David Booth

I am rather fond of Edinburgh's few Bird related statues.

Congratulations @caleydave.bsky.social !

You are a winner of our CW Britain book giveaway.

Please can you message me to confirm delivery details.

Thanks !

It was indeed Box 10-D and sat above the public toilets (male) on Albert Street. However, the date of removal is wildly wrong - too early maybe by 20 years+.

Thank you

So it potentially didn't move until after 1991? (after which the Siren network started to be dismantled)

I am hoping to get the Police records on the Sirens once Edinburgh Archives reopens as that would clarify quite a few police box moves.

The Beautifully painted "Leith Walk Pollis Box", a title painted above the door into the box. Artwork is by Stewart Bremner, I believe this side is "Spirit of Independence" Seen here from the front left side. It is primarily painted turquoise with black highlights on the base, side panels, cornice, roof and Siren Plate. The Police call light and Flat top band are painted white.

The Beautifully painted "Leith Walk Pollis Box", a title painted above the door into the box. Artwork is by Stewart Bremner, I believe this side is "Lady Persevere", a reference to the Leith Coat of Arms. Seen here from the front left side. It is primarily painted turquoise with black highlights on the base, side panels, cornice, roof and Siren Plate. The Police call light and Flat top band are painted white.

The artwork, "Sprint of Independence" and "Lady Persevere", was painted by Stewart Bremner.

stewartbremner.co.uk/branding-misc

#EdinburghPoliceBox
#SirenSaturday

Rear of the Police box is painted all over black, here we can see the remains of the cables going to the Siren and the SIren Heaters.

The Box was moved from the Albert Street Jn on 19th May 1979 according to the @thecockburn.bsky.social website.

www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/openedinburg...

On the Rear of the box we can see the remains of the cables going to the Siren and Heaters.

#EdinburghPoliceBox
#SirenSaturday

The Beautifully painted "Leith Walk Pollis Box", a title painted above the door into the box. Artwork is by Stewart Bremner, I believe this side is "Spirit of Independence" Seen here from the front left side. It is primarily painted turquoise with black highlights on the base, side panels, cornice, roof and Siren Plate. The Police call light and Flat top band are painted white.

The Beautifully painted "Leith Walk Pollis Box", a title painted above the door into the box. Artwork is by Stewart Bremner, I believe this side is "Lady Persevere", a reference to the Leith Coat of Arms. Seen here from the front left side. It is primarily painted turquoise with black highlights on the base, side panels, cornice, roof and Siren Plate. The Police call light and Flat top band are painted white.

#SirenSaturday

Today we have the well known and loved pop-up space "Leith Walk Polis Box", but it was originally located around the corner:

Police Box 10 'D', Albert Street, Leith.

This was given Carrier planning number 254/73 in the early 1960's.

www.leithwalkpolicebox.com

#EdinburghPoliceBox

A black and white photograph of the early stage of the Hurricane fireball, with condensation appearing to form around the fireball due to the shockwave compressing the humid air.

A black and white photograph of the large, dark, and irregularly-shaped Hurricane mushroom cloud rising over Trimouille Island.

A black and white photograph showing the large Hurricane mushroom cloud dissipating and drifting away from the site of the test in two different directions due to different winds at different altitudes.

A photograph of the front page of the October 4, 1952, edition of The West Australian newspaper with a banner lead headline, “BRITAIN TESTS HER FIRST ATOMIC BOMB OF W.A. COAST,” and featuring a large photograph of the mushroom cloud under the sub-headline, “Cloud Billows High Over The Indian Ocean.”

Today in 1952 aboard the frigate HMS Plym, anchored off Trimouille Island in the Monte Bello Islands off northwest Australia, the United Kingdom conducted Operation Hurricane, its first nuclear weapon test. The yield of the plutonium-fueled, implosion-type bomb was 25 kilotons.

A seagull standing on Queen Victoria's head. National Galleries, Edinburgh.

The problem with taking Edinburgh for granted, why are all the tourists taking pictures of a seagull?

Can't possibly be the view, I see that every other day.

