March 2006

March Z006 wvuw.bntva.com 16 Pages of NEWS, OPINIONS & PICTURES

Campaign

’■/}]* j'fjfcwmi wjw 'fill we seek Is Justice'

British Nuclear Tests Veterans Association

IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE WHO DID NOT MAKE IT THIS FAR AND IN SUPPORT OF THOSE WHO HAVE

iSEW ■

BLACKPOOL REUNION 2006 Page 7

MARALINGA PLAY AT LEEDS

w

LITIGATION UPDATE Page 3

Page 16

BNTVA MEMORIAL AT ARBORETUM Page 9

F(BDDD°aosQD°y ldD(D(S was dEne day

fei©rai§ Ilsnsteff has ‘Open Mind’ BNTVA’s opportunity to discuss witfli Veterans Minister Touliig' at MoD BNTVA Chairman John Lowe and Chaplain The Very Reverend Nicholas Frayling and Tribunals Officer Derek Heaps met with Right Honourable D Touhig MP, Minister for Veterans Affairs at the Ministry of Defence building Whitehall on Friday 9Ih February 2006, together with four MoD officials. The BNTVA deputation was received courteously and the whole meeting was helpful from both sides. Chairman John Lowe made this opening Statement to the Minister. In agreeing to this meeting, you requested that we supply you with a list of the questions that we intend to ask. In listing these questions, it was intended that we attempt to convince you that previous answers supplied by the MoD had, in the main been, unsatisfactory. In some cases appearing to be so worded as to deliberately deceive. A typical example of this being the claim, that the total amount of radiation given off from all the tests was miniscule. Unfortunately, when members attend a pension tribunal, we find that the panel often accepts this claim by the MoD as gospel. You will understand that our main aim in seeking this interview was to persuade you that, in the main, Nuclear Test Veterans seeking a war pension are not afforded a fair hearing. This often appears to be as a result of the criteria in order which NORCROSS operates. When they consider that a claimant's case does not fit with that criteria, the claimant is referred to a tribunal. However, even when that tribunal f I n d s in favour of

the claimant and a pension is awarded they refuse to accept the tribunal’s findings and they never amend their criteria. How can this be right? In the last few years, the Associations advising solicitor has handled a number of cases where claimants have been referred to a tribunal. He has been successful in 80% of them. This in itself suggests that there is something wrong, and that claims are being turned down without proper consideration and that the pensions agency is not applying the correct tests and is simply not doing its job correctly. It is employing doctors to undertake work, which requires legal training. Doctors simply look for a medical diagnosis. They have no concept or understanding of the application of the term ‘Reasonable Doubt’.

All claimants are entitled to receive the benefit of the doubt. However the claimants themselves will tell you that this rule is not applied in the majority of cases. I have with me a copy of the Hansard report for the 28lh March 1990 RADIATION EXPOSED CROWN EMPLOYEES. Even at this time MP's were arguing that test veterans be given the benefit of doubt. Far too much faith is being placed in the NRPB reports. The methods used in the studies may have been sound, however, this does not alter the fact that they were purely statistical exercises, and like all such exercises the results are only as good as the information on which they are based. There have been many published criticisms of this report. When studying

death certificates of members held by the BNTVA, Dundee University discovered an appreciable number of cases of multiple melanomas which were not included in the NRPB study. How can it be that with only 3,000 members we can locate more

in need of judicial review. j)ie elements of unreasonableness relate to inter alia:

report is not as accurate as it portends lo be? Even if you accept the NRPB’s findings (and we do not) there are problems as the pensions agency is most selective in applying the reports findings. A typical example being the case of incidences of leukaemia. In the first NRPB report, there was concern expressed over the incidence of leukaemia among test veterans. In the second NRPB report there was still concern, but a time limit ol 25 years after participation at a test site was placed on claims. In the third NRPB report they removed the 25 year limitation, however, war pensions are still applying this limitation. They have never updated their

