The abandoned royal observer corps observation tower Brassington Derbyshire

Up the hill, not far away on a craggy outcrop, we find the Brassington Royal Observer ‘Above Ground’ Observation Post. This was built in 1943 for aircraft monitoring during the Second World War. This was followed in the 1950’s by the construction, in an adjoining field, of the Brassington ‘Below Ground’ Monitoring Post’ to help mitigate a potential nuclear attack during the Cold War. This ‘above ground’ Brassington Post was opened in 1943, with training provided for the newly recruited Observers. Following recognition of the Observer Corps contribution towards the winning of the ‘Battle of Britain’ in 1940, King George VI bestowed on it the title ‘Royal’, and thus it became known as The Royal Observer Corps. It was decided to improve the coverage of Posts all over the UK, and some 1,800 Posts were built, approximately ten miles apart. Twenty-five Operations Rooms and five Sector Controls were included to gather and use the information. Data collected was used by the RAF, other armed services, local authorities and any other organisation that found it useful. Brassington was designated as Hotel 2 (H2) and reported to the Derby Operations Room, then later to the Coventry Group Control. It was designated a Granite (code name) Post, due to its position on high ground. In order to warn friendly aircraft, it was fitted with a special bracket to carry flares. Brassington Post needed to be manned 24/7, and observers were recruited locally, including Joseph Gould, Harold Brittain, Evelyn Brindley, Tom Stafford and Sam Lees. Sam Lees recalled a time Brassington Post played a part in the ‘shooting down’ of a German bomber which raided the Rolls Royce factory in Derby, by working with other Posts, their operation rooms, and the RAF! Brassington Post was stood down for a short period in 1945, but soon made operational again in response to a nuclear threat from the Soviet Union, and Eastern pact countries. Brassington ‘Below Ground’ Monitoring Post (Number 32) The ‘below ground’ Monitoring Post was built in the 1950’s, in response to the Soviets targeting Western Powers with nuclear missiles, and manned aircraft also carrying nuclear bombs. The Western Powers built up a so-called deterrent of aircrafts and missiles. The Cold War continued with our V-Bomber Force being replaced by Polaris Missile launching submarines, and Poseidon equivalents are new deployed to this day. USA and NATO had their own systems in place too.