It is rather sad to see the previously cleaned rooms once again draped in graffiti after spending so long removing it
And the hilltop scrapped bare of Wild flowers never mind what happened to the wildlife.
(Regardless Thank you for sharing, I suspect I am unique in being so sentimental)

The site has a really interesting History, hopefully you got even a small part of it and not the fantasist garbage about Royalty and Anarchists.

Control panel from RAF Leuchars to sound their local sirens. Currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland on their Cold War Scotland Exhibition.

Control panel from RAF Leuchars to sound their local sirens. Currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland on their Cold War Scotland Exhibition.

#SirenSaturday

OTD September 25 1956 TAT-1 is inaugurated, the first submarine transatlantic telephone cable system. Running between Oban, Scotland and Clarenville, Newfoundland, the cable can carry 35 simultaneous telephone calls.

#BOOKGIVEAWAY Follow @coldwarpod.bsky.social then Reshare this post to enter a chance to win a copy of this book.

T&C's & other ways to enter here coldwarconversations.com/giveaway/ #nuclearbritain #coldwarculture #coldwarhistory @bangpodcast.bsky.social

I embarrassed myself at the beginning of the year by asking why the opening had been reduced by a day not realising that it had actually been extended by 364 days.

I did have time to pay a visit in the end.

Cold war Scotland Exhibition, free and on untill January 4th 2026

I am at the National Museum of Scotland today, and whilst I am not sure if I will get the time to attend the exhibit, it is an excuse for a reminder about the Cold War Scotland Exhibition.

I will revisit this 🧵 at a later date.

In the mean time I am on the hunt for any scraps of information on how the controls and exchanges were linked to build up a more accurate picture.
(Edinburgh Archives will be getting visited once they reopen from their move)

#SirenSaturday

In addition to The "Main Control" centre the City of Edinburgh and outlying towns such as Musselburgh, Loanhead and Dalkeith were covered by 15 "Intermediate Control" centres.

As the tone was generated centrally, all sirens would be synchronised when sounded.

Map showing the "System E" Main Control centre located at Mortonhall Civil Defence Control Centre, Intermediate Control Centre at Gilmerton School, FAIrmilehead, MORningside and LIBerton Telephone exchanges and nine Sirens. The Sirens are on Police Boxes at Fairmilehead Crossroads, Braid hills, Blackford hill, Morningside, Gilmerton Crossroads, kaimes Crossroads, Liberton Gardens & Kingston Clinic. In addition there is a Siren on a building at Hunters Tryst. Two Telephone lines lead from the main control centre via FAI Telephone exchange to two Sirens. Three Telephone lines from the main control centre via FAI Telephone exchange before being sent to MOR Telephone exchange and on to three Sirens. One Telephone line leads from the main control centre via FAI Telephone exchange before being sent to LIB Telephone exchange and on to the Intermediate Control. Four Telephone lines lead from the intermediate control centre via LIB Telephone exchange to four Sirens. Map data from OpenStreetMaps Map Icons by David Booth Reference for locations NRS HH51/278

To overcome using too many phone lines we can introduce "Intermediate Controls".
The Intermediate Control works the same as the Main Control but can repeat the Input signal from the Main Control.

Now we can add more sirens without using to many lines between exchanges.

#SirenSaturday

Tying up line between telephone exchanges ultimately means that these lines cannot be used for normal phone calls.
These could be freed up by making them "Emergency Circuits" where they are available for general use and only switched in an emergency.
Risk is switching might not happen in time.

Map showing the "System E" Main Control centre located at Mortonhall Civil Defence Control Centre, FAIrmilehead & MORningside Telephone exchanges and five Sirens. The Sirens are police Boxs at Fairmilehead Crossroads, Braid hills, Blackford hill and Morningside in addition to one on a building at Hunters Tryst. Two Telephone lines lead from the control centre via FAI Telephone exchange to two Sirens. Three Telephone lines from the control centre via FAI Telephone exchange before being sent to MOR Telephone exchange and on to three Sirens. Map data from OpenStreetMaps Map Icons by David Booth Reference for locations NRS HH51/278

Exact routing is yet to be determine but the following allows us to explore the limitations of System E.

