This section dealt
with what issues of a nuclear explosion would cause the most
immediate problems to survival, namely, the heat, the blast and
fall-out.
Advise was given
about the obvious dangers of heat and blast caused by a nuclear
explosion, as well as the less apparent dangers caused by fall
out. Fall-out cannot be seen smelt or felt.
This section
explains what the Government wanted the population to do shortly
before an attack. The advise was to stay at home, where people
knew you. This would prevent the local authority from
commandeering your empty home. It also prevented the roads
getting totally blocked, thus hindering vital troop movements,
as all the town dwellers attempted to move to the "safety" of
the countryside.
In order to keep
the population busy, and thus less prone to rioting, the booklet
advises the construction of a Fall-out room with Inner refuge.
The fall-out room
was to be the room with least amount of exterior wall space. The
inner refuge would be a secure section within the fall-out room
constructed of old doors, heavy furniture and bags of earth.
Advise was given
to the reader as to what was needed to create a survival kit.
This would need to last for 14 days, as going outside to see
what had happened before then, would have lead to a fatal dose
of radiation poisoning.
The Survival Kit is described in this table
Item |
Amount |
Use |
Drinking Water |
Three and a half gallons for each member of the
family |
To drink, as the mains supply would be unlikely
to operate after an attack, and would probably be
contaminated anyway. |
Clean Water |
Three and a half gallons for each family member. |
As well as water for drinking, it would also be
necessary for general hygiene. |
Food |
Fourteen days supply |
To consume. The food had to be eaten cold, and
keeping things fresh in a fridge would not be an
option. Thus the food should be dried or in tins. |
Radio |
Two if possible. |
The radio would be used after the attack to
advise the survivors what to do. Of course that was
if the radio had not been destroyed by the EMP blast
which accompanies all nuclear explosions. Spare
batteries were a must. No power meant no link to the
out-side World. |
Cutlery and Crockery |
Enough for each family member. |
To help you "enjoy" your food. not forgetting
the tin opener! |
Warm Clothing |
The more the better. |
No power means no heat. |
Spare Clothing |
As many as possible. Remember space was scarce. |
Water could not be wasted on washing clothes.
Clean ones would have quickly become a luxury. |
Bedding |
Enough for all the occupants of the inner
sanctum. |
If you could get any sleep, bedding would help
make your relaxation be as comfortable as possible. |
Portable Stove |
One, together with fuel. |
A hot meal would have been treat in the first
few weeks after an explosion. |
Notebook |
One |
To write your last will and testament? |
First Aid Kit |
One |
A token gesture, as most of the kits available
do not have decontamination chemicals provided. |
Box of Dry Sand |
One |
To clean utensils when the tissues and tea
towels ran out. |
Toilet Articles |
Two buckets, toilet rolls, plastic bags and soap |
Without a bucket for sanitation things would
have soon become unbearable inside the fall-out
room. |
Toys & Magazines |
As many as possible |
14 days cooped up in a small dark smelly hole.
But at least you could play Monopoly. |
Clock & Calendar |
One of each |
The clock must be mechanical, or else it would
be destroyed by the EMP. The calendar would help to
determine when it was "safe" to go outside again. |
Torch and candles |
As many as possible |
Without these it would have been a dark and
gloomy existence in your inner sanctuary. Even with
them your existence would have still been very dark
and gloomy. |
This section gave
advise about the warning sounds which would have been heard
shortly before a nuclear explosion.
The attack warning
would be sounded by an array of sirens situated across the
country. The note would rise and fall. Simultaneous broadcasts
would also be made on the radio.
Although buildings
in the immediate vicinity of a bomb burst would all be destroyed
or damaged by the shock wave and fire ball, those much further
out would also be at great rise due to fall out (soil and other
debris sucked up after the initial blast and contaminated with
radioactive materials.) The alarm for fall out was three loud
bangs or whistles in quick succession.
When the immediate
danger had passed the all-clear would be sounded. This was a
single steady note.
Advise is given as
to what you should do if you hear the alarm. If at home, you
should enter the inner refuge after turning off all gas,
electricity and pilot lights.
If you had a fully equipped
anti-radiation suit like this one you would probably be ok. The
only problem was these would have only been issued to the
military and other key workers, not the likes of you or I.
The final section
of the booklet was a check list to be used by the reader to
ensure he/she had understood, and complied with the information
given in the previous three sections.