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of 1962 prompted a radical rethink of continuity plans. Part of the thinking was that the "precautionary period" ahead of nuclear war, or a conventional war in Europe culminating in nuclear war, might only last two or three days rather than the seven days originally planned, so it would not be
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as car ferries but could be converted to floating nuclear bunkers in a very short time. They had heavy steel doors to seal the car deck, airtight external windows and doors, decontamination rooms with showers, and external sprinklers to wash away fallout. One or more of these ships would have
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The
Corsham bunker, given the new codename "Turnstile" from 1963 and "Chanticleer" from 1970, would play an important part in the lead up to war but ceased to have a CGWHQ role other than as a possible aggregation point for Python groups some time after an attack.
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155:(which housed the university's Department of Physics) as soon as possible. Each dispersed Python group would be supported by dispersed sections of the United Kingdom Supply Agency and the National Air Transport Agency.
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82:, the concept of concentrating central government in a single location became flawed. Instead, government would be dispersed around the country with just core functions at CGWHQ. The
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Sites for dispersing government were selected in 1966 based on their existing accommodation, independence from the national power and water grids,
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in 1955, the
British government developed contingency plans for the continuity of government. This included construction of the underground
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was temporarily designated as the Python location for Wales with a view to moving the site to the Old
College at
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71:" where the central government could be moved in an emergency and, hopefully, survive a nuclear attack.
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Python became active on 1 May 1968 and is described in the 1968 update to the
Government War Book.
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Training School) in
Scotland, and either the helicopter support ship
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protection and distance from likely targets. The chosen sites were
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possible to fully staff CGWHQ with 4,000 people in time.
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in
Wiltshire. As planned, it would have been a "reserve
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CAB 21/5655 Government War Book, The
National Archives
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The Secret State: Preparing For The Worst 1945 - 2010
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British contingency plan for continuity of government
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74:As nuclear weapons became more powerful and
412:Emergency management in the United Kingdom
402:United Kingdom nuclear command and control
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306:"Pindar" Defence Crisis Management Centre
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407:Cold War history of the United Kingdom
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139:which would embark a Python group at
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78:became more of a threat than crewed
63:(CGWHQ), codenamed "Burlington", at
76:intercontinental ballistic missiles
61:Central Government War Headquarters
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259:, the later Python site for Wales
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384:. Dorset Echo. 28 January 2017.
160:Secretary of State for Scotland
333:. The Herald. 22 January 2017.
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55:Following the report of the
296:Regional seat of government
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183:– which were chartered to
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158:In addition, in 1964 the
417:Continuity of government
351:. Penguin. p. 141.
41:continuity of government
35:contingency plan of the
347:Peter Hennessy (2014).
257:Aberystwyth University
162:ordered three ships –
153:Aberystwyth University
84:Cuban Missile Crisis
21:For other uses, see
123:Civil Defence Corps
274:Hebridean Princess
149:Tonfanau Army Camp
37:British Government
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117:in Dorset,
45:nuclear war
396:Categories
312:References
121:(then the
51:Background
194:Britannia
136:Britannia
94:Locations
69:Whitehall
290:See also
241:Tonfanau
190:Engadine
173:Clansman
166:Hebrides
129:Engadine
108:Cornwall
39:for the
33:Cold War
279:Columba
208:Gallery
198:Mallaig
192:or HMY
180:Columba
80:bombers
65:Corsham
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114:Osprey
31:was a
29:Python
23:Python
353:ISBN
178:RMS
176:and
145:Oban
134:HMY
127:RFA
112:HMS
272:MV
171:MV
164:MV
143:or
106:in
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339:^
320:^
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