ROC Posts

Royal Observer Corps monitoring posts are underground structures all over the United Kingdom, constructed as a result of the Royal Observer Corps' nuclear reporting role and operated by volunteers during the Cold War between 1955 and 1991.

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Cutaway view of an underground bunker with a person operating machinery above.
A green and gray outdoor beehive setup in a fenced grassy area with hills in the background.
Metal ladder leading upward through a hole in a concrete ceiling.
Old, moss-covered military bunker in a grassy field under a cloudy sky.
A weathered outdoor monument with a metal plaque in a grassy field.
Looking up a narrow, dark stairwell with a ladder leading to a bright exit.

ROC (Royal Observer Corps)

ROC (Royal Observer Corps) posts are a large network of former UK nuclear monitoring bunkers, with thousands of locations like Camberley, Canterbury, Carlisle, and numerous others across Britain, listed on sites like Subterranea Britannica and Wikipedia, detailing individual posts and their Group Headquarters (e.g., Maidstone, Oxford, Edinburgh) used during the Cold War for reporting nuclear events. 

Types of ROC Posts:

  • Underground Monitoring Posts: The most common, these were hardened bunkers for observing nuclear explosions and fallout.

  • Group Headquarters: Larger command centers for regional operations, like those in Maidstone (Group 1), Oxford (Group 3), and Edinburgh (Group 24).

  • Orlit Posts: A simpler surface-level structure for aircraft recognition.