Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times28 Okt 2022

Britain's 1980s Cold War Dads Army/Home Guard - The Home Service Force

The Home Service Force or HSF was UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Cold War version of the World War 2 Home Guard. An almost forgotten unit, the HSF was established in 1982 and recruited from ex-regular Army, ex-territorial and ex-uniformed service personnel aged up to 60 years old. Its mission was to guard key points in the UK as the perceived threat from Warsaw Pact special forces increased towards the end of the Cold War. I speak with Richard Coles, who served as an officer in the HSF Company of The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC). He tells of the setup of the unit, the incredible characters he served with and details some of the exercises that he participated in. 0:00 Introduction and overview of the Home Service Force 2:38 Richard Cole's background and establishment of the Home Service Force 6:34 Recruitment and training process for the Home Service Force 13:51 Role and perceived threats of the Home Service Force 21:45 Diversity and roles within the Home Service Force members 29:12 Memorable characters and experiences within the Home Service Force 34:31 Career paths and attitudes towards promotion within the Home Service Force 38:35 Various training exercises and anecdotes from the Home Service Force 47:28 Disbandment of the Home Service Force and its irony 51:44 Richard Cole's service in 2 HAC companies and reflections on the bond between old soldiers 53:18 Sponsor: Episode extras, acknowledgements, and invitation to Facebook discussion group Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ The Cold War Conversation continues in our Facebook discussion group and on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Cold War history is disappearing; however, a simple monthly donation will keep this podcast on the air. You’ll become part of our community and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. I am delighted to welcome Richard Coles to our Cold War conversation… Episode notes here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode259 Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(465)

My Father - The Enemy of the People: A Bulgarian Family’s Cold War Story (465)

Oggy Boytchev is a former BBC journalist with more than three decades of experience reporting from conflict zones across the Middle East, the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. Born in 1955, Oggy g...

17 Jul 59min

Face to Face with the Srebrenica War Criminals (464)

Richard Lyntton’s life has taken him from Cold War Moscow to the deserts of the Gulf War and the shattered streets of Sarajevo. In this powerful episode, he recalls studying in the Soviet Union duri...

10 Jul 1h 12min

Inside a Cold War USAF Fighter Squadron (463)

Step behind the wire of one of NATO’s most elite tactical fighter squadrons—the 10th Tactical Fighter Squadron—during the tense final years of the Cold War and into Operation Desert Storm. Former U...

3 Jul 1h 9min

The Cambridge Five - new files reveal untold stories (462)

Antonia Senior’s new book, "Stalin’s Apostles", challenges what you may have believed about the Cambridge Five, a group of British citizens who spied for the Soviet Union. Antonia argues that their ...

26 Jun 1h 5min

Malta & West Germany - Memories of an RAF Childhood Abroad (461)

Mark Thompson shares his captivating journey as the child of Royal Air Force personnel during the Cold War. From the moment his parents met in Singapore to their adventures across various military bas...

19 Jun 1h 5min

Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches (460)

The Cold War was a huge battle for hearts and minds — a true “people’s war.” But where did the “people’s game” fit into it? In their new book, Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches, Tony Shaw...

12 Jun 52min

CIA and MI6 Covert Action in Communist Albania at the Dawn of the Cold War (459)

In June 1949, the US and British governments secretly agreed to mount a joint covert action operation to overthrow the communist government in Albania. The top-secret plan would use exiled dissidents ...

5 Jun 1h 6min

On the edge of war: A V-Force pilot during the Cuban Missile Crisis (458)

I had the honour of speaking with Tony Dobbie, a former RAF V- Force bomber pilot who joined the RAF in 1960. Tony shares amazing anecdotes from his training, including his experiences flying jets ...

29 Mai 1h 18min