Greenham Common - Britain's Nuclear Cold War Country Park

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2 жыл бұрын

* THIS VIDEO IS BEING UPDATED AND WILL SOON BE REPLACED BY ANOTHER VERSION.TO KEEP THIS ORIGINAL SAVE IT TO YOUR FAVORITES, AS IT WILL APPEAR AS UNLISTED WHEN SUPERSEDED*
Near the market town of Newbury in The United Kingdom is a Country Park like no other, with an amazing back story.
Greenham Common Country Park was formerly a Royal Air Force and United States Air Force air base during World War 2, that was instrumental in both D Day and Operation Market Garden ( "A Bridge Too Far") in 1944.
Then at the start of The Cold War in 1952 it became a base for the US Strategic Air Command , in to the late 1960s. Before becoming one of the UK's most infamous military installations in the early 1980s, as the site of 96 United States Ground Launched Nuclear Cruise Missiles.
It was seen on TVs throughout the world as a scene of mass anti nuclear protests in the mid 1980s.
In 2021 3 decades after The Cold War ended in 1991, it is now a gentile country park and nature reserve ...... a place to walk your dog, go for a jog, or take the family for a day out. It has even been featured as the setting for a major Hollywood Blockbuster movie in 2015.
Join me for an in depth tour and history lesson of this under rated park in the English Countryside.
Special mentions for helping with this production:
Greenham Control Tower Museum:
www.greenhamtower.org.uk
The Base Cafe:
thebasegreenham.co.uk/visit-u...

Пікірлер: 101

@simoncampbell-smith6745 Жыл бұрын

I did a tour there as an RAF guard in February 1987. I don't live too far away so I have been back a few times to walk my dog. Watching the Gamma section of the video I remember we were posted every 100 meters all round the perimeter. We had braziers to keep warm and little huts. I remember it had snowed that February and was really cold.

@gardbjj24 2 жыл бұрын

At Greenham 1962-1964, lived in Bishops Green housing area. Great times!!!

@Robslondon Жыл бұрын

Greenham Common has intrigued me for many years, and this is quite simply the best documentary about it I’ve ever seen. Brilliant video.

@AndyMcloone Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@Robslondon Жыл бұрын

@@AndyMcloone I did very much! Please keep building your channel Andy, it’s superb.

@philbriggs5807 Жыл бұрын

Another great video - very informative - thanks! I had a great laugh towards the end ..when you mentioned that a long drive is about 20 minutes. For context, I'm viewing from Northern Territory, Australia. It's 20 minutes to my nearest town, and 3 hours + to our main city, Darwin. I drive it regularly and think nothing of it. Anyway, Cheers.

@hunty1970 Жыл бұрын

Great video, Andy. Brings back some scary feelings of my teens. Remember watching the protests on tv, also passed the base one year whist heading to France in a school trip. Thanks for all your research and hard work putting this together.

@jasonroberts6901 2 жыл бұрын

Outstanding research many thanks for your time

@nitrojunkie88 2 жыл бұрын

Glad I got to go down into the tunnels and silos as a kid before it all got completely closed off. There's a whole other world underneath those Silos. It's a shame people can't get any closer or check them out. During that period I lived about 1/2 mile down the road towards town, had an airshow every day almost! (for us at least). The old Control Tower has been restored and reopened to the public again so I'm told, that's about as close as you can get these days.

@nitrojunkie88 2 жыл бұрын

Back in the early 2000's there used to be some well known holes in the perimeter fence (to us locals), once inside there was a small bunker entrance next to one of the silo's with a blast wall/doorway leading to some stairs heading down inside. The site wasn't maintained or really looked after by anyone at that point, people would often spend the entire day down there exploring. I guess health and safety got involved at some point and had the entrance concreted. Last time I was there, the silo doors could still be operated by hand crank. It's a shame the runway was torn up, it was the longest one in Europe at one point, SR-71's would land there, all the good stuff...

@jednmorf Жыл бұрын

I heard the hum from underground at those bunkers

@howardcopestake1036 Жыл бұрын

I used to service the NATO secure communications equipment here in the mid to late eighties, on completion of my Army service in 1994 I was able to purchase a surplus married quarter in Barton Stacey just down the road,funnily the “married patch” served as accommodation for GC support staff and regularly visited the now defunct airfield where it was used as an extensive Sunday morning car boot market. Back to when I served, the mounds in this video housed NATO comms equipment that had to be compatible with US NSA equipment and regularly visited this HAS to repair and maintain both US and NATO cryptographic devices as well as the SCARS system. This site has a lot of history!!

