Memories of the Cold War Back to the Main Historical Society page
Back to the Barwicker Contents page

Memories of the Cold War

Barwicker No. 120
Spring 2016


The Cold War, when we were all threatened with complete destruction by nuclear bombs, did have lighter moments.

I was in the Ranger Guides (older girls than the Girl Guides) when the Cold War was at its height. Our leader was approached by the local Civil Defence authority to take part in a survival course together with the local Rover Scouts (older boys than the Scouts).

When I told my parents the reason for the course my mother wondered why 'anyone would want to bomb Barnsley' whilst my father just warned me 'not to be led astray! '.

Around twenty of us attended the course which consisted of one evening a week for six weeks. We met in the garden of the Civil Defence Headquarters outside Barnsley where we were confronted by a heap of rubble - old cans, dustbins etc.

Our task was to learn how to cater after the destruction. Other groups would learn how to build shelters etc. We sorted the rubble out and built a firebox from bricks, an oven from a dustbin, and a heat conserver from a tin box in a straw bed.

We tested the unit and got smothered in smoke but after modifications managed to get it working. Nobody had yet told us where the uncontaminated food would come from in the future.

The final meeting was on a Saturday when we made stew with meat and vegetables followed by apple pudding. I was surprised that nobody complained later of food poisoning!

The Civil Defence personnel were pleased with our comradeship and how we had used our heads but wished that we had acted more seriously. J think we should have received some sort of certificate but that was not as important as finding out that we could survive when the bomb was dropped on Barnsley.

MARY EATON


Back to the top
Back to the Main Historical Society page
Back to the Barwicker Contents page