|
Heritage Lincolnshire has owned and managed the Royal Observer Corps (ROC) underground monitoring post at Holbeach since 2000. It is one of several hundred posts built across the country in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and one of the few surviving of the original 46 in Lincolnshire.
Manned by a dedicated group of ROC volunteers, the posts were built to monitor bomb explosions in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War. They were sited in clusters and the information they gathered was relayed to group headquarters. They were in use until the early 1990s. Holbeach closed in September 1991 but still retains much of its original equipment.
The post, which is accessed by a vertical ladder in a narrow shaft, consists of a monitoring room measuring about 15ft x 7ft 6in, and a separate small space containing a chemical toilet. Because of the difficult access, the post can only be opened to the public on specially arranged days, or for pre-arranged group visits.
The Trust has been working with students from Bishop Grosseteste University College in Lincoln to record the experiences and memories of some of the men and women who were involved with the Holbeach post and with the ROC in Lincolnshire. The students have collected information and recorded interviews to produce an archive of material that is now available as a fascinating resource through the Trust's office at Heckington.
| Diagram of an ROC monitoring post |
 |
| (click to enlarge in new browser window) |
A photographic tour of the post will also soon be available on these pages. Although much has already been achieved, we intend that the project will continue and that the resource will be added to over time.
If you have memories of the ROC that you would like to share we would very much like to hear from you. Telephone us on 01529 461499, or email info@lincsheritage.org |
