Deep Shelter For Emergency Services
Wednesday 29 October 1980
Evening. At a St. Albans District Council meeting the Chief Executive Officer raised the question of providing a deep shelter for Services Chiefs to organise emergency services in the event of nuclear attack. After listening to much ill-informed and ill-judged comment about the proposal I made an off-the-cuff contribution based on my experience of Civil Defence exercises within similar concrete bunkers.
The proposal was approved and afterwards I was approached by one or more representatives of the local Press for further comments.
Friday 31 October 1980
I was disconcerted by the Harpenden Advertiser banner headline "We'll survive the bomb" over a front page item featuring my comments. I had said there would probably be some survivors who would need help after an attack.
The item itself gave a reasonably accurate summary of my comments - click on Harpenden front page to view text.
The Press would be held in much higher regard if those who dream up the headlined reflected more accurately what the field journalists have written.
POSTCRIPT
My contribution at the Council meeting resulted in my appearing in a debate in the Town Hall on Civil Defence and a meeting and correspondence with Major I.G. Roberts, the Emergency Plans and Road Safety Officer of Hertfordshire County Council.
Major Roberts asked if he could put my name forward for appointment as Community Leader/Adviser for Harpenden and villages around but I felt I could not undertake another regular commitment due to pressure of other local and national activities. I said I would be willing to help on an ad hoc basis.
One particularly interesting point is that had I gone ahead with the Community Leader/Adviser appointment my opposite number for St. Albans would have been Gurney Mercer, Chairman of the Governing Body of Hatfield Polytechnic and President of the Conservative Constituency Association at the time I changed from being a Conservative Councillor to being elected as an Independent.
It was Gurney Mercer whose reference to my Party political conflict during an interview for a more senior appointment at the Polytechnic stimulated my total commitment to bringing out to public view the processes which had disrupted my career.
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