During WW2 in the early 1940's, we had nightly "Blackouts", where we had to extinguish all external lights and keep our widow shades down. We had "Block Wardens" patrolling our neighborhoods at night, with red cellophane round their flashlights, warning offenders to observe blackout rules. We lived in Wheeling, W. Va. which had coal mines and the giant Wheeling Steel Mills, which would have been prime targets for Nazi bombers, since we were not that far from the Atlantic Coast, where there were already incidents of U-Boats torpedoing some shore facilities. I remember those nights well! Hal
I cannot remember any nuclear warnings in Britain. My memories of sirens occurred during WW2 in Coventry. Beside the warnings of bombing raids all streets had big metal containers that burnt old engine oil, issuing thick black greasy smoke all night. Everything was covered, food contaminated.
I wasn't born until 10 years after the war had finished, but the Uk was still suffering badly from the lack of housing caused by the Blitz.... We lived in houses that had been built right after the war ( prefabs) t which were only supposed to last 10 years.. in parts of the country they're still standing. In one house we lived in with a shared drying green out back, there was a big brick Air raid shelter. We kids used to play in it... ...however in Glasgow, and London and any cities where there was underground stations, families would go there to sleep in the middle of the night on the platforms , and even on the tracks and the escalators