Appendix 1) accept hat here was local fallout at all detonation sites and that theie was lesidual radiation to which the service personnel could well have been exposed because it was so randomly spread at the Australian test sites and because all categories of service personnel were free to travel throughout Christmas lsland and swim in jts |ag0ons as well as eat locally h, fch These Decisions re|icd on extensive archiva| documentary and nim evidence repeatedly , . , . n • a , T f , , ., , , 1‘

crjterja

It is noted from the press that the MoD is prepared to pay compensation to civilian workers for whom radiation dose record exists, and who have contacted or died from a form of cancer covered by the scheme, as well as cataracts. Do you think that the time has come for this government to consider the settlement of the nuclear veteran’s claims, admit the wrongs of the past and make restitution for injustice, injury and loss? Why is it that a similar scheme cannot be applied to service CONT: p10 personnel for whom a radiation dose record exists?

_______ l-l

Letter from SlI© Rabbitt Roff (Cook.sou Senior Research Fellow)

To: Lord Falconer Secretary of State &

Faculty of Medicine. Dentistry and Nursing cc\tkk toR MszncAf itl cation

OLNDKE KUff.tr/ H IW > VO NJ? Cn3 .Wtc • n TVt

1: Evidence of radioactive contamination at the test sites A“ (specimens included a,

can be made available to your office if you would like to see it. Yet several Decisions evidence of radioactive

contamination. The Veterans Agency also deny this evidence, relying on statements from the Atomic Weapons Agency officials which have been severely criticised and repudiated in several Decisions in

Appendix 1. 2: Principles of causation of radiogenic injury' The medical understanding of the aetiology of radiogenic injury has changed radically in the past decade in relation to the consensus about there being no threshold below which exposure to radiation may be considered to be non injurious; the hazards of chronic

low *eve* exP°sures such as the service personnel

experienced over months or years at the test sites as vulnerable young adults; the latency of manifestation of the injury which is now understood to be possible several decades after exposure and may increase as the cohort enters the naturally vulnerable years actuarally for cancer incidence. I have summarised these new consensus positions in my paper “Establishing the Possible Radiogenicity of Morbidity and Mortality from Participation in UK Nuclear Weapons development”, Medicine, Convict and Survival 2004 20;3:218-241 attached at Appendix 3. These positions are accepted in the Decisions at Appendix 1 but not in those at Appendix 2.

January 5. 2006 Rt Hon Lord Falconer ofThoroton 3: The status of epidemiological studies Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs The Decisions at Appendix 2 frequently refer to the and Lord Chancelor epidemiological studies commissioned by the Ministry Department of Constitutional Affairs of Defence from the National Radiological Protection Seaborne House Agency. But as the then Parliamentary Under-secretary 54 Victoria Street of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans' Affairs, London SWIE BMW Dr Lewis Moonie (a former public health consultant Dear Lord Falconer, well aware of the principles of epidemiology) stated in a After a decade of submitting evidence on behalf of veterans of the UK atomic and nuclear weapons tests of letter dated 24 October 2001 to the Rt Hon Michael the 1950s and 1960s, I wish to bring the record of the Ancram (see Appendix 3) the statement that such War Pensions Agency/Veterans Agency to your studies tell us nothing about individuals' is ‘a statement attention because the inconsistency of decisions as of the obvious and does not need to be laboured over.' outlined below means that it is reaching decisions that This point has also been made in several ways by the no reasonable organisation would reach and is therefore Decisions in Appendix 1. It is also well establishe t tat

the NRPB studies could never have the statistical power to establish even cohort wide relative risks, much less individual ones. And I have established in the case of multiple myeloma as a marker condition that the NRPB studies have under-ascertained the number of cases by at least 30% when perfectly accessible means of ascertainment were open to them (see my paper “Underascertainment of multiple myeloma among participants in UK atmospheric atomic and nuclear weapons tests" Occup Environ Med 2003; 60;el8 at Appendix 3). The NRPB defence that any shortcomings in the ascertainment were 'probably' at level pegging for both sample and control populations is exceedingly feeble and makes a nonsense of their research design, the flaws of which were not remedied throughout 3 studies costing well over a million pounds.