@danielmarshall4587 Жыл бұрын

Lovely, thank you for this video.

@marksntl7632 Жыл бұрын

Excellent video! Thanks for sharing! 👍

@AndyMcloone Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

@l_l423 Жыл бұрын

Another excellently put together documentary!

@tonyph56 11 ай бұрын

Spent some of the happiest times of my life based at Greenham 84-85. It’s sad to see the base as I knew it gone which was full of life inside the wire. Many memories of live bands shipped in from the US, bbq steaks, birthdays, marriages at the Base Chapel and of course endless hours of Stag. Despite the protestors the 501st TMW had a fantastic relationship with the local community. I am the proud owner of the last Stars & Stripes flown over the base before it was inactivated in 1991.

@davidsradioroom9678 Жыл бұрын

An excellent video. Thanks a whole lot!

@orb938gmail. 2 жыл бұрын

I went to school in greenham common, park House school, and always remember the ☮️ keeping women as we'd pass them to get to school. Yes Putin is a naughty man 2022, war in Ukraine. Thank you, enjoyed the documentary, I also went to youth club in the air base when it was occupied by the 🇺🇸 Americans, my best mate back then her mother started to date one from the base so when the Americans left, my best friend and mother left with him, so I'd lost a very good friend that year,.

@frankez1975 10 ай бұрын

What a great video. Spent time at RAF Lakenheath (WS3) and RAF Fairford (OIF) as well as trips to RAF Welford with the USAF. The UK was so important during the Cold War and I had many friends (Munitions) who were stationed at Common…..was a great assignment aside from the hostile protestors. Great video!

@vedggie 9 ай бұрын

I worked at Greenham for a company that did maintenance work and installation work including the old fuel dumps and pumping stations for the aircraft, we also did work down at Welford. Enjoyed working at both, enjoyed the "American" atmosphere and felt like pieces of the States dropped into Berkshire. Still have my I.d. Cards for both the sites, jeez I forgot how young I look; amazing what a full head of hair does for you👍👍

@-r-495 Жыл бұрын

This hasn’t received the attention it deserves. I hope it will soon.

@thebigdog2295 Жыл бұрын

Even though I'm from the United States, I knew about Greenham Commons airbase. I knew a WW2 veteran that was stationed there. And a friend I went to school with was stationed there in the 80's. He told me about the protesters. He also told me about the nickname many of the people stationed there had for it. And for any of you who want to know what it was. Just think of a certain Dr. Zeus book, and add airbase to the end of the title.

@entropyachieved750 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting. Hello from Newcastle Australia

@moiraatkinson Жыл бұрын

Hello from Newcastle, UK 😊

@theshepherd9382 Жыл бұрын

Another brilliant video!

@Rob-lu8me Жыл бұрын

Great stuff.. how about something in our ‘own’ IRBM’s of the early 50’s Thor/ Project Emily, based throughout east Anglia - an brief chapter of the Cold War, mostly forgotten - keep up the good work !

@SimonWallwork Жыл бұрын

I remember the 1981 RIAT there. A pleasant day.

@saints16o5o87 Жыл бұрын

83 RIAT was my 1st Airshow down south. Fairford never gave me that feeling that GC had.

@BoBnotThat1 10 ай бұрын

Love the" A Bridge Too Far" film clip

@dj_paultuk7052 9 ай бұрын

I used to go on the base a lot back in 88 to 91 as i had American friends on the base. I used to get food from the US supermarket and fill up my car at US fuel prices which was pretty cool. They also had a big leisure centre onsite with a Bowling Alley which was always popular. There was a USA housing estate nearby where they all lived, the houses were HUGE compared to UK houses. Dont know what happened to all of those houses ?.

@davidburton2732 Жыл бұрын

Hi Andy! I've only recently come across your channel, but thoroughly enjoying the content. I remember Greenham Common on the news reports from my youth, and was particularly relevant to me as I live about 10 miles away from RAF Molesworth, the 2nd planned base to get the cruise missiles stationed there. It didn't happen, and they all went home shortly after. Thank you, and keep it up!

@DougKahn Жыл бұрын

Great video. Visited there in 1989, security at the GLCM area was no joke!

@64maxpower Жыл бұрын

I love your videos

@asoneagleswings 10 ай бұрын

Only just discovered your channel and your very interesting videos and the attention to detail of the history of places you go to. Look forward to viewing all that you’ve done. 👏😁⭐️

@Mikeabq1 Жыл бұрын

Interesting. Thanks for refreshing my brain on GC.

