David Booth

Corstorphine Library Remember, we have this great talk happening at the library today at 6.30! come along THE BOMBING OF EDINBURGH & LEITH 1939-1942. Join retired police officer and author, Tom Wood, for a detailed and fascinating lecture about the Axis bombing campaign's effect on Edinburgh & Leith Corstorphine Library Monday 9th February 6:30-7:30pm Free to attend, no need to book Refreshments provided In association with the Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Police Historical Society

Bit late notice from me on reposting here;

Tom Wood is giving a lecture on his Book "THE BOMBING OF EDINBURGH & LEITH 1939-1942" at Corstorphine Library this evening.

It is a shame.
Given how much I needed to watch my feet in the park I rather suspect the Local Dogs have been contributing to the corrosion.

Photograph of the Interior of the Gorgie White Park Police Box. Inside are a collection of antiquated computer equipment and Scottish Environment Minister Lord Sewel, holding a laptop, who was there to open the box. Caption reads: "TOP QUALITY: Scottish Environment Minister Lord Sewel opens an air quality monitoring station in an old police box in Georgie today. Article is titled: "New push to clean up deadly air"

The air/pollution station in the Old #EdinburghPoliceBox at White Park was first set up in 1999, Still going strong after 27 years!

The Edinburgh Police box at White Park Gorgie Road, Edinburgh. Seen here from Gorgie Road it is painted Grey with a lamp and Siren mount both Insitu on the Roof. It is now used as a pollution monitoring station.

The Edinburgh Police box at White Park Gorgie Road, Edinburgh. Seen here from White Park, it is painted Grey with a lamp and Siren mount both Insitu on the Roof. The side entrance to Tynecastle Football stadium, home of Hearts of Midlothian Football club, can be seen in the background. It is now used as a pollution monitoring station.

#SirenSaturday

One of the few remaining from the 60's Planning list, and site recognisable to Scottish Football fans.

Police Box 12 'C', White Park Gorgie Road, Edinburgh

This was given the Carrier Planning Number 254/43 in the 1960's.

#EdinburghPoliceBox

Dundee Cold War Bunker Visit a relic of the cold war under a quiet Dundee street. See what members of the Royal Observer Corp would have faced if the bomb dropped

Visit a relic of the cold war under a quiet #Dundee street.
See what members of the Royal Observer Corp at @28group.bsky.social would have faced if nuclears bomb had dropped
March 13-14 2026
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dundee-col...

The police Box appears to have dematerialised as well, despite being intact and insitu in earlier demolition photographs

Once upon a time I would have tried convince you to visit with great enthusiasm, more recently Id have conceded in hushed tones the building was worth a look but not to trust the "history" given and to be careful, now its like watching a slow motion car crash.

So this is a very early (1954) attempt to illustrate what the fallout implications of high-yield nuclear weapons are for war — basically just putting the Castle BRAVO fallout pattern over possible US targets...

...and I can't stop thinking about how ridiculously, hilariously phallic they all look.

@wtyppod.bsky.social @donoteat.bsky.social @postoctobrist.bsky.social

Guess I should Scrap my Draft Safety 3rd submission, soft near misses from a semi-professional ex-project don't cut it when the unskilled current group formed after we were kicked out goes all in and makes The God Damn News.

A halftone official-looking photograph of Master Sergeant Leander Cunningham in uniform (possibly from an ID badge) from the Royal Air Force Sculthorpe Heritage Centre.

A black and aerial photograph from the RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre showing a portion of the base.

A color photograph of a Mark-5 atomic bomb on display on a wheeled dolly in a museum. The bomb and the cart are painted dark green. The bomb has a blunt nose but otherwise resembles a smaller version of the bulbous “Fat Man” bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.

Today in 1958, at RAF Sculthorpe, about 3 miles west of Fakenham, England, USAF atomic bomb technician Master Sergeant Leander Cunningham, 41, suffered a mental breakdown, locked himself in the bomb maintenance building, and threatened to detonate a Mark-5 bomb by shooting it with his .45 pistol.

The Resto Project Facebook page was the primary source for updates but they dried up over the pandemic. During the change over the page was hijacked for the new project who then deleted it without having the sense to link to the new page.

Old page was recovered later to save the photos.

The respirators were a hold over for when we cleared out the soot and debris by hand. With a box of spare filters and regular maintenance it made sense to continue using them for any dusty tasks. (I still have mine now).

We were no saints but there was a different saftey culture back then.

I found the original copy that was uploaded to the Old/Defunct Barnton Quarry Restoration Project Facebook page.

