Fife’s Cold War secrets revealed in new exhibition at National Museum of Scotland

Unique objects from the region’s covert Cold War language school and RAF fighter station will go on display in a new exhibition, Cold War Scotland which opens next month. It will explore the lives of ordinary Scots on the frontline of this global conflict, and will run from July 13 until next January.

Cold War Scotland will explore both the visible and invisible legacies of the conflict. First hand testimonies will reveal the ways in which the war lingers in Scottish politics, culture and memory, and remarkable objects illustrate the unseen impact of radiation on Scotland’s landscape. The exhibition will also highlight the physical remains of the Cold War; the ruined bases, forgotten bunkers and decommissioned nuclear power stations are still evident across the country.

Dr Meredith Greiling, principal curator of technology at National Museums Scotland, said: “From nuclear submarines to lively peace protests and observation stations perpetually monitoring for devastating attack, the Cold War permeated every aspect of life in Scotland for decades. It is important to be able to share these remarkable stories from Fife with visitors and I hope it inspires them to learn more about a period of Scottish history that is so often overlooked.”

The exhibition will include training manuals from the Joint Services School for Linguists in Crail, on loan from Crail Museum. The school operated between 1956 and 1959 and trained more than 700 British service personnel in the Russian language so they could monitor Soviet military communications.

Nearby, RAF Leuchars became a fighter station in the 1950s and was placed on Quick Reaction Alert to intercept attacks before they could enter UK airspace. A control panel from the base and illuminated map, that would have been used to direct Scotland’s first line of defence in case of nuclear attack, will also go on display in the exhibition.

The exhibition will be supported by a book and programme of events including curator tours and talks.Entry to the exhibition, and the rest of the museum, is free.