This example of a Royal Observer Corps Underground Master Monitoring Post is an important surviving and intact physical remnant from the Cold War and is significant as it was a master post for the region.. The ROC post is largely in its original form externally with some internal original features, and may be considered a rare survivor of its building type as many of these structures have since been demolished or are ruinous beyond repair. ROC posts were a key part of the UK defence strategy during the Cold War which was a significant period in British military and social history during the second half of the 20th century. Monitoring posts played a vital role in gathering information in the event of a nuclear attack. Over 1,560 similar posts were built throughout the UK, with over 300 providing coverage in Scotland. Approximately 200 are known to survive, of which only a small number are known to exist in good condition.
The building dates from circa 1957 and was constructed for the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) to enable Britain to be prepared in the event of a nuclear attack. All the posts in the UK were constructed to the exact same size specifications, and built in clusters of 3-4 posts, approximately 8 miles apart and at an estimated cost of £5000 each. The external instruments were designed to register the power and detonation position of a nuclear explosion and detect radioactive fallout movement and levels.
DUN 25 (the serial name assigned to the Edzell monitoring post) was a master post and the ROC volunteers here were responsible for gathering information from the cluster and to report back to the Sector Regional Headquarters. Readings from the instruments were gathered by the observers, collated inside the bunker and relayed to the headquarters site at Craigiebarns in Dundee. There, the readings would be compared with readings from other master posts in the sector area to provide an overall picture of activity.
The external appearance of the ROC post at Edzell differs slightly from most posts because it was the master post of the cluster, and this is identified specifically by the addition of technology such as metal dome and a pneumatic aerial for a VHF radio, and visible on the ventilation shaft externally. Master posts account for approximately a quarter of all ROC posts built. All posts had standard phone line communications, however the radio would allow the cluster master post to communicate with the group sector control should the telecom equipment fail. Master posts also differed from a normal ROC post in that the turreted air intake was designed differently to allow an air hose, radio coax and battery charging point to be fitted. A special bracket was also fitted to allow the telescopic mast to be secured to the turret. The modifications to the turreted air intake allowed the crew of the post to pump the mast up from below ground and charge the batteries without the hatch being left open, vital if under contaminated conditions. Three anchor or guying points were built within the compound of the bunker, further indicating its use as a master post.
The Cold War, which ranged from 1945-1991, is known as a period of tense international relations between the USA and the former Soviet Union and their respective allies following the end of the Second World War, when the fear of armed nuclear attack was pervasive. The UK joined the USA in the collective defence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), from 4 April 1949, which contracted the participants to mutual defense response in the event of an attack by any external sovereign force. Similarly, the former Soviet Union became part of the Warsaw Pact alliance, from 14 May 1955, thus delineating the two opposing sides of the Cold War.
No physical conflict took place during the Cold War, however the relations between the two countries with their opposing ideologies, were constantly at odds with the on-going threat of a potential nuclear attack on Britain. The UKWMO was established in 1957 to provide both the civil and military authorities in UK with information in the event of a nuclear attack. Bunkers for the purpose of monitoring were subsequently built throughout Britain.
The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was a defence warning organisation, created originally to detect aircraft, playing an important role during the Second World War. In June 1955, the ROC was given an additional role of monitoring the effects of nuclear weapons. ROC posts were run by volunteers, and following a defence review in 1968 approximately 800 posts were stood down. The ROC was stood down formally in 1991 following the official end of the Cold War.
The UKWMO were responsible for the design, with a prototype was first built at Farnham in Surrey in 1956. The Crown Land Agents were responsible for siting and signing off the finished work. Initially, the ROC used equipment which was being used by Civil Defence organisations. Eventually, with the introduction of new detecting instruments and communications technology, the ROC would adopt new devices over the years to help them execute their role. The design of these tools were simple and robust, so much so that they would continue to be in use up until stand down in 1991.
At the time of listing in 2014 there is only one other example of a listed monitoring post in Scotland, the example being at nearby Arbroath (DUN 38) (see separate listing).
DUN 25 was refurbished, from 2011-2013 to reinstate much of the non-fixed monitoring paraphernalia. Non-fixed items are excluded from listing.
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