Handel was the code-name for the
UK's national attack warning system in the
Cold War. It consisted of a small console with two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed.
If an enemy airstrike was detected, a key on the left-hand side of the console would be turned and two lights would come on. Then the operator would press and hold down a red button and give the message:
The message would be sent to the police by the telephone system used for the
speaking clock
A speaking clock or talking clock is a live or recorded human voice service, usually accessed by telephone, that gives the correct time. The first telephone speaking clock service was introduced in France, in association with the Paris Observato ...
, who would in turn activate the air attack sirens using the local telephone lines. The rationale was to tackle two problems at once, as it reduced running costs (it would most likely be used only once in its working life, though it was regularly tested) and the telephone lines were continually tested for readiness by sharing infrastructure with a public service. This meant a fault could be detected in time to give a warning.
A Handel warning console can be seen at the
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
among their Cold War exhibits,
alongside the warning apparatus used by
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
Police (which was located at
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...
police station to activate the sirens).
See also
*
BIKINI state
The Bikini state was an alert state indicator previously used by the UK Ministry of Defence to warn of non-specific forms of threat, including civil disorder, terrorism or war. Signs giving the current alert state were displayed at the entrance t ...
*
Four-minute warning
The four-minute warning was a public alert system conceived by the British Government during the Cold War and operated between 1953 and 1992. The name derived from the approximate length of time from the point at which a Soviet nuclear missile ...
*
National Emergency Alarm Repeater
The National Emergency Alarm Repeater (NEAR) was a civilian emergency warning device in the United States. It was a 2–3" (5–7.5 cm) square box designed to plug into a standard power outlet to receive a special signal sent over the electri ...
References
{{reflist
External links
An explanation of how the system worked
Cold War military equipment of the United Kingdom
Civil defense
Emergency management in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom nuclear command and control
Emergency population warning systems
Cold War military history of the United Kingdom
Color codes