Cold War Hot Tea

Top secret documents dating from 1954 to 1956 were released under the Freedom of Information Act by the National Archives in Kew, south west London.

They show that the British had their priorities right if it ever came to a Cold war nuclear attack.

A big problem they faced was stock piling enough tea to keep the survivors of a thermo nuclear holocaust happy and in good spirits.

There would be a very serious loss of 75% of stocks and substantial delays in imports and with no system of rationing it would be wrong to consider that even 1oz per head per week could be ensured, noted one official.

"No satisfactory solution has yet been found."

Tea was what helped Great Britain colonise a quarter of the world, defeat Germany three times (1966 world cup is seen to be as important as the world wars) and gives the British their super strength and flying abilities.

Who would want to live after a nuclear war without tea ? Only the uncivilised .

A Ministry of Food list "for departmental planning purposes only" puts London, Birmingham, Merseyside, Manchester and Clydeside as H Bomb targets.

Those listed as A bomb targets were Tyneside, Teesside, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Derby, Purfleet in Essex, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bristol, Plymouth, Cardiff, Coventry, Belfast and Larne.