Uniter

I forgot to list the single Soft NUB in the antenna farm at Chelveston.

P wrote:

I forgot to list the single Soft NUB in the antenna farm at Chelveston.

I have added it to your list on page 2 Paul.

Ta Al, I've added Stornoway too.

I have just registered to this site, having found it by chance when looking up Project Uniter for some information to send on to a pal of mine.

I was employed by GPT (GEC-Plessey Telecommunications) for two and a half years from 1991 until 1993 as a Construction Inspector (M&E); GPT was given the contract to design and build 58 (about that anyway) new Uniter buildings, (NUB's). About the first large contract awarded by the MoD after the recent demise at that time, of the Property Services Agency (PSA).

GPT were based at the old GEC Telephone works in Coventry, and not being a construction company but a telecoms. one, they contracted Bovis to site manage the construction of the NUB's. My job was to travel the southern half of the country to monitor progress and quality of mechanical and electrical works carried out by Bovis's sub contractors at all the sites.

I have scanned through the lists of the NUB's I visited on the previous posts, and have spotted one inaccuracy where one RAF station had two NUB's listed, where in fact it had four, all hard ones. My area was basically a line from the Bristol Channel to The Wash, therefore I had to visit St Mawgan, Rudloe Manor, Lyneham, Brize Norton, Bampton Castle, Odiham, Chelveston, Bampton, Coltishall, and Marham, all during the construction of the NUB's from the ground up until final commissioning of the EMP Shields, electrical and lighting systems, air conditioning and ventilation. Also, I monitored the excavation of the trenches and laying of the fibre optic cables. The buildings concrete and blockwork etc was monitored by a B&CE colleague. I may have missed on RAF station out on my patch where Nub's were built, I may remember one or two after sending in this post.

I did visit RAF Oakhanger a few times, but no NUB was built there, an existing building was utilized for that. Also a couple of different facts, Bampton Castle was designated a soft NUB, but it was the only one out of all the 58 that had a red brick outer skin, and not one of grey concrete block like the others. Rudloe Manor was originally going to be constructed underground, a standard soft one, but there was a change of mind and it was built on the surface. I did visit underground to look at the fibre optic installations though. The MoD had regular audits on site when their technical officers examined the site paperwork of Bovis, as well as the projects progress, they were mostly ex PSA staff.

It is interesting to read the previous posts about the money wasted, seeing as the Cold War ended as these NUB's were being built and commissioned. As I live central to my NUB's area, in Oxfordshire, I used to travel West one week, visiting Lyneham and Rudloe Manor, then staying overnight in Newquay when I visited St Mawgan, and East the other week when I visited Coltishall and Marham, staying overnight on the way back from those far ones somewhere near to Chelveston and Bampton. The ones at Brize Norton and Bampton Castle being near to my home I visited those together on a separate day. I rarely visited GPT's Construction Departments office where my boss was sited, only when asked to come in for any special meetings. All my paperwork was carried out in my site offices on the bases, there was one allocated for GPT at each, or at home and then posted on.

Now several of those 58 or so RAF stations are now closed, I often wonder what happened to those redundant buildings. It certainly was a waste of money to me as well, I am surprised it hasn't been brought up in Parliament, or by the media.

rotciv1;134218 wrote:

I have scanned through the lists of the NUB's I visited on the previous posts, and have spotted one inaccuracy where one RAF station had two NUB's listed, where in fact it had four, all hard ones.

I may have missed on RAF station out on my patch where Nub's were built, I may remember one or two after sending in this post.

I did visit RAF Oakhanger a few times, but no NUB was built there, an existing building was utilized for that. Also a couple of different facts, Bampton Castle was designated a soft NUB, but it was the only one out of all the 58 that had a red brick outer skin, and not one of grey concrete block like the others.

Welcome to AIX, that's some interesting information, many thanks!

Can you clarify where it was that four NUBs were built please? And why?

Which existing building was utilised at Oakhanger and why did they do that instead of using a purpose-built structure?

Any idea why Bampton Castle was skinned in bricked?

We don't currently have a name or designation for the large "Exchange" type bunkers like the one at Uxbridge. Do you have any idea what it would have been?

Sorry for all the questions
If you can answer any or if you remember any other information that you are able to tell us we would be very grateful, many thanks in advance!

Thank you for the welcome, this forum site does interest me. I spent nine years until retirement five years ago with MoD/Defence Estates. I might find some other interesting threads.

In answer to your questions Arcade Al...1. Marham has four. One each in the HAS fenced compounds where 617 and 27 Squadrons were situated at that time. The other two on the base...2. I have no idea about Oakhanger, I had no reason to go in that area, I was visiting a permanent GPT man on site near the end of that project. I was delivering drawings if I remember correct....3. The local council would not approve the concrete blocks as it was bang next to a farm an near some residential building One had to drive through the farm it self to visit the construction site without passing through the main gate. The NUB was enclosed within the bases fencing upon completion. The base is now a small industrial estate.....3. I cannot help regarding the Uxbridge type of exchanges, I was only employed during the NUB constructions. GPT had another department that were involved with them. I occasionally met someone from that section, who told me that there were other 'exchanges' dotted about under the Boxer project, some of which in disguised locations, like one behind a laundrette.

I hope I been of help. I am away from tomorrow morning for four days, (to the National Railway Museum at York), I will look forward to visiting this forum when I return on Thursday the 7th November.

Very useful and interesting, thank you again.

Thanks for some very useful information. I don't think UNITER was a waste of money, as someone who used it regularly it was a very good piece of kit. It was perhaps late in arriving as the cold war had finished, but it was great to be able to talk on secure phone lines.

Further to my post above, I missed why Marham has four NUB's constructed. The answer to that is, I don't know, it was never mentioned whilst I spent time at GPT's Civil Engineering Department prior to the commencement of the first NUB's construction.

The reason would have been discussed and agreed upon during the design meetings, drawings of all NUB's from Stornaway to St Mawgan had all been approved and printed when I joined up with two other colleagues that covered the North and Scotland. I can assume that Marham is a major defensive base, and that it has survived closure because it is close to Sandringham. I can remember one day when I was at Marham, which was once a fortnight, the Queen was at the MFH area opening a new school I think, there was a lot of 'Best Blue' being worn that day.

Fascinating information rotciv, many thanks for joining and educating us further on these installations. I must admit I'm a bit with Canberra on this in that I don't think it was a waste of money as such, just bad timing with planning and construction times coinciding with the rundown of the Cold-was, many other projects met a similar fate.

My outstanding question form earlier in the thread, is why was Dunkeswell chosen to have a UNITER system?
Further explanation on the general theory behind the system would also be highly appreciated!