If God had not made the Island of Unst then the MOD would have had to invent it.

The title of this section is the first sentence of a large article in the Scottish Daily Express in October 1969. There is no doubt that the strategic importance of Unst was recognised by both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force from WWII or even earlier. During the Cold War the location of RAF Saxa Vord was critical in the NATO radar chain and, in particular, was essential in providing early warning for the UK Air Defence Region.

Left click to enlarge the picture below – for people with eyesight like mine additional zooming may be necessary.

Two items of note:

1. The Saxa Vord Shop looks like the NAAFI Shop as I remember it.
2. The DJ on the right of the article is Andy Parkinson who has been good enough to allow me to use some of his photos on this site.

CONTENTS LIST

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/contents-list.html