@zachsmith98 Жыл бұрын

I like how the armies solution to their equipment having different fittings than the British hydrants wasn’t to just change the fittings or find a way to adapt to the British hydrants, it was to just bring over American hydrants to install. Definitely an interesting way to do it. Great video!

@stukafaust Жыл бұрын

Really nice tour, I felt like I'm there

@shamulagoon Жыл бұрын

Used to take the RAF regiment there on a regular basis, would drive past all the protesters at the main gate , would drop the regiment off then would drive past the gamma section ,over the runway and down the other side, RAF MT was a few tents . Would wait for shift change then go back to pick them back up

@xmanhoe Жыл бұрын

Yet another Quality video 😎 Thanks Tony , hi from Belfast Northern Ireland

@maxbest20s11 10 ай бұрын

Another excellent video...spent early 80s in UK, typical Antipodean backpacker, though very aware of how scary a time things were...

@rachelcarre9468 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing. 20 years ago i visited a customer based in the business park in the former hardened station headquarters. It was rather an odd experience walking through blast and gas tight external doors into a windowless building designed to wage war that had been repurposed for small businesses. Not sure if that’s what is now the data centre.

@samson40a 11 ай бұрын

Excellent insight. Thanks

@GroundhogDay- Жыл бұрын

It was really good to see this doco. I made friends on the base from about 1986, and for a few years visited. I used to go on the bus from Basingstoke that stopped at the main entrance. I had to do forms including signing the USA's and UKs secret act. Then they would let me on my own walk through the base, across the runway ( sometimes having to wait for take offs and landings) to the accommodation blocks on the other side. Had a silo tour and got to see a bit. I remember someone had one of those autogyro kites they used to tow up and down in the summers. They were a great bunch of people. It looks so different now

@hitmrsofa Жыл бұрын

Cracking video! I grew up round Reading/Newbury (born '98) and only knew a fraction of what you went through in this.

@originalpickaxe Жыл бұрын

Looks like it could easily be recommissioned if World events changed as no housing or industrial units have been built and the runway could easily be relaid.

@jeff88701 Жыл бұрын

I remember it well I was in the RAF at that time good vlog well done 👏👏👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@ZGryphon Жыл бұрын

Interesting site. It reminds me a lot, for probably-obvious reasons, of the former Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine (notorious to fans of _WarGames_ as the place where the "Jesus H. Christ, we're still here!" guy was stationed). Loring has fewer "ancient English countryside" features and more "abandoned back to the Maine woods" ones, but the ambience is very similar, down to the areas that are still slightly creepy for no obvious reason.

@unsinndj Жыл бұрын

Great piece of history, looking back in time just wondering was the “protestors” founded by SOROS and KGB? Just got me thinking 😅

@davidmurphy8190 Жыл бұрын

Yes, they were. An earlier effort was “Ban The B-1 Bomber”.

@brad9529 Жыл бұрын

All that military might and spending by the US is moving to Northern Australia now.

@leosumner9317 Жыл бұрын

One of the fast and furious films was filmed partly at Greenham Common as well

@MyKharli 11 ай бұрын

Many a fine memory from the cosmic counter cruise festival there , knocking down fences , putting dirt into diesil tanks , watching outrageous arrests and enjoying a good druggy weekends . Met some fantastic people and was introduced to anarchists only there to dig shit pits and provide basic showers . Amazing .

@grahamunderwood9353 Жыл бұрын

looking at ariel shots it wouldnt take too much effort to replace runways and reopen base if ever needed

@pj6641 Жыл бұрын

they kept the centre point and some of the concrete taxiways to show the history when the galaxy starlifters arrived with cruise missiles, the rest of the runway was dug up and used in constructing A34 Newbury Bypass, also for reference the old buildings which is now Greenham Park was used in an episode of London's Burning and Most recently the GAMA area which housed the Cruise missiles was in the Star Wars Movie the Force Awakens

@SB-tp3yw 11 ай бұрын

lovely place for a bike ride, never been in the control tower need to have check that out

@jamesmaclaren4114 8 ай бұрын

Went there as a platoon commander in 1983 on base security duties when the protestors were trying in bring down the wire. It was an incredibly modern sophisticated hugely engineered base, the type of which we took for granted during the Cold War. If anyone had said then 10 years later it would be gone, we'd have said they were mad. Nostalgic trip back to a different time with this commendable research

@holgernetterby4863 Жыл бұрын

Love your videos! So much forgotten history of the Cold War that I find absolutely fascinating. Just one small error in this video - these are X-wings (rebellion fighters) and not Tie-fighters (Imperial fighters) 😊

@Archangelm127 7 ай бұрын

I'd only ever heard of this via an off-color joke in an episode of "Yes, Prime Minister." Good to learn more! :)

@98SE Жыл бұрын

27:23 - 1991! :) Edit: ohh 1990! not 1919 lol

@AndyMcloone Жыл бұрын

Well spotted, 😧it’s an early video of mine with auto generated subtitles. I manually create subtitles now. I will re -edit these.. Thanks.

