Fissionline 67

Fissionline fissionline Issue 67

International Bulletin of Nuclear Veterans

Apr 2023 Bulletin of Nuclear Veterans and Children Issue 18

NEVER GIVE IN

NEVER NEVER NEVER Winston Churchill 1941

Fissionline COMMENT Britain's Nuclear veterans after 40 years of fighting and campaigning have been awarded a 'commemorative' medal, a modest dollop of charity cash and few platitudes from the government.

It is not much for a movement that promised so much but ended up in bitter in-fighting and division.

What the veterans deserved was a full judicial enquiry, compensation and an apology for nuclear bomb tests which decimated their lives and left a terrifying genetic legacy for their offspring.

Politicians and others, however, are hoping to sweeten the bitter pill by promising to "make a fuss" of the veterans when the medals are handed out.

King Charles might even be inveigled to take a hand in the proceedings. In this way the Establishment hope the troublesome nuclear veterans, will finally be consigned to history.

But it would be wrong to do so for the same reasons it would to dismiss the suffering of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki whose survivors were described as "the most important people living", by Robert Holmes, Director of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Hiroshima.

Holmes was not referring to those affected by the blast and heat. He was talking about those afflicted by what

became known as the "atomic plague": radiation sickness and illnesses passed on to unborn children and those yet to be conceived.

This was the most terrifying manifestation of the technicalogical evil of the atomic bomb and the one the authorities were most frightened of.

The politicians were able to

redemption by arguing that nuclear power was a source of unlimited cheap energy and prosperity.

But no matter how hard they tried, and they tried very hard indeed, they could never declare that man-made radiation, even at very low levels, did no harm.

So the genetic effects of radiation poisoning was

Andy Burnham takes the rage of the Kop to W brush aside the death of 100,000 people at a stroke in a nuclear strike by proclaiming it a deterrent against future wars.

The physicists who created the monster sought 2

covered up. Statistics were bent and warped and ditched and discounted to hide the true scale of the atomic plague.

Similarly the British Government obfuscated and

downplayed the effects of radiation on servicemen who witnessed the bomb tests.

But.what is even worse is that they did not even consider the plight of the children of those servicemen even though they are part of that unique cohort of "the most important people" that Holmes talked about.

They hold in their DNA

pioneer these new frontiers of science and medicine until the truth emerges; Fissionline will continue to unmask the British Government's coverups of what really happened at the bomb tests.

The so-called "nuclear community" appears content, proud even, to accept a commemorative medal and a few pieces of silver.

Westminster forcing the Government to act secrets that must be explored especially now when advances in DNA research means we can delve deeper than ever before into the frontiers of our knowledge.

Fissionline will continue to

Fissionline, however, would rather follow the example of the Spion Kop of Liverpool fame.

When Government Minister Andy Burnham stood before 30,000 Liverpool supporters 3

gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster he offered the Government's equivalent of a medal: shiny words, expressions of sorrow and platitudes.

The Kop, however, were having none of it.

Burnham, now mayor of Greater Manchester, was hardly into his stride when a single strident voice rang out: "Justice for the 96..."

It was the starting pistol for a roar of rage and defiance that shook the stadium, rocked the nation and boomed and reverberated all the way to Westminster.

That roar of defiance was irresistable and couldn't be ignored. The Brown Government caved in and ordered an inquiry.

The result was that new evidence was unearthed, official lies were uncovered, culpable forces were named and shamed. The Government under David Cameron was eventually forced to issue a grovelling apology.

That spirit of defiance is the only thing that can now save Britain's nuclear veterans.

Fissionline is not the Kop...but we like them have truth and justice on our side.

We will continue to shout as loud as we can on behalf of Britain's nuclear veterans and their children.

On our front page today, surrounded by pictures of tragic victims of Britain's nuclear bomb testing programme we proudly echo the words of Winston Churchill when Britain faced its darkest hour: "NEVER GIVE IN. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER.

This badge Britain's nuclear veterans are embroiled in a fierce battle over the use of the Royal Crown badge symbolising its organisation.

Trustees of the British Nuclear Veterans Association charity fired the opening shot when it said its own President, Ken McGinley, was not allowed to use the badge on letterheads.

They said Mr McGinley, who founded the BNTVA in May 1983, only holds the 'honoury' position of President and should not use the crest when writing letters.

Mr McGinley fired back: "Who do these people think they are? I started this organisation and helped design the badge. It was bought and paid for by a small group of my compatriots."