LITIGATION UPDATE Letter from Solicitor From David Harris QC - Alexander Harris solicitors 16'1' January 2006

Atomic Veterans Litigation Dear John (Lowe), Firstly, a belated but very Happy and Prosperous New Year to you and all your members. 1 have now returned from my trip, albeit that my time in the office is somewhat limited. I gather Angela has kept you fully up to date on the procedural issues and whilst there remains the outstanding application before the High Court on T1 March, there is a real possibility that we may be able to negotiate terms over the Order, although as present this has not been agreed by the Ministry. What 1 think 4 Decisions do not follow the Policy Statement on however will be agreed, is that there should be a period Claims for Ionising Radiation Relation Conditions of stay during which no proceedings can be taken and The Decisions at Appendix 2 do not follow the Policy claimants will have the time to get their case in order. Statement on Claims for Ionising Radiation belated What remains to be seen and what we need to resolve is Conditions issued in March 2000 (at Appendix 4) and (a) How long that will be and (b) Who, if anyone, will routinely supplied to veterans appealing decisions by the be in a position to undertake the work. Veterans Agency. In particular the Decisions at In the meanwhile, I do understand your main Appendix 2 are frequently inconsistent with those at difficulty remains with Clark Willmott’s position set out Appendix 2 in relation to Paragraph 34 of the Policy to the Vets that the £117.50 paid by the Vets who were Statement re radiogenic sequelae, Paragraph 33 last line legally aided as a contribution to generic costs, should concerning threshold, and Annex A p. 11 paragraph re or should not be returned to them. Those monies were, Late effects - also called stochastic / probablistic. you will recall ordered by the Legal Services It is therefore submitted that the War Pensions Commission as a contribution, and were retained by Agency/veterans Agency has made a series of Clarke Willmott as the nominated Solicitors handling unreasonable determinations which have been matters with the Legal Services Commission. Following confirmed in several Decisions of the Pensions Appeals Mervyn’s departure, and the discharge of the generic Tribunals. These amount to a denial of natural justice contract, it does appear that Clarke Willmott quite for the veterans and their relicts and unless a judicial wrongly advised some Vets that their money should be review of these unreasonable decisions and the process returned to them, and in fact did so. Clarke Willmott of determination is instituted by your office through William Whiteley have now advised ourselves immediately, I believe the veterans and their families that they have confirmation from the Legal Services |11 have grounds for recourse to the International Court Commission that those monies are to remain with and of Human Rights on the grounds that their right to a fail- belong to the Legal Services Commission. I have to say trial under Article 6 of the Human Rights Act has been that 1 think this is probably correct. We are none of us breached and they have exhausted all domestic remedies going to be paid properly for what has been done up to especially as they were specifically excluded from and including the end of the Legal Services Commission access to the remedies that have come available to other contract. However, the Legal Services Commission will ex-service personnel when Section 10 of the Crown require those Vets that were not publicly funded to Proceedings Act of 1947 was changed in 1985. 'There is make a contribution. It remains to be seen whether that of course considerable archival evidence to indicate that correct figure is, or is not, £117.50, but that is the figure the UK government of the time was aware of the at present that the Vets are asked to contribute. hazards to health when it committed service personnel Consequently 1 see no prospect of those monies being to these weapons tests. returned to the Vets until or unless this litigation Yours faithfully. Sue Rabbit Raff succeeds. That can only happen if the case is properly Cookson Senior Research Fellow funded, Particulars of Claim are served and the matter PLEASE CHECK THE POST CODE ON THE MAILING proceeds to trial, or to a mediated settlement, in which LABEL. IS IT CORRECT? IS IT MISSING? THE case the Legal Services Commission would not be POST OFFICE DEMANDS WE USE THE CORRECT responsible ultimately for the payment of the cost, but POSTCODE - PLEASE HELP US BY LETTING they would be met by the Ministry of Defence. Until BOB SMITH HAVE YOUR CORRECT OR MISSING POSTCODE and/or unless there is no claim on the Legal Aid fund for 3

