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Neil Oliver: News, Comment, History

92 The Cold War, Orford Ness, Suffolk

Neil Oliver: News, Comment, History

Fat Belly Films

Comment, News, History, Neil Oliver

4.71K Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, as the Cold War and the threat of nuclear Armageddon sends a terrifying chill around the world Neil heads to Orford Ness in Suffolk.


In the early C20th this isolated shingle spit, tucked away from prying eyes, came to the attention of the military who saw it as the perfect location for secret experiments. It was first used as a training base for the fledgling Royal Airforce during the First World War. Later, work on the radar system that would prove to be so vital for the defence of Britain in WWII was conducted here.


The shroud of secrecy, which the military had thrown over this location continued as experiments that would help develop Britain’s first atomic bomb took place in the laboratories here. And in 1967 as Cold War tensions and the threat of nuclear war increased, to counter any Soviet aggression, British and US military scientists started developing a next generation radar system called Operation Cobra Mist.

 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

The 15 million pound Lotto Super Saturday jackpot must be won this Saturday.

0:04.5

Or thousands of you will win a share of the prize.

0:06.7

But who will it be?

0:07.7

Maybe Raj, watching the racewalk and thinking I could do that.

0:10.6

Well speed walk down the shop and get yourself a ticket.

0:13.1

Lotto will you be next play in store or on app the national lottery account terms

0:17.6

rules and procedures apply players must be 18 or over Welcome back fellow time travelers. It's great to have you along for the next step on the journey.

0:31.0

Just before we get started though I want to tell you a

0:34.1

little bit about my Patreon site which helps to support the making of this

0:37.6

podcast. It's full of history and comment which is to say my Patreon site is full of history and comment my musings on the

0:45.9

modern world and how it connects with the past. Every week I film a new

0:49.5

podcast which is exclusive to Patreon. It's made here at my home in Sterling and Paul that

0:56.0

other voice that you hear he does all the techno magic down in London and for folks

1:01.4

you're new to the site there's a great archive of videos to catch up on and from time to time we do competitions.

1:07.0

To join me simply go to patreon.com and search for me by name Neil Oliver and I'd love to have your support. Right now it's time to get

1:14.7

cozy as the Cold War descends, and we head to the wild beauty of the Suffolk coast in this

1:21.0

week's love letter to the British Isles.

1:23.0

Kue the music.

1:25.0

In the vicinity of those buildings with those rusting radio masts the

1:39.1

Cold War feels very, real.

1:51.0

In this episode, a frightening wave of fear rolls across the world as the Cold War raises its ugly head. On a lonely, almost forgotten spit of shingle one of the largest in Europe.

1:57.0

British and US military scientists got down to work.

...

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