Government Pamphlets

[Purple_Popple]

Do any of you remember the pamphlets sent through on how to survive a nuclear attack? They scared the daylights out of me at the time. .. early 80s? Then the AIDs leaflets ?

[Graham-W]

Do you mean this one: http://www.atomica.co.uk/main.htm
Put you head between your knees, and kiss your ass goodbye.

[Purple_Popple]

Yes!! Brings it all back.. Thanks for that Graham... what with the topic about Korea.. scary stuff.

[McMouse]

I remember reading a leaflet on how to use an Atropine Autoject in the event of the release of chemical, biological or nuclear agents. Seems you had to stab yourself in the thigh with it. Must look for it in case Korea attacks.

[Canary42]

I guess that those of us who remember the Cuba Crisis are slightly more hardened to it. That was a terrifying period to live through IMO (I was 20 at the time).

[FredPuli43]

Not only that, but I got to see the film which the government would broadcast when there was a threat of nuclear attack ( I was on a Civil Defence course). Two things I remember: 1) we were to whitewash all our windows, to protect ourselves from the intense flash of light 2) we were to fill the bath to the brim (after we'd washed the whitewash off ourselves, of course).

Practical British advice but no 'Keep calm and carry on' in it.

[vulcan42]

I remember the pamphlets and knew just how useless they were. I also remember the Cuban crisis and to a certain extent took part in it. I was in the RAF and we had to keep the V bomber squadrons ready for retaliation against Russia, not an easy task when we knew if it happened the airfields in the UK were first on the list to be hit by the Russians. I had also recently returned from the Pacific and had seen the Americans carry out their atomic testing, exploding twenty-four nuclear weapons over a period of six months. Knowing exactly what devastation these bombs could do and getting our aircraft to drop them was indeed a sobering time.

[Purple_Popple]

Amongst the list of practical advice:
Taking doors off hinges and leaning them against a wall to shelter under...also box of sand to wash crockery in..

[rabet]

Yes, I well remember the Cuban crisis and the Berln wall panic. We lived near an RAF base and the Lightnings were on the runway with the engines running 24/7. Very frightening!

[Answerprancer]

"They scared the daylights out of me".
They were supposed to, governments love to keep their people in a state of fear.
I vaguely remember them, I think it was in the mid 80s when nuclear fear was at the height of fashion. Then there was that grim film "the morning after the night before" (or whatever).