To: Eddie Soan. MT Driver Christmas Island 1958-69. Dear Eddie, I was often wandering when this story would surface. The Canadian RAF man was CpI. Bill Dubrez-Carey. French Canadian in fact. He was billeted to my tent on the far edge of 'Main Camp’. Just the four of us including a lad called LOFTY LANAGAN. who kept wetting the bed when drunk! He got the boot because of the smell and flies. Anyway one Sunday we decided to go beach fishing for a 'Shark. Bill obtained bags of blood, a lump of rotting meat, some rope and a huge meat hook, all from Cook House. We baited hook, and three of us including Bill swam out to edge of reef. (Crazy Sods) Dumped bags of blood, bait and swam like XXX back to beach being encouraged by audience. The two of us being light in weight surfed on breakers and made it safely back to beach. But Bill being a big man couldn’t swim too good and got taken over reef by the under tow of current. Me and the other lad were waving to the crowd on beach shouting at him. As soon as Chopper arrived we scarpered back to tent, then NAAFI. Bill was rescued and received a bollocking. We got away with it, and a 'shark' was landed on beach by the crowd. Did it get served as a meal? Don’t know. Bill Dubrez-Carey was tied up with Christmas Island Broadcasting Service, as a DJ and director of programmes. I also entertained on CIBS, singing with guitar at a couple of concerts. A 'Jock', by name, can’t remember, taught me Spanish Flamenco guitar. He was in my tent. I have some photos if needed but not of Bill, he moved tents and lost tough with us. I did have a spell at Hickham Air Force Base Honolulu with a Scot CpI from my office over Xmas period 1958. Can’t recall his name - lousy memory. From: Tommy Marsh, (May 58 - Feb 59) Clk. GQ Accounts Main Airfield Office. I’m on 01929 425 372 [EDITOR: Eddie Soan’s address: 10 Stoney Brook, Park Barn, Guildford GU2 8LL

work carried out, then the contributions to the generic costs made by non legally aided claimants will remain and l do not believe will be returned by the Legal Services Commission. This therefore effectively means that the claimants who have made these contributions and who still remain on the Register I assume, will never receive the repayment of these monies, until or unless this litigation succeeds, which may be years down the road. If they are upset/annoyed at this, I think the way to placate them, is to advise that they have bought in effectively to the generic contract, something that was explained at the first instant. Their actual contributions perhaps should/could be considerable, but the Legal Services Commission are not asking for a higher sum. If they succeed in the litigation, they may ultimately get their money back. I don't think I can offer any clearer picture than that. I hope this explains the position to date. I am currently trying to place the litigation and to resolve the Court application to be heard on lsl March. Best wishes, David Harris, Consultant. Alexander Harris

ERENCHIES GET NUCLEAR PENSIONS

The Editor Wishes to than\z all who teu/tdly setA,t hivn some postage stamps for his granddaughter Lilly Walden's collection, you have been so very generous. Thank you.

iwo separate occasions in less than one week, two French military pensions tribunals ruled that former nuclear test site workers are to be granted life pension for invalidity resulting from their work on nuclear testing sites. The French military pensions tribunal in Brest ruled that 67-year-old Michel Cariou. will be granted a lifetime pension because of his illness. As another French pensions tribunal ruled less than a week earlier, the Brest ruling acknowledges a link between the veteran's service on a nuclear test facility and his subsequent illness. Michel Cariou was employed to measure radioactivity levels on French Polynesia's Moruroa island and witnessed there some 31 tests between 1966 and 1972. France carried out nuclear tests on Moruroa and Fangataufa between 1966 and 1996. One week earlier, in another landmark ruling, another French military pensions tribunal in Tours ruled that a former nuclear test site worker is to be granted a life pension for invalidity resulting from his service on a nuclear testing site in Algeria’s Sahara desert in the 1960s. 65-year-old Andre Mezicrcs, who worked on a French nuclear testing site in Algeria (Sahara) between February 1962 and March 1964 as part of his national military' service, is suffering from a polymyositis, a slow, degenerating illness affecting his nervous system and particularly his muscles. Mezicres, who witnessed four nuclear tests, was asking for a life pension and damages. The Tours military tribunal, in a landmark ruling, has dc facto recognised the existence of a link between his service on the nuclear site and his current state of health. “This is the first time in France that a military pension tribunal acknowledges that the illness of a veteran is a result of his service", French nuclear veterans association AVEN President Dr Jean-Louis Vallatx commented after last week’s ruling. Legally, Mezieres and his lawyer could however not provide sufficient evidence to establish a link between his illness and his exposure to radiation, but the Court also noted that “French authorities, on the other hand, could not prove that there was no link between the complainant’s illness and his service". AVEN, for the past few years, has been pushing for some 200 such veterans cases to be judged by French tribunals. It hopes other courts will now model their decisions on the Tours and Brest rulings. Oceania Flash, 14 June 2005

