No sooner had the First World War ended than the Government started to worry about what might happen if there was another war. From 1924 Britain had committees of officials examining ARP questions and this examination intensified after Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 and as the conviction grew, based on experience of the Spanish Civil War where the view was that the bomber would ‘always get through’. It was assumed, naturally enough, that the main target for enemy air raids would be central London.
It was decided early in 1936 to appoint a Minister for the Coordination of Defence and to launch an expanded five-year programme of rearmament. France ratified a bilateral pact with Soviet Russia and on 7 March Hitler sent his troops into the Rhineland in defiance of the Versailles and Locarno treaties. The Cabinet now called for contingency plans to be devised for coping with a potentially dangerous situation and among new sub-committees set up under the Committee of Imperial Defence was one on ‘the location and accommodation of staffs of Government Departments on the outbreak of war’.
Plan of the bunker
Stripped out plant area
Main Operations Area.
Staircase to upper level with rail incline. This had a cart which moved up and down between the two floors.
The bunker is pretty much stripped out with barely any original features and no blast doors but it was interesting to see.
It was decided early in 1936 to appoint a Minister for the Coordination of Defence and to launch an expanded five-year programme of rearmament. France ratified a bilateral pact with Soviet Russia and on 7 March Hitler sent his troops into the Rhineland in defiance of the Versailles and Locarno treaties. The Cabinet now called for contingency plans to be devised for coping with a potentially dangerous situation and among new sub-committees set up under the Committee of Imperial Defence was one on ‘the location and accommodation of staffs of Government Departments on the outbreak of war’.
Plan of the bunker
Stripped out plant area
Main Operations Area.
Staircase to upper level with rail incline. This had a cart which moved up and down between the two floors.
The bunker is pretty much stripped out with barely any original features and no blast doors but it was interesting to see.
yeah wellies were needed for this one
