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After 66 years, Keith Tostevin of Guernsey, England, reveals his secret: for his 80th birthday, the qualified electrician returns to the secret bunker where he worked as a 14-year-old apprentice.
In 1975 he started working in the bunker. He hadn’t been an apprentice for long when his boss summoned him to the office: “I’ve been chosen to work for Guernsey on a secret project,” Tostevin told the BBC. “But we weren’t allowed to say anything to anyone.”
And he did just a few days ago. Not even the other workers were allowed to know that the project was a confidential construction project. The bunker is located on Pleinmont Point, a coastal area in the southwest of the island. “For the first time, an agent opened the doors for us. He just told us he wanted light here, here and here,” Keith Tostevin recalls.
Nuclear shelter for the government
Officially, the 80-year-old still does not know what the purpose of his work was. Years after his deployment, however, he received a tip during a conversation: “They told me that a senior official from the state of Guernsey had to go there to work if an atomic bomb was exploded.”
At the time, Civil Protection set up surveillance equipment all along the south coast in case radiation came from France. So you wanted to warn the authorities early, experts told him.
Birthday wish come true
The bunker has been dormant since the 1980s and remains largely closed to the public. Keith Tostevin was able to visit it on his 80th birthday with a special permit. The former electrician describes it as a wonderful feeling. “When I stood there, all the memories of my childhood came flooding back,” he told British TV channel ITV.
His family did not always know about his work in the bunker. His family even flew in from Canada for this surprise. “We thought we knew everything about him, and when we came here he said, ‘I have a surprise for you, it was very special that he wanted to share it with us,'” his granddaughter Jodie told the broadcaster.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