Mrs Ann Peacock, 2229 Cibola Road, League City Texas 77573 USA. Hi John, One for the mag or you can pass it onto John Lowe. Can somebody please tell me why the Government found it necessary to provide itself a Nuclear Bunker when it knows perfectly well that one was not necessary as there is no fallout from Nuclear Bombs (or did them nasty Russians make a dirty one just for us). I refer of course to the fact that the M.O.D. have just put the Government Nuclear Bunker on the market, more like a small town looking at the pictures on the telly and designed for them

ARE YOU WRITING YOUR UNIQUE STORY FOR THE BNTVA BOOK - ‘I was there ■ ■ ■ i ? 4

to spend many months in it. Perhaps John could ask Touhig about this when they meet next year. Best Wishes, Denis Shaw

for the benefit of another super-power and the fact our own government of the day allowed it to happen, is appalling to say the least. Therefore there is force in my request to take the matter up with the Veterans Minister. Sadly over the years since the creation of BNTVA there has never been any mention of the UK servicemen who were conned by our own government to be present at the USA tests. The emphasis has been mainly Grapple, Maralinga and Monte Bello veterans. Please find a copy of the American tests Dominic 1,1 have highlighted all the bombs we UK servicemen had to endure. You will note the distances and yields of the bombs were far too near to enhance one's well being and in violation of the Geneva Convention. Yours sincerely, Clelland Barrie, Tigh-A-Phuirt, Lochysidc, Fort William PH33 7NX

Dear Sir, I have enclosed the membership card showing my dues Tor 2005 were submitted in 2004. I an enclosing a check to cover 2006.1 really look forward to receiving and reading the BNTVA magazine, and wish you every success in generating more interest. Recently i received communication from Mr J F Lee who was stationed on Christmas Island at the same time as my husband (1971+) His article and picture from a previous magazine had led me to contact him as I was sure my husband (Eric) was in the picture he was gracious enough to send me the original photo alas the clearer photo showed that it was not my husband, however Mr Lee did give me a lot of information about the daily routines that my husband would have endured. I met and married my husband after he had completed his service. I am enclosing the only picture I have of his stay on Cl. It would be incredible if the other two servicemen recognize themselves! All the best. Dear Sir, I enjoyed the new style of the magazine but it would be nice to see some views from the island taken by the company cleaning up the island. The only parts of the island which stick in my mind was the water purification plant, it was where our tents were, I was in the RAF at the time for 13 months - July ’57 - Aug ’58. I enjoy the letters of memories of the island. R A Swade, 15 Meadow Road, West Kirby Wirral CH48 9XL Dear John, Here is a photo which you might like to use in the Campaign from Remembrance Sunday parade in London, taken on Horse Guards Parade prior to the Service and the march past.

