Lovely piece. Do you know if such a group still exists? I worry that so much of this kind of ‘human infrastructure’ we developed in the Cold War years has dissolved over time, leaving us far less resilient as a society.
There are also local resilience forums which are not so focused on scientific expertise and not staffed by volunteers but by local institutions but are available to coordinate disaster and crisis responses.
There are Scientific Advice Committees (SACs) associated with government departments but I am not sure it is quite the same thing. I guess the remaining fragments of the wartime volunteer services are the Royal Voluntary Service (formerly the WRVS, Women's Royal Voluntary Service) and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (FANYs).
Ally - the short answer is yes. There are multiple reserve units you can join including SGIS, 3MI, 77 brigade and others that specifically look for those of a more scientific bent and experience and bring them int the services to tackle some of the most difficult challenges. At the grand old age of 50 I have just joined up myself.
And to Anthony - I really nice piece. You probably won't remember me, but we served together in the scientific community in defending the realm.
Thanks for sharing this. Your father was clearly amazing and you have followed in his footsteps. He would be proud! Thank you for your service, your stand, and your friendship.
Thoughtful story and a lovely photo. Well done to your Dad. Service is a privilege and a pleasure; a responsibility and an honour. It's also a huge commitment at some cost. This made me think about how today many young people become committed and hugely active in support of all sorts of causes: social, political, and societal. Though not (usually these days) national or in any way official. Would people in their twenties today bend and sacrifice to some national need?
I am an atheist but I am always in awe of members of the Salvation Army: to me they seem "all in", every day. Or of those running late night street kitchens for rough sleepers, sex workers, and so on.
Some years ago I was struck by a list of the common attributes of entrepreneurs: being trophy-driven, having a skewed view of risk(s), putting huge efforts targeted into specific goals, working within loose affiliations, exhibiting real passion and creativity, and in being resilient (to many setbacks). If you cross out the word "entrepreneur" and write "terrorist/lone wolf", or even "activist", you see the relevance to D&S. Yet the institutional response (and most HMG horizon scanning) is often a process that is owned by some of the most un-entrepreneurial and risk-averse people we could possibly find. And their homework is marked by others (by committees) within the same group think and ethos. Just sayin'
Lovely piece. Do you know if such a group still exists? I worry that so much of this kind of ‘human infrastructure’ we developed in the Cold War years has dissolved over time, leaving us far less resilient as a society.
There are also local resilience forums which are not so focused on scientific expertise and not staffed by volunteers but by local institutions but are available to coordinate disaster and crisis responses.
There are Scientific Advice Committees (SACs) associated with government departments but I am not sure it is quite the same thing. I guess the remaining fragments of the wartime volunteer services are the Royal Voluntary Service (formerly the WRVS, Women's Royal Voluntary Service) and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (FANYs).
Ally - the short answer is yes. There are multiple reserve units you can join including SGIS, 3MI, 77 brigade and others that specifically look for those of a more scientific bent and experience and bring them int the services to tackle some of the most difficult challenges. At the grand old age of 50 I have just joined up myself.
And to Anthony - I really nice piece. You probably won't remember me, but we served together in the scientific community in defending the realm.
Stories about your father are always pure gold! And the sentence, "On this occasion my father was heading to Hendon Town Hall", is pure Ludvik!
It is very important, as you imply, to maintain resilience againsts big threats. The trick, and it is not easy, is to get the balance right.
Thanks for sharing this. Your father was clearly amazing and you have followed in his footsteps. He would be proud! Thank you for your service, your stand, and your friendship.
Thoughtful story and a lovely photo. Well done to your Dad. Service is a privilege and a pleasure; a responsibility and an honour. It's also a huge commitment at some cost. This made me think about how today many young people become committed and hugely active in support of all sorts of causes: social, political, and societal. Though not (usually these days) national or in any way official. Would people in their twenties today bend and sacrifice to some national need?
I am an atheist but I am always in awe of members of the Salvation Army: to me they seem "all in", every day. Or of those running late night street kitchens for rough sleepers, sex workers, and so on.
Some years ago I was struck by a list of the common attributes of entrepreneurs: being trophy-driven, having a skewed view of risk(s), putting huge efforts targeted into specific goals, working within loose affiliations, exhibiting real passion and creativity, and in being resilient (to many setbacks). If you cross out the word "entrepreneur" and write "terrorist/lone wolf", or even "activist", you see the relevance to D&S. Yet the institutional response (and most HMG horizon scanning) is often a process that is owned by some of the most un-entrepreneurial and risk-averse people we could possibly find. And their homework is marked by others (by committees) within the same group think and ethos. Just sayin'
I think this is close to the Dominic Cummings view of the need for 'weirdos and misfits'!