The four minute warning was conceived by the British Government during the Cold War. It was the approximate time in which an air attack against the United Kingdom could be confirmed and the population notified by means of air raid sirens, television and radio. In practice the warning was more likely to be under three minutes. Politics of the United Kingdom take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic monarchy, in which the Prime Minister is the head of government. ... For other uses, please see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Thunderbolt 1000/1000T Civil Defense siren. ...

The warning would be initiated by the detection of inbound missiles targeted at the United Kingdom. In the early 1960s this would be provided primarily by the RAF BMEWS station at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. There, powerful radars would track the inbound missiles and allow confirmation of targets. In later years the first indication of any imminent attack would likely come from infrared detectors aboard the United States Defense Support Program (DSP's) satellites. However, BMEWS would still play an important role in tracking and confirming the destination of any launches. Exocet missile in flight A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a projectile propelled as a weapon at a target. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Categories: Military stubs | Radar networks | Cold War ... BMEWS solid-state phased-array radar at RAF Fylingdales RAF Fylingdales is a British Royal Air Force station on Fylingdales Moor, North Yorkshire, England. ... North Yorkshire is a county, located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. ... This long range RADAR antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. RADAR is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. ... Painting of a DSP satellite on station. ...

It was the responsibility of the United Kingdom Regional Air Operations Centre (UK RAOC) to alert the nation to an imminent air attack. Once an alert was initiated the national and local television and radio networks would break into transmissions and broadcast a government warning message (parodied by the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood with "Two Tribes" and contained in the films, Threads and When the Wind Blows). Simultaneously the national air raid siren system would be brought into service. A clever system was employed for this whereby a key switch activation alerted 250 national Carrier Control Points or CCPs present in police stations across the country. In turn the CCPs would, via a signal carried along ordinary phone lines, cause 7000 powered sirens to start their well known howl. In rural areas around 11000 hand powered sirens would be operated. Two Tribes is the title track of the second single by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records in May 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... Threads is a 1984 BBC television docudrama depicting the effects of a nuclear war on the United Kingdom and its aftermath. ... When the Wind Blows For the novel by James Patterson, see When the Wind Blows (James Patterson) When the Wind Blows (1982) is a graphic novel, by British artist Raymond Briggs, that shows a nuclear attack on Britain by the Soviet Union from the viewpoint of a retired couple, Jim...

The national warning system saw many changes over the years. During the 1960s and 1970s it, like most civil defence planning in the United Kingdom, fell into diservice. In the late 1970s and early 1980s heightened fears and tensions led to a resumption of contingency planning and the upgrading of many systems. However with the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s and early 1990s the national siren system was largely dismantled. The British Government cited the increasing use of double glazed windows, which make sirens harder to hear, and the reduced likelihood of air attack as reasons to eliminate the siren system. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The old American Civil Defense logo, used today federally only as a historical reminder on FEMAs seal, the triangle emphasises the 3-step Civil Defense philosophy used before the foundation of FEMA and Comprehensive Emergency Management. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... For other uses, please see Cold War (disambiguation). ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the late 1980s and shortly after the year 2000. ... Insulated glazing unit (commonly referred to as IGU) is a piece of glazing consisting of two or more layers (lites) of glazing separated by a spacer along the edge and sealed to create a hermetically sealed air space between the layers. ...

The national siren system had always retained a secondary role of "general warning", particularly for imminent flooding (In some towns, they were also used to summon part time firemen). However a phone based system was found to be generally more appropriate in this scenario and of course cheaper. Additionally the Government retains an ability to break into local and national television and radio for purposes of alerting the general public.

Cultural impact

The cold war and the paranoia of nuclear attack permeated pop culture up until the 1990s. Examples include Four Minute Warning as the name of a 1980s hardcore punk band from England, as well as the name of a song by ex-Take That singer, Mark Owen, "Four Minutes" by Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd fame) on his 1987 solo album Radio K.A.O.S., and more recently (summer 2006) the name of a new song that Radiohead have been road-testing, along with many others, in preparation for their new album due out in early 2007. For other uses, please see Cold War (disambiguation). ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the late 1980s and shortly after the year 2000. ... Hardcore punk (aka Hardcore) is a subgenre of punk rock, the sound is thicker, heavier, and faster than punk rock and implimented 1970s heavy metal influences in its music. ... Take That has other uses, please see Take That (disambiguation) Take That. ... Mark Anthony Patrick Owen (born January 27, 1972 in the family home in Oldham, Lancashire, England) was a member of the boy band Take That. ... George Roger Waters (born September 6, 1943) is an English rock musician, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and composer. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band noted for philosophical lyrics, classical rock compositions, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art, and elaborate live shows. ... Radio K.A.O.S. is a 1987 concept album album by former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters. ... Radiohead are an English rock band from Oxfordshire. ...

The Cult adult humour comic Viz had a photo strip called "Four Minutes to fall in love", where a boyfriend and girlfriend cram a whole relationship into the four minutes before a nuclear attack. Cover of Viz (issue 57) Viz is a popular British adult comic magazine that has been running since 1979. ...

See also

• Peter Donaldson, the BBC Radio 4 continuity announcer who recorded the warning message.
• Emergency Broadcast System
• Emergency Alert System
• CONELRAD

Peter Donaldson is a main newsreader on BBC Radio 4. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A slide used by television stations during Emergency Broadcast System announcements and tests. ... The Emergency Alert System (EAS), is a national system in the U.S. put into place in 1994, superseding the Emergency Broadcast System and is jointly administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), FEMA, and the National Weather Service. ... CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) was a planned method of emergency broadcasting to the public of the United States in the event of World War III. It served two purposes; to prevent Soviet bombers from homing-in on American cities by using broadcast stations as beacons, and to provide essential...

External links

• Nuclear secrets of 1975 revealed, (Link), BBC News, 29 December 2005.
• Peter Donaldson's 1970's recorded warning message (link).