I can’t begin to name the members, but they came from all over the country to represent BNTVA and the photo sums up the purpose of the day. We missed Peter Fletcher at the Parade this year, and the members present posed especially ‘for Peter’ so that we could send him a picture to remind him of the day, and this has been done. Thank you for publishing our picture and local news in the last Campaign. Yours sincerely, Norman Aplin, 134 Wych Lane, Gosport Hants PQ13 0TE

Who remembers the BIG ULAH FISH? It weighed 40 lbs and was caught by AC1 Michael Macfarlane in charge of Cookhouse Stores - Main Camp. If you remember this - please contact Mike at 0191 287 3174. Kite

Dear John, HIE FORGOTTEN ONES It was with great interest I read in the latest edition of Campaign your forthcoming meeting with Mr Don Touhig MP, Veterans Minister on 24th January 2006. I am a Christmas Island veteran and a paid up member of BNTVA. I, like approx 350 other British servicemen participated in the American atmospheric nuclear tests programme at Christmas Island in 1962. USA codename Dominic 1, UK codenamc Brigadoon. Between the 25,h April and IIth July we were coerced into witnessing twenty five atomic and hydrogen bombs in close proximity to the island as duly dropped by B52 bombers. No protective clothing was issued to us, except eye visors and radiation film dosimeters to be worn at all times. Witnessing so many detonations within the time frame of three months can only be described as an absolute disgrace. If you do have time to bring to the attention of Mr Touhig the case of the forgotten British servicemen being used as nuclear fodder i.c. guinea pigs

£.\

S'

o f:,

CAK.C

NO.SON

S AC CAL HARKJSON CLAN 11 ??

J T. ARKLE

r.TZSJMON

Oll-LCM

ACAC ACOTLV.ART KAV.CS RY£ LAC CURTIS

LAC OUrtOV

JtrfilS

L AC. OY ROOSON GRCAVf.S

AC. 5 AC. CAL HrVSt.CY B’JfCMtR HOOC..-

CAL. I AC ART MI Y BAKER

SAC SAVINGS

The Kitchen Crew on Christmas Island 5

•NTVA MOTKfS

! K

A Proclamation N T(11 her fas k, o- Gr*»<*ova Co <,»7

M

\ f:8

^ J >**.

rJ. \ !

Avl

■

BNTVA OFFICERS 2005/6 British Nuclear Tests Veterans Association

4

Lt

NOTICE BOARD

w«

rc'< *"•’» dej pfrmlR«4 uf #0 /c

to <^t«r Cu* Roaol *bc-*nor« ©nboo'J > £ i Her BriConnie Sbio "TRACKER *-^2 And he new ur.dcrgc-o t*1* 'f.-fMiirij Initiatlci , liii, lvjth«s« pr«**n?» £'■* £•’>■« th'? R. ^sl UJarnonl under Our S:*jp £ .? *’> token {hat l*v ojb'fMld has betfci'-o o»<c cj O'**1 Lo^ai Subjectc and require that a«1 i S^Crr.9 Oeiph’n;. Sea’’iCnitCTi and ell $U;!C'» b>’J c^-. fit ten. *\r ne;. cn<J Bc/Jin* w ho fciAX O. t <jt* enitrcd Our Rc^al Dcmnin, do trt-it the oje*m.tcid u.itf> a'l the rci»ect totuhicH ocf Outy qualified anj Ic^al &ubjei.t& a»e tntitie»l V*-, v G<V*.'I at C.r Ccwrt on ihc Equator LongUud* 8*t*3G* Eaut cJ Grtcnu Ch !-i Fourteenth daj uj Jv'«j IS5?

,©

fie i

^ i

t:

CHAIRMAN John G Lowe 45 Sheldrake Road Broadheath, Altrincham Cheshire VVA14 5U Tel/Fax: 0161 941 2164

VICE-CHAIRMAN & TRIBUNAL OFFICER Derek Heaps 4 Bakewell Drive Castle Donningion Derby DE74 2NF Te1:/Fax: 0133 281 1429

TREASURER Captain Ted Shackley MN 25 Newlands Walk Scunthorpe North Lincoln DN15 7HS Tel: 01724 349305

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY -> Douglas & Sandie Horn 36 Bell Lane Moulton Spalding PE12 6PH Tel: 0140 637 1134 Fax1 01406 370 847 e-mail: hernie@1iscali.co.uk

•> MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY (for mailing addresses and Membership fee) Bob Smith, 11 Holyknowe Crescent Lennoxtown Glasgow G66 7DY Tel: 01360 311 300 Fax: 01360 310 645