The row blew up when Mr McGinley wrote a letter of support to BNTVA Chief Executive Officer Ceri Marsh after she was sacked for "gross misconduct"over allegations of financial mismanagement, allegations which Ms Marsh vehemently denies.

Ms Marsh hit back with a series of allegations of sexual harrassment and bullying, and called in the police to investigate.

Mr McGinley, who was chairman of the BNTVA for 17 years used the crest on his letter of support in which he called for the immediate resignation of four BNTVA Trustees.

He has now been accused of "fakery" in an on-line attack by a "special adviser" brought in by the BNTVA Trustees after the Charity

Commission suspended operations and the organisation's bank account frozen.

The BNTVA charity claim the Royal Crown Crest is copyrighted and have threatened legal

Mike Rubery Rubery and and the the Royal Royal Crest Crest Mike action for misuse.

But last night many nuclear veterans, including the group that applied and received permission to use the Royal Crown on its badge, hit back.

Christrmas Island veteran Mike Rubery said: "The man responsible for getting the badge

was called Tom Birch, a Christmas Island veteran like myself.

"He did all the work and paid for it himself. If the badge belongs to anyone its him. The BNTVA charity have no right denying people like Ken McGinley from using it."

Mr Rubery produced documentation proving that Mr Birch had paid for the badge and the emblematic design, as well other paraphenalia.

He also revealed the original standard of the BNTVA was also bought by the association's West Midland branch, of which Mr Biirch was a prominent member.

Mr Rubery said: "We had the BNTVA standard, which was our property, laid up in Birmingham Cathedral after we left the main BNTVA organisation in 2012."

Mr Birch in his submission to the Royal College of Arms said Britain's nuclear veterans had pledged allegiance to the crown when they were in service and wanted to adopt it as a symbol of their cause.

Out of his own pocket he paid the £150 application fee which records show wqs sent to Sir Colin Cole, Principal King of Arms representing the heraldic authority of England.

Normally the application would have to be approved by the Home Secretary before going to the

is our badge Monarch for final consent.

But Sir Colin ruled that because servicemen were involved he would make use of the Warrant of the Earl Marshall to bypass the Home Secretary.

Mr Birch, who has sadly died, witnessed three H-bomb tests and two atom bomb tests on Christmas Island in 1958.

But his widow, Mary, Said: "If the badge belonghs to anyone, it's my late husband. He was involved with students from the l,ocal arts college in the design and did all the negotiations with those who turned it into the badge you see today.

"He would have been horrified to learn that nuclear veterans, especially people like Ken McGinley, had been barred from using it.

Mr Rubery added: "Tom wanted this badge for all nuclear veterans not just a few."

Tom and and Mary Mary Birch Birch Tom

West Midland Midland nuke nuke vets vets with with the the flag flag West

Newspaper tells tells story story of of how how Tom Tom was was awarded awarded the the Royal Royal Crest Crest Newspaper

Cassandra, Andy Capp and me...

By Alan Rimmer

One of correspondence from his days in my the south pacific. proudest possessions is an 11" Sadly most of this alabaster statue of Andy Capp, correspondence has disappeared the pot-bellied, beer-swilling, with the passage of time, but I working class cartoon Geordie remember being struck by how who disgracecd the pages of the terse and to the point his letters Daily Mirror in the days when it home and to the Mirror offices sold 5 million copies a day. were. One said simply: "Boom!

The statue belonged to Sir Bill Postponed."

Connor, the Mirror's acidIt was Cassandra's telegrams that tongued Cassandra who famously particularly amused me. To the described witnessing an H-Bomb Mirror's financial manager in explosion as "A dress Rehearsal for the Death of the World."

Bill Connor died in 1967 after a fall. But he had been ill for some time, an illness which he attributed to the bomb test, Bill Connor Me and Andy Capp codenamed Orange Herald, he witnessed off Malden Island in 1957.

I know this because his widow, Lady Isobella, wrote to me several times after I Bill and Isobella produced a series of articles about the bomb tests in the 1980s. She, too, blamed London he wrote: "I am obliged the bomb and passed to me some to go to the south pacific on top of her husband's private secret mission. Kindly arrange 6

accommodation at the Honolulu Hilton for indefinite period."

Another commanded: "I am advised I am to have dinner with the captain of the flagship, please arrange tailor to visit my room to fit me for tropical whites."

I'm not sure how the monastic bean counters would react today.

But this was Cassandra and his word ruled.

Andy Capp, in fact, came to me via the family of Ted Fenna, the Mirror's northern editor and great friend of Bill Connah. A family member and friend of Lady Connor, said: "She wanted you to have it."