@Bulletguy07 11 ай бұрын

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Andy's YT documentaries are always very informative and well presented. The Protect and Survive 17:13 public information campaign gave instructions on DIY nuclear "shelter" in the home using an old table and some wood doors!! 😲Its on KZfaq.

@kenstevens5065 8 ай бұрын

Born in 1950 I feel the human race is no safer today than back then. At least we could see and knew who our cold war enemies were.

@johnhopkins6658 11 ай бұрын

I went on there when the Americans were there. Longest runway in UK when built, I was told, with a hump in it such that when you cross over in the middle you couldn't see either end. This meant that you had to stop, look each way and gun it across the runway.

@blowduke Жыл бұрын

Remember working there in the 80s had to go through so many checks to get in needed dollars to buy anything and being held at gunpoint because we took the wrong turn and ended up in the wrong area 😂

@bobbobbob53 9 ай бұрын

Interesting video thanks. I would just add one fact that isn't mentioned much these days, i.e. that the unused barracks on the base were used in 1972-3 to house 1500 Asians with UK passports who were kicked out of Uganda by Idi Amin. During a temporary summer holiday job in 1973 I helped remove all the furniture from the barracks after they left.

@fraserdavidson278 Жыл бұрын

Excellent video as always, Andy! Even as a former local (of 20yrs) I learned a good amount… Greenham also had a lot of involvement in the Gulf War. I remember the C-5 Galaxy aircraft coming in and out at all hours of the day…wreaking havoc at the Tesco just off the end of the runway… Used to be a member of the adjacent Newbury & Crookham golf course.

@ZGryphon Жыл бұрын

As an aside, "Havoc! at the Tesco" would be a good name for a Panic! at the Disco cover band.

@loismiller2830 Жыл бұрын

I'm American but learned about the "Green and Common Women" from the books by Adrian Plass. I did some additional research years ago and learned some about the history. I really enjoyed the tour, especially the drone views. Thanks!

@alan-the-maths-tutor Жыл бұрын

It's Greenham Common not "Green and Common"

@Rootsfran Жыл бұрын

I learned from the Adrian Plas books too, he called them the "green and common women" 🙂

@orbtastic Жыл бұрын

The music is Howard Harper-Barnes - Life in Pieces, can anyone tell me the name of the advert that used it please? I think it was a furniture store. Thanks!

@glenbeavis Жыл бұрын

Based there in 84 and then 1988-90, when the Russians flew in during the treaty , spent some boring times in the silo's, but great fun getting paint and god knows what else thrown at us as we left the camp when we deployed to Salisbury plain with the launchers

@saintuk70 11 ай бұрын

Nice overview of Greenham and, yes, important to note just how close we were to nuclear war in the 1980's. Obviously the video is about Greenham, however, it must not be forgotten that a number of other nuclear sites existed around the country, and some still do today. Re the "peace camp", they weren't looking for an alternative lifestyle, they were protesting at nukes on UK shores.

@claireh4116 Жыл бұрын

I’m from Reading so it’s not far for me, I often go there for walks I love it, got to know it as I worked in Thatcham for a while, now there is a cafe makes it even better

@darylcheshire1618 11 ай бұрын

The protests were daily news in Australia. One piece of irony was that there was an old law which prohibits the “Discharging of Missiles” at Greenham Common which refers to the throwing of stones. The penalty was probably five pounds.

@lordtherapeutics 8 ай бұрын

Rather irritating that the GAMA ancient monument is not accessible to the public.

@womble321 Жыл бұрын

I used to deliver to the bunkers. Interesting experience with a lot of security and stupid people at the gates

@jednmorf Жыл бұрын

Its all underground now,24 hr security. We found an air shaft next to the cruise bunkers needed a ladder to get my boss up to it came back next day shaft had been welded shut,the feeling of being watched was intense. Boscombe down the same all underground. I was at molesworth 80s stop cruise and cnd visited the peace camp at greenham once or twice

@Nathan9197 Жыл бұрын

Growing up on Pidgeons Farm, this was my playground for 10 years

@yorrickwi 11 ай бұрын

top gear!