It was uploaded on 31/01/2016!
10 years to the day!

The companion pictures suggests we were securing Cabin framing into the Concrete, hence the Dill, cable and respirator.

Decided to do a Welfare check on #EdinbirghPoliceBox and Siren Point 254/10 at Jock's Lodge.

Sadly it has been removed, perhaps others will know if this is temporary and where it has gone.

#SirenSaturday

It is sad. It didn't have to go the way it did and there is no longer the same drive for accuracy.

Grant is Great, I am still in touch with him. First person I spoke to before I got involved, later it was with his encouragement that I started going to the archives to do research.

Yes the restoration project, which enjoyed a level of autonomy, was locked out in 2021.
That was the end of both Grant and My Involvement.

The doors open days proved we could run tours and behind the scenes there was reestablishment of control.

Barnton Bunker is ran by the owners son.

When I was a volunteer I regularly got asked about the secret Tunnel into the Zoo. The myth had grown to the point that it had a defined exit point in a Green Phone Box in the Zoo Grounds (Which I think did exist but sat on top of a buried Water tank).

If they could provide evidence it would be a massive deal (Not least as the Scottish Office feared the site would not survive).

Just like the reference to Anarchists it is primarily a work of fiction.

(And no clue where the 44 date comes from since construction started in 41 and was in use by 43)

It was surprisingly hard work moving all those tires. I shudder to think the amount of rubbish and ash I helped move out of the R4.

But after the "Barnton Quarry Restoration project" cleared the building we were ourselves cleared out to make way for "Barnton Bunker" and their Emus.

A picture of Me, date unknown but probably around 2018-early 2019. This has been taken looking up towards the Top floor from the floor of the Operations Well in the Underground Cold War ROTOR R4. Sporting a Hardhat with attached lamp, Sundstörm Respirator, Gloves, work trousers and sporting a Barnton Restoration Project Polo shirt (Now a possible collectors item?). I appear to be coiling up an industrial extension cord.

Now there is a sight for sore eyes!

Having previously requested to have my written material and photographs taken down, and having no involvement with Barnton Bunker it appears I am still on the website.

I think that headlamp & helmet is long gone but the Respirator is still in the cupboard.

Thank you,
Against my wished my involvement ended in 2022.
The Original team were disposable, once the site was cleared and we proved that it could be opened for tours the writing was on the wall. We set the stage (and didn't even complete said stage) so someone else could make a mess.

Owned by the same person.

There was always an overlap, I remember helping to do some building work at Anstruther when I was restoration Project and the few staff were employed by them.

I has appeared, looking from the outside in, to be far more of an Outpost under the new project.

I made attempts to join the new "Barnton Bunker" when it was first Proposed in 2022.
It was made clear that my contribution to the Restoration project made me persona non grata.

A bullet dodged even back then.

In 2021, after effectively being locked out of the buildings over the pandemic the gates were locked on the Barnton Quarry Restoration Project ending their collective involvement.
The site was closed until it was announced by the Owners Son that a new project, Barnton Bunker, would be created.

The Restoration Projects achievements included getting the site an A Listing and opening it to the Public for the first time at the 2018 (WW2 Block and Tunnel only) and 2019 (Cold War R4) Doors Open Days.

In the background there was a power struggle. We had too much autonomy.

The Current owners bought the site as a Burnt out shell in 1996.
It sat open and derelict until 2011 when the Barnton Quarry Restoration Project was formed.
The project secured the building and cleared the site of hazardous material, illegal dumping and detritus. All done by volunteers.

It is absolutely wild.
I can be dismissed as a bitter former Volunteer but I have lost sleep over what might happen. So many safety critical jobs left undone in the years since I was involved.

We spent so long convincing locals it wasn't going to become a caravan park with illegal raves.

The "History" as given on the BBC News Article and presented by #BarntonBunker is Poor at best and outright fantasy at worst.

I was proud of the research I had done as part of the Restoration project but much of it was binned in favour of tales of Royals and Anarchists with no basis in reality.

Fire fears, accidents and emu attacks among safety concerns at Cold War bunker Volunteers restoring a former Edinburgh nuclear bunker are worried someone will be hurt because of safety issues.

I post about #Edinburgh and the #ColdWar but there is one big hole in my posting for a reason. I was a member of the #BarntonQuarry Restoration Project that got thrown out and replaced by #BarntonBunker

This comes as no surprise and I applaud them for speaking up

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I believe once upon a time it was a Corporation Power Station, replaced when Portobello opened.