Just Curious, you understand....

[NorthernRaider]

In my case it was during the Cold War and I was on exercise in Germany, sat in a hole one evening having a brew our company got chatting about our role in the BAOR ( Brit army of the Rhine) and our job in trying to hold back 2.5 million soviets and 3000 T72 tanks with 55,000 brits and 300 Cheiftain tanks.

Our OC explained that we had NBC suits, masks, atropine pens, over pressure vehicles, bomb proof prof command structures, and millions of pounds worth of other stuff to help us survive a nuclear war. He then proceeded to tell us about the super bunkers in the UK for the senior military staff, damned royal family, senior ministers and politicians etc including one in Canada to house the Brit government during a major nuclear war.

This sounded great until one of the NCOs asked " Sir, what facilities and kit to protect our families back home ( both UK and Germany) if a nuclear war started? "

The officer told " Nothing, theres no provision for the shelter, protection and welfare for your families or the population back home, the government have decided its NOT COST EFFECTIVE to protect the population in general but theres no shortage of money to protect the Royals, prime minister, his cabinet and his hangers on !!!"

That was the moment three things happened to me, 1 I became a republican 2 I lost all loyalty to the UK and 3 I decided if the government would not protect my family I bloody well would. not long after that I found a copy of Guns n Ammo in Darlington indoor market and there was an article by a guy called Mel Tappan and he was writing about the survivalist movement in the US, that was it about 1978 / 79 ish I became a survivalist ( now called prepper , but I think its completely unsuitable these days)