@nopenotme6369 11 ай бұрын

The land is quick to reclaim when left idol.

@MrAvant123 Жыл бұрын

Very good place for walking - used to live nearby. I wonder what the Peace Women are now thinking given that we are being threatened with nuclear weapons on a weekly basis !

@TheRealBigfeet 11 ай бұрын

I’m not sure if it’s here or ex RAF Manston but an instructor at an air cadet camp I attended when I was a kid mentioned that several places like this around the world were left that open and not developed so as to give the space shuttle and even the Buran a space to land or pancake (air slang for wheels up landing) if they where in need of it. Manston was the longest runway in 83/84 that kept a permanent fire service as they were also the diversion airport for planes that in his words Had bits drop of them in flight or a problem that may make them drop out of the sky and crash on London. Also there is probably a whole host of tunnels and cables fuel pipelines etc under the area of the runway. If you consider a lot of American bases are designed to withstand a near miss especially if you’ve doubled up on your above ground infrastructure, (pure conjecture on my part). These may be a couple of reasons why they never did anything to the runway.

@demonhighwayman9403 Жыл бұрын

I lived about a 5 minute walk from the common back around 2008 near the 'plough on the green' pub and had no idea about the common's war history, I think I only bothered to go there once to walk my dog.

@drunkenwoodelf Жыл бұрын

Cold war country park sounds like a punk rock band name.

@amcluesent Жыл бұрын

Loony wimmins at Greenham

@Snoozzzzzze Жыл бұрын

Such a shame that the runway was destroyed a useful piece of history.

@stephencampbell9384 11 ай бұрын

Frankie do NOT own the copyright, you've been falsely struck. The govt refused them permission to sample their films, so ZTT just rang Patrick Allen and brought him in to record the necessary lines for them. So while a bot might think the voice in the movies is Frankie's recording, it is not. Unless of course the Protect and Survive films contain him breaking down and saying "I can't" and declaring "Mine, is the last voice, you will ever hear. Do Not Be Alarmed" Fight that one.

@rjglennon2219 11 ай бұрын

I was going to send my mum on a cruise around the world but I couldn't get her through the gates at greenham common

@lenniet 11 ай бұрын

Great video Andy. I think we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the women that protested at Greenham and Molesworth. Without the sacrifices they made, many of us would never have been aware of just how dangerous a world we were living in back then. Just as the protesters of Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil are today, the Greenham women were vilified in the, predominantly, right wing press and made to look like freaks and wasters. But they were normal women from all backgrounds that had given up their 'normal' lives (whatever that means) to protest against a very real danger. How many of us can honestly say we would or could do the same. I visited a couple of times in the 1980s to take food to the women and to offer my solidarity and was alway impressed by their stoicism and commitment. I believe that thanks to their contribution we now live in a safer world. At the very least the people of Newbury got their common back.

@grahamwood9428 11 ай бұрын

What sacifices? Loafing around all day. pretending they were doing something useful Being partially financed by the soviets (as was CND). pathetic naivety

@tonyjustice4554 Жыл бұрын

was there in 84 i think, kings own Royal Border regt, all btlns had to do 2 weeks guarding the perimeter, never seen so many gopping left wingers on the over side of the wire, one of are lads sent sitrep on net 2 dogs approaching wire one female one canine, sorry if that offends but it got a good laugh and a bolocking lol

@dimitrioap 11 ай бұрын

Likewise did my stint with the Glosters over Christmas it was bloody cold and snow thick on the ground, what a sight the smellies were I had the unfortunate job of standing guard on two females that were arrested and put in one of the rooms, I was so naïve back then lol

@georgerobartes2008 Жыл бұрын

To put the whole Cold War thing and its protest into context , 200 times more people visited the Royal International Air Tatoo in 1983 in one weekend than ever remained at the the alternative living display campsite . I was there to witness the Great Unwashed Giro Users try to obstruct the 10s of thousands of visitors that arrived each day to exercise their free will to enter the airfield and enjoy the show our guests had arranged over the weekend . The vast majority of intelligent individuals in this country by this time had accepted that MAD was the only process in which a future was assured until one side or the others bluff was called and we saw the collapse of the USSR . Unfortunately the rise of disproportionate minority left wing power in this country that has led to the disarming of the nations military and its civilian population has seriously backfired as we have seen with recent events and the nation once again faces a tyrannical power and great threat in Europe with now very limited means to defend itself . Yes to me it marked the end of an era . Symonds the long established cider makers were there selling their wonderful Scrumpy Jack cider . This was the last show that they would present their masterpiece as a natural unfiltered product as an independent family cider maker .