As each Siren needs a telephone line back to the Control centre this quickly becomes unwieldy and expensive.
As the next set of Sirens are in a new telephone exchange area we tie up trunk lines.

Map showing the "System E" Main Control centre located at Mortonhall Civil Defence Control Centre, FAIrmile Head Telephone exchange and two SIrens, one on a police Box at Fairmile Crossroads and one on a building at Hunters Tryst. Two Telephone lines lead from the control centre via the Telephone exchange to the two Sirens. Map data from OpenStreetMaps Map Icons by David Booth Reference for locations NRS HH51/278

Under "System E" the Sirens were sounded from the "Main Control" which was located in the Edinburgh City Civil Defence Centre at Mortonhall Quarry.
Each siren Controlled under System E required a dedicated telephone line from the Control to the Siren Via the local Telephone Exchange.

#SirenSaturday 🧵

We can explore explore how the 1950's era "System E" Siren Control System *could* have worked in Edinburgh before it was replaced in the 1960's.

Two open sources for how System E works can be found Here:
ringbell.co.uk/ukwmo/Page21...

archives.nato.int/reply-by-the...

East Berlin, Alexanderplatz, 9 September 1959. I post photographs taken on my many Berlin visits in the 1950s, 1960s. 180 historic street images of East and West Berlin are in my book "Berlin in the Cold War" (Amberley Publ.). #Berlin #DDR #GDR

A dramatic black and white photograph looking up from the bottom of a Titan II silo at the missile. Two airman in white coveralls and hard hats are standing at the base of the missile and talking, one of them touching the missile with his right hand.

The front page of the September 20, 1980, edition of the Arkansas Gazette featuring the banner headline, "Titan Nuclear Missile Silo Explodes Near Damascus; 1 Dies, 21 Injured," followed by the sub-headline, "Fireball Lights Up Night Sky; 1,400 in Area Removed." Beneath the headline is a photograph of the smoldering remains of the silo.

An article in an unidentified newspaper topped by a large headline: "BLAST RIPS MISSILE SILO; 22 injured, but H-warhead at Ark. site remains intact." A black and white photograph shows an injured Air Force man being taken into the emergency room at a hospital in Conway, Arkansas. A small map shows the location of the Titan II silo relative to Damascus and Little Rock.

A low-level aerial color photograph of the remains of launch complex 374-7 in the aftermath of the explosion. The massive silo door is gone and debris is strewn around the area.

45 years ago today at about 3:00 AM, the highly-volatile liquid fuel of a nuclear-armed Titan II ICBM exploded inside underground launch complex 374-7, 3.3 miles north-northeast of Damascus, Arkansas, and approximately 50 miles north of the capital of Little Rock, destroying the missile and silo.

'Operation Rockall successfully completed': The tiny island seized by Britain to foil the USSR In 1955, the British Empire planted the Union flag in its last piece of territory – a bleak, uninhabited rock. A Royal Navy commander told the BBC about securing Rockall.

Seventy years ago, the British Empire claimed its last piece of territory – a bleak and uninhabited island, 260 miles west of Scotland's Outer Hebrides. www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...

Rear of box, adorned with Adverts. The Siren plate is still in situ.

Front view of Police Box.

#SirenSaturday

Another converted Police Box. This retains it's Siren mounting plate.

Police Box 15 'B', The Mound, Edinburgh.

This was given Carrier planning number 254/6 in the early 1960's.

#EdinburghPoliceBox

Photographing Documents from my personal collection. Today this was folder containing documents from the "Air Raid Warning Training School" dating from between 1959-61.

If you squint the setup almost looks professional.
After recently winning some documentation on eBay I spent yesterday evening photographing the contents.
The folder in the picture contained very early procedures used by the UK warning and Monitoring Organisation.

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Closest we get to a Siren Sunday as they test the UK phone based emergency alert at 3pm.

Between the Siren network being decommissioned and the phone emergency alert being introduced there was no means of alerting members of the public who were not at that moment tuned in to TV or radio.