Post ROC Nuclear Reporting Cell Neatishead

I went up specially to RAF Neatishead , a four hour journey to specifically find out about the NRC post after ROC standown , having briefly spoken to a former employee at a Subbrit meeting. Not a lot of information is generally available about the NRC role in RAF terms, after they took it over. They were operational until 1995. RAF Neatishead was one of the two remaining sites available for access, the other RAF Holmpton.(yet to visit)
What info about NRC that i have been able to find is posted briefly below.
While the main body of the Royal Observer Corps was stood down from operational service a decision was taken by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to retain the Nuclear Reporting Cell (NRC) element of the Corps, in order to continue providing a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) service for all three armed forces.

From October 1991 17 (later reduced to 16 RAF Bawtry was closed) NRCs were retained and staffed by 240 other ranks and 16 spare-time officers with control of the NRC groups being transferred from the UKWMO to the administration of Headquarters ROC (HQROC) based at RAF Bentley Priory. At the same time the name of the NRC’s changed to Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Cell (NBCC) to reflect their main role of the provision of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Assessments for the military forces.

The control of the Corps had therefore gone full circle; the Corps was once again fully funded and controlled by the Royal Air Force and became part of Headquarters No 11 Group at RAF Bentley Priory. HQROC, which comprised two whole-time officers and two MOD civilian staff, continued to administrate the remaining NBC cells which were now based at various RAF / military installations throughout the UK.

Operations within the Cells were based on the NATO NBC procedures (ATP45) which generally consisted of;

Prediction of chemical hazard areas and meteorological considerations.
The estimation of the yield of a nuclear device.
The prediction of nuclear fallout onshore and at sea.
General Information relating to the nature and importance of nuclear fallout.

From 1991 the ever diminishing threat to the UK continued with the ROC staff providing a high level of service to their clients within the Cells. At the same time however many believed there to exist power struggles within the RAF / RAF Regiment and especially in the senior elements of the RAF Regiment who felt that it was not right that spare time civilians undertook the NBC role, when cuts to full-time servicemen was a possibility. Ultimately the decision was finally taken to stand-down the remaining element of the Royal Observer Corps on the 31st December 1995.
So when i arrived at rnn NEATISHEAD , there was an opportunity to ask the museums curator, and the reply was "there was no nuclear reporting here and no cell" , however asking one someone else who had been operational , in the aircraft ground control intercept operations, a ROC type presence was verified!. So some picts below and i would appreciate some information from those who may have actual insight, of having worked operationally in the NRC (NBCC)
Q. In what way did the NBC cell operate compared to the ROC procedures.?
Q. What was the staffing and reporting structure?
Q. What equpment was in use ?
Q. What new training/skills were learnt, and in what areas?
Q. What reasons were you given for final closure?

Despite having successfully built upon the extensive NBC reporting trials carried out earlier with the RAF Regiment, meeting full NATO standards and evalutions (STANAGs and OPEVALs), and the total support of the RAF for keeping the ROC in the orbat, the conclusion reached by the UK MoD was that retention of the Corps in its NBC Cell role was "desirable but not essential in the existing format".
As a consequence, the remaining part-time members of the ROC were stood-down in a Corps Banner laying-up ceremony at RAF College Cranwell on 8 Dec 1995. The ROC Banner hangs in the Rotunda at RAFC Cranwell alongside other stood-down Air Force units and squadrons that are subject to liability for reactivation in the future.

ROC room exhibit labelled Nuclear Reporting Cell

Attack warning red

Finally getting a hands on unit to operate the Alarm signal and local sirens

The WB 1400 speaker

Cold war ground control intercept operations .This room has survived intact, a great achievement

Directing Jaguars for intercept on Russian bear.

One of the surviving tote boards

Oust sanding, love the detailed write up, was there any indication as to how many of the old posts were kept in operation post 91 to 95 ?

Great to see in such good and working condition. Thanks for sharing.

Nice to see something in such good nick,great photos.

here are some pics of the R3 I visited the other weekend, if you are interested?

http://derelictplaces.b00ker.co.uk/#11.0

great pics by the way

NRC sites

NRC sites under entirely military control at the following locations with civilian ex ROC personnel just receiving information from (to them at the time , from unknown sites)
RAF Buchanan, RAF Oban, RAF Leuchars,Pitreavie Castle, RN Greenock, RAF Boulmer, RAF Hompton, RAF Neatished, RAF Brampton, RAF High Wycombe, RN Northwood,RAF Bentley Priory, RAF Upavon, Land forces HQ, RN Portsmouth,Maritime HQ, RAF Truro

nice museum

Brilliant !!!

Fantastic.

Sorry to drag this thread up again but i have been in contact with a few of my ex roc friends and hopefully they have answered your questions...


