Awdrey's Place In History Revealed

 Research has revealed how York turned to a top secret device called AWDREY when it found itself on the front line during the Cold War.

The chilling era of superpower tensions between the West and the Soviet bloc resulted in the building of a semi-submerged nuclear bunker in Acomb, York.

Operational until 1991, the building was designated as a scheduled monument eight years ago  and is managed by English Heritage as a unique visitor attraction and also a stark reminder of a time when the world faced Armageddon.

Now in an article published in the English Heritage Historical Review 2008 more information has emerged about its role in the event of nuclear attack. The bunker and its network of outlaying stations were operated by The Royal Observer Corps to report on the direction and yield of atomic explosions and radiation levels if the unthinkable happened.  But according to author Roger Thomas, from Selby, it was built on the premise that enemy bombers flying over central Europe, or around the Norwegian coast, would give the UK time to respond and allow  key personnel to reach their battle stations. 

However, the development of submarine-launched and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles put paid to that notion. The result was that in 1967 defence chiefs compiled a new list of likely targets for attack in the UK, which included York, along with radar stations, RAF bases and other control centres.

 "It makes grim reading," said Roger Thomas, who works for English Heritage as an expert on 20th century military history.  "They predicted that the city would be subjected to two ground burst warheads of up to three megatons and an aircraft strike by two one megaton ground burst bombs.  Needless to say that would have completely obliterated the city." 

With fears of a pre-emptive attack growing, the military turned to cutting edge technology to help the ROC fulfil its vital role, even when the York bunker was unmanned. The answer was AWDREY – an acronym for "atomic weapons detection recognition and estimate of yield".

Using a sensor mounted on the bunker's roof, linked to displays deep underground, it was designed to measure the time lag in milliseconds (ironically using the Atomic clock) between pulses of light which occur when a nuclear weapon detonates. The gap varies according to the bomb's power, allowing yield and approximate direction of the blast to be computed.  Further refinements allowed the bearing and altitude of explosions to be measured at a range of up to 150 miles enabling "ground zero" to be worked out using triangulation methods. 

Remarkably, AWDREY remains intact in York – the only bunker in the UK retaining this once hi-tech piece of equipment - adding to the monument's outstanding historical importance.

Roger Thomas continued: "Most people never knew the bunker existed and fewer still had any idea that the city was on the nuclear hit list.  AWDREY is a remarkable relic of a very secret war. It's in the nature of these things that we can only really tell the full story many years after."

The bunker is open to the public on the first and third weekends of the month from 10am to 4pm (last tour 3pm).  Booking is not required and entry is £5 adults, £4 concessions and £3 children.  English Heritage members are admitted free. The bunker is located at the end of Monument Close, Acomb, near the Carlton Tavern.  For further information call 01904 646940. Exclusive specialist tours and education packages are also available.