our lives.

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