Q. In what way did the NBC cell operate compared to the ROC procedures.?
The NRCs - nuclear reporting cells reported roc info direct to the customer - armed forces hqs etc - to help them expedite the information - different customers needed different info - interesting stuff - if the ROC came across as being a bit hush hush - the NRCs were sneaky beakies!
Q. What was the staffing and reporting structure?
NRC was crewed by about 12 observers, two L/Obs, one C/Obs (me) and an observer officer. We reported information to the RAF Ground defence commander using standard NATO NBC report messages.
Q. What equpment was in use ?
Q. What new training/skills were learnt, and in what areas?
We had to learn the standard NATO plotting procedures and NBC message Formats, the officer and C/Obs also were sent on a two week NBC course with regular Officers and NCOs from the Armed forces. This was held at the DNBCC (Defence NBC Centre) at Winterbourne gunner, just down the road from portland down. Some were trained on a new (then) computer plotting aid.
Q. What reasons were you given for final closure?
Believe we were just kept going long enough for an RauxAF unit to be trained up, the RAF didnt like the fact that we were volunteers and believed we wouldnt be held accountable if we didnt attend if mobilised. Towards the end we were given a heads up that the RAF had deliberatley selected a near impossible weather plot for an exercise, this was to make us look unrealible and so boost the case for the RauxAF to be given the task. The RauxAF Force protection units are now responsible.

Thank you Krypton for the information based on your contacts, this is great to be able to find out about a little known area and like ROC at the time kept out of the public gaze.
I also now have a vist planned to the R3 bunker itself thats on site but not part of the air defence museum, and not normally just open to the public the next visit is 8th September, e mail Bob brown [[email protected]] for a request to visit the bunker it may take a few days for his reply though.
My thanks to the prinicipal officer at Holmpton for the information below , and confirming that Holmpton was a NBC cell

In 1995 the NBC cells were finally disbanded as the plan was to replace them with a new Electronic Warning System. By this time RAF Bentley Priory had also closed and the last vestiges of the ROC also left that site.

The new electronic system was a series of 600 electronic detectors, to be loacted on masts and Government buildings around the UK.T hese would have reported to a new command and control centre at RAF Holmpton. The cabling infrastructure was installed in parts of the UK, and the computer system 'Tempest' was also installed at RAF Holmpton.as reporting passed to the new Electronic 'Tempest' system and hence the final closure of all the NBC units.
Sadly in 1997 the entire system was scrapped as it simply did not work and since then no replacement has ever been proposed. The cost of this failure was about £23million and all the detectors and equipment were disposed of.Hardly any of the former ROC personnel knew about this new system including the last remaining senior staff at RAF Bentley Priory, as it was shrouded in some secrecy, however we have had several visits from people who were involved with it gradually revealing
this part of our history.When the 'Tempest' system was scrapped with the entire monitoring system passing to UK Resilience which replaced F6 at the Home Office and is a Cabinet Office special Division

..At RAF Holmpton we have (fully restored) the original ROC Operations Room with all of it's original contents in place, acting as a memorial to the Observers. Past members of the ROC have held reunions here and the room is in fact the very last place in the UK ever used by any ROC staff, so it is completely unique. Over the 2012 winter it is proposed to expand this part of our exhibition.

Finally please note that the RAF Holmpton exhibition closes on the 27th August for a major refurbishment and reopens on Good Friday 29th March 2013.

We will however be open just for one day on Saturday 8th September for Heritage Open Days 2012 (Full details on our website)www.rafholmpton.com

A lovely post with some great pics. What a shame that a nuclear attack would have been preceded by an EM burst that would have knocked out pretty much all communication. My local museum has an ROC display similar to this. It shows an ROC officer staring through binoculars at the sky while reporting an "Air burst over Crawley". One can only imagine what looking at a nuclear blast through binoculars would do.

Ah well, the ROC is long gone now - may they rest in peace.

combat said:

NRC sites under entirely military control at the following locations with civilian ex ROC personnel just receiving information from (to them at the time , from unknown sites)
RAF Buchanan, RAF Oban, RAF Leuchars,Pitreavie Castle, RN Greenock, RAF Boulmer, RAF Hompton, RAF Neatished, RAF Brampton, RAF High Wycombe, RN Northwood,RAF Bentley Priory, RAF Upavon, Land forces HQ, RN Portsmouth,Maritime HQ, RAF Truro

Click to expand...

That's a big old list of top secret Military installations you've got there, including NATO Strike Command (High Wycombe) and NATO permanent Joint HQ (RN Northwood)! Good luck with finding any more out about them!
Godzy

Interesting, My Thanks, I enjoyed it.