I regarded it as the highest honour, far more important than the modest journalistic awards I have since accumulated.

An example of Cassandra's journalistic integrity came when the bomb test was delayed and the top brass offered to provide a description to enable the reporters to meet their deadlines.

This produced graphic accounts based on what they were told that duly appeared in England a few days later.

But Bill was having none of it.

And even though it meant the Mirror would be scooped by the rest of Fleet Street, he refused to budge.

He waited for the blast to take place so he could witness it with his own eyes before picking up his pen.

His famous account which is reproduced opposite shows he was, as usual, right.

"An oil painting from hell, a dress rehearsal for the death of the world, beautiful, dreadful, magnificent...'

It was a dress rehearsal for the death of the world...we the observers looked like grotesque mourners...we were 35 miles from where The Beast was due to explode after being spewed out of the bomber -- quite near enough in view of the fact that the power of the bomb was equal to several million tons of TNT...Through closed eyes, through dark glasses, and with my hands still covering my face, I saw the flash.. Brighter than the sun, hotter than the sun,, and ripped out of the secrets of the heart of the universe.

AND THERE IT HUNG BEFORE US, A BOILING RED AND YELLOW SUN LOW ABOVE THE HORIZON. IT WAS AN OIL PAINTING FROM HELL, BEAUTIFUL AND DREADFUL, MAGNIFICENT AND EVIL...We were watching also connected with death on a prodigious scale ---death, however, that does not lie in the past, but death that is waiting in the future. The vast shape, now increasing with size every moment, rose upward and turned white with a reddish glow in the interior. A thin, snakelike stem appeared at its base, as steam and water were sucked up from the sea below. The horrible pudding in the sky became a diseased cauliflower and then

changed into a smaller mushroom.

Welcome, beloved bomb.

Greetings great bomb, made to a recipe that not more than 100 men and the Devil himself alone know. Flesh and blood never held

a secret like thius before.

Hydrogen,lithium, uranium, tritium, plutonium and Satanknows-what, all compounded 7

into the death sentence -- or the salvation of the world.

Cities collapse and fall into rubble at your embrace. A hundred thousand square miles are rendered unfit for human life.

Dreadful and beautiful bomb.

Children unborn smile upon you and the maimed of two world wars shout for joy and raise their crutches and salute you! For man has at last accomplished with his own hands not only the means of his doom, but also the shining hope that he will never dare to accomplish it.

War as we know it is gone forever.

One bomb, one missile 25ft long and weighing less than 10 tons, now has more destructive power than the sum total of all the bombs cast in ther last world war.

Whose is the unimaginable madness that would seek to use such a weapon?

Little man made in the image of God, surely not you?

CASSANDRA

Fissionline is an independent journal with no political ties or affiliations.

From the Got something to say? A story to tell?

Bunker Contact fissionline@gmail.com Phone: 07801 184011

No, it's not Conan the Barbarian. It's the 'special adviser' brought in by bosses to sort out alleged problems in Nuclear Veterans charity This is the "special adviser" brought in by BNTVA bosses to look into alleged governance issues in the charity His name is Nigel "Nige" Heaps MBE, former chairman of the BNTVA, but more recently associated with the NCCF. the Nuclear Community Charity Fund which looks after the millions awarded to the nuclear community out of Libor fines imposed on the banks.

It is not clear what Heaps's official position is today, and it is not known how long he will remain with the BNTVA. Legal considerations mean we can't go into the details of his investigation, but he eventually presented evidence to the Trustees of the BNTVA leading to the dismissal of the CEO Cerri McDade.

Ms McDade vehemently denied any wrongdoing and retaliated by bringing certain other matters, which are being investigated by

Mirror Boss in bid to silence Fissionline

the police, to the attention of the Charity Commission.

This in turn resulted in the Charity Commission effectively suspending the BNTVA charity while it carries out its own investigation. Its bank account has also been frozen.

At least three Trustees have since walked out of the charity in protest.

8

The Daily Mirror is demanding the removal of on-line posts from Fissionline which it claims are defamatory.

In a letter to the home of former BNTVA chairman Ed McGrath, editor Alison Phillips demands that he "procure the removal" of the four fissionline posts and undertake that they are not republished.

She began with an admonishment to Mr McGrath, a Bomber Command veteran, that her letter was "not for publication."

The editor signs off with a threat: "In the event the matter is not resolved, "all our legal rights and remedies in relation to this matter are expressly reserved."

"I am writing to seek an amicable resolution of this matter," A Fissionline spokesman said: "We stand by our articles which we believe are accurate. We will not be silenced."