Siren in a thunderstorm near Oxford

[mnahmnah]

Hi

We were unfortunate enough to be sleeping in a bell-tent through what felt like a nuclear apocalypse last night. I’ve never heard thunder or seen lightning like it. It was scary enough at 2am, but then an air-raid siren went off. We panicked in our half-asleep state, wondering if we should get our sleeping (no idea how!) children out and into a building. Eventually it calmed and we went back to sleep.

Then this morning we heard the siren again a couple of times. We couldn’t find the campsite guy when we left to ask. Just wondering if anyone has a clue what it could be?!

Dalton Barracks?

yy Soola.

Who said camping holidays in the UK age boring?

I remember a few trips like that- including a mass attempt to hold down a flying marquis. Happy days.

It's usually a flood warning.

Where exactly near Oxford?

I’ve heard a siren go off at Dalton Barracks in the past. No reason (or no obvious reason anyway) but Dalton is a very active site and holds a lot of live ordinance so likely to be related to that in a storm. I guess the same could apply to Benson or Brize, depending on where you are.

Might be the science centres at Culham or Harwell

Love the image of you holding down a flying marquis picklemepopcorn

We were inside it, quite a few people hanging on to every leg (like the tube in rush hour). A few outside in the rain, grabbing guy ropes and opening up the sides so there was less for the wind to catch.

Another year, the trugs we'd used for storage bobbed about with all our belongings in, the site was so wet.

Those were the days. 'New Wine' weather.

Pickles that why we go to Butlins at Easter for the luxury accommodation that comprises of solid roof, toilet and cooker.

It was full-on glamping with a proper double bed and a very sturdy tent. So felt safe in that respect. More like a fear of electrocution!

It was in Eynsham. A lot of military planes flying over but still quite high, so we didn’t think we were that close to a base or barracks?

The golf course by us has one, it is a lightening alarm. Scares us when it goes off at night, but they have now stopped it at night.

Dalton Barracks or Brieze Norton I reckon.

Lightning alarm would make total sense for the one in the night during the storm. Not this morning though.

Having looked at the map I reckon Brize Norton is the best bet. But it still seems too far away

I'm very close to Brize and was awake during the storm - didn't hear a siren. Possibly Dalton, but that also isn't that close 🤷‍♀️

Could it have been the fire station?

Marquis de Carabas held down by his legs in the storm

including a mass attempt to hold down a flying marquis.

I was thinking "marquis de carabas" too Footle

I was on Marquis of Bath (although I know he uses Marquess). He'd go up great in a storm though.

Sounds like a scene from a Philip Pullman book!

Ha! Totally missed that. Oops.

I'm surprised the planes weren't buzzing you at Eynsham as you're only a few minutes in flying time from Brize

I'm less than a mile from the runway (And even now can hear all the planes on the ground)... but I didn't hear a siren go off

I'm a few miles from where you were staying OP and I didn't hear anything.

I'm on the Oxford side so I reckon it must have been the other way.

@oldraver you must live super close to me as we are less than a mile from the runway and can hear the ground running as well!