The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Ditton Priors
Why is the sleepy village of Ditton Priors in Shropshire a designated target for a Russian nuclear attack?
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Overview
It must have been a surprise to the residents of Ditton Priors in 1981 when it was revealed that the Russians intended to treat the village as a nuclear target come the 3rd World War. Apparently the Soviets were relying on old maps which showed an American base in the village. The truth, which had yet to reach Moscow, was that the Americans moved out in 1968 taking their arsenal of weapons with them. John Swallow talks to the bemused villagers.
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