Dounreay: A perfect fusion that started a nuclear reaction that changed life

They came from all corners of the country to usher in the new and exciting age of atomic energy.

And once thrown together in the small Caithness town of Thurso, the “Atomics” – as the Dounreay workers were called in the 1960s – set about dropping their hair, pulling their heels up and enjoying life to the full on the northern edge .

Dances, folk festivals, sporting events, and a night on the schnapps – in many cases with a schnapps or two more than it would have been advisable – were an integral part of the lives of nuclear power plant workers who made new friends and often hundreds of miles from Take root away from home.

Driven by the influx of workers attracted to good wages, affordable homes, and the hustle and bustle of the new nuclear age, thriving social clubs emerged, often attracting well-known acts like Billy Connolly, Barbara Dickson, and Sydney Devine to perform, and an eclectic one Mixture of sports and hobby clubs.

The new nuclear workers boarded Caithness from the mid-1950s, eventually tripling the size of Thurso in just eight years and settling in around 1,000 new homes.

While Dounreay’s fast reactor produced energy never seen before in Scotland, the influx of workers arriving on the Caithness coast brought their own centrifugal force into the town.

The impact of thousands of newcomers in an area based on traditional agriculture and fishing has been explored in a new exhibition curated by Nucleas, the Nuclear and Caithness Archive, which shows how Dounreay’s workers and their families lived and relaxed in the, what a new life far from home was for many.

Atomic Recreation uses photos, oral lore, and a range of textual sources to show how “the Atomics” blow off steam when the stresses of the work day are over, sometimes with unfortunate, alcohol-soaked results.

While a neighboring online exhibit, Atomic Housing, is studying the housing boom, with Thurso building more than 1,000 houses to accommodate the newcomers.

Jamie McCaffrey, budding archivist at Nucleus, says the area has become a bustling hub with couples and families, often young, drawn from hundreds of miles away to the far north of Scotland to take root in the brand new nuclear industry.

“There were many incentives for them to come and it seems to have been an exciting time as they made the area their home and made new friends.

“Many were young professionals, just qualified and left university or in their early 30s looking for another job. It was a real mix of people.

“Dounreay was set up as a research center and did things that hadn’t been done before. Fast reactor technology was a brand new science that would have drawn people interested in being part of this exciting work. ”

After leaving behind a vibrant leisure and social life in college or in their former hometowns, workers set out to transform Thurso’s social scene.

The focus was initially on the British Atomic Energy Agency’s hostel in Ormlie Lodge, a private home that was expanded and used for 250 employees. The first major event, the Ormlie Ball in December 1956, was so formal that many women are said to have appeared in their wedding dresses.

But with so many workers gathered in one place, post-shift drinks were sometimes fraught with risk: a customer who drank too much had to be rescued after falling backwards and ending up in the fire.

“We rushed forward and pulled him up and dusted him off and cleaned the scorched hair and put him back on his stool and he wanted to know what the rush was regular.

With a can of lager only 1/9 d – a whiskey was the same price – the lodge became the starting point for a number of lively parties, some of which led to exuberance and disciplinary action.

The move of wives and children into four new flat shares in the city made for a much more meaningful recovery. There were table tennis tournaments and clubs with cricket, fishing, sailing, fencing, photography and a film club.

While the opening of the Dounreay Sports and Social Club at Viewfirth House in 1958 for all Thurso residents, including workers in non-nuclear facilities, cemented local-immigrant relationships and made it lively – and highly competitive – sports days, glamorous Christmas parties and guest appearances by the likes of Sydney Devine.

However, the country and western troubadour’s performance at the club was tarnished when his denim jacket was “stolen” during the excitement of his finale, leading to appeals from the star for his return.

“It was unusual to open the club to non-Dounreay workers and we think Dounreay is unique, perhaps because it was recognized that such a large influx of people had an impact on the city,” added McCaffrey.

The star-studded folk music nights seemed quieter, and the Viewfirth Folk Festival drew artists such as Jean Redpath, Christy Moore, Billy Connolly and Archie Fisher to take the long journey north.

The online exhibition Atomic Recreation complements Atomic Housing, which documents the population boom and the emergence of Thurso’s “atomic” housing developments in Ormlie, Castlegreen, Pennyland and Mount Vernon, in which 1007 houses were built.

Each new homeowner was given a ‘Housekeeping Manual’ that advised them on essential issues such as how to grow a lawn from seeds and which hedges would provide the best protection from the Caithness winds.

When the construction of the “atomic houses” with their manicured gardens and playgrounds was completed, Thurso’s population had grown to over 9,000.

The unique combination of the brave new age of nuclear energy, the influx of workers and the rural setting at the top of the country makes Dounreay’s impact on the region unique, McCaffrey added.

And for some it was too good to leave.

“Many of those who came to Dounreay stayed and made it their home for the rest of their lives,” he added.

Atomic Recreation can be viewed on the Highlife Highland website. ATOMIC RECREATION – Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives (highlifehighland.com)

Comments are closed.