WIDOW S REPRESENTATIVE Mavis Gardner 30 Link Road Anstey Leicester LE7 7BY Tel:/Fax 01162 364 737

CHILDREN’S REPRESENTATIVE Marlin Blackburn 154 Aslley Street Tyldestey Manchester M29 7AX Tel: 01942 209 473

BNTVA SHOP MANAGER Trevor Butler 79 WokJcarr Road Hull Humberside HU3 6TR Tel: 01482 571 431 Fax: 01482 569 241____

"> } l

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT COMMITTEE MEMBERS AFTER 8M PM AND BEFORE 9.00 AM. Thank You

TB.i

ADVISORS TO THE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT ADVISING SOLICITOR Peter Fletcher MBE Ian Greenhalgh LLB 11 Lord Street, 15 Beech Hall Street St Helens Merseyside WA10 2SJ Wigan WN6 7HX Tet/Fax; 01744 630 612 Tel: 01942 820202 Fax: 0870 250 1340

Who remembers one of these? Thanks to Veteran Fielding for this.

CHAPLAIN The Very Revd Nicholas Frayling BA. LLD Dean ol Chichester The Deanery. Canon Lane Chichester West Sussex P0191PX

CAMPAIGN MAGAZINE EDITOR & WEB MASTER Revd John Walden 11 Hemmings Close Nonvich NR5 9EH Tel: 01603 746 062 reverendjohnw@fsmail.net_____

NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER Terry Washington 'Little Hey’ 8 Butley Close Tytherington Macclesfield SK10 2HL Tel: 01625 425 970 If there is a problem with your label address call Bob Smith If there is a problem with not receiving Campaign call Bob Smith If there is a problem about Membership - call Bob Smith If you get two copies of Campaign - call Bob Smith If you are about to write a cheque for £10.00, made payable to BNTVA. send it to Bob Smith! Admin matters - talk to Doug Hern

Membership Secretary Bob Sm tn

WELCOME (o new member Gordon Coggon cx Cpl Grapple, and he wants to know if any member is a radio ham? Contact: 45 Austen Crescent, Cantlcy, Doncaster DN4 6EZ. The Association regret to learn of the death, on 5,h January 2006 of ‘Bobby Brewster’, wife of John Brewster of Hythe near Southampton. Bobby was devoted to the Nuclear Veterans cause and served on the Associations Executive Committee for many years. HELPFUL NOTICE!

Peter sent a whole load of stuff for scanning for the web site - thanks. Who remembers Peter Phipps from Royal Engineers? Here is Lcs, Phil, Tony, Sgt Bowen, John.Peter Phipps, 56 Park Road; Gorseinon, SA4 4UH

In the June 2005 issue of Campaign we reported on the death of Ken Roberts, and in the December issue the death of Peter Williams. Both men were loyal servants of this Association, and they are greatly missed by colleagues, friends and family. It does not help families to deal with their loss, when members persist in sending them their subscriptions, forcing widows to forward them on. Please send subscriptions to the Membership Secretary - Bob Smith. Thank you.

Hi John - FUNDRAISING I have had a little idea to raise some extra funds for the association, I use a telephone and internet service provider called HOMECALL, on you raise their website can www.homecall.co.uk The thing is they are offering to pay me

Who remembers Alan Jefferson and the lads from Cl 1958? Alan sent another load of stuff for scanning. Thank you. 6

£12-50 for every new member that signs up for their telephone service, just think 100 members = £1250-00 for our funds. Derek Heaps already uses this company so if you sec him on the 4th of Feb he may be able to tell you more. The other thing is that any members who do sign up can phone each other free and talk as long as they want (The Executive Committee springs to mind) also line rental is cheaper than BTs £9-99 a month and you can get unlimited Broadband for just £12-49 a month, the package that i use is for all of my phone calls and 1 mbps of broadband and that is £24-99 a month my line rental is not in this I still use BT for that. My telephone No is 01947 895570 if any members do sign up they must use my telephone No when they register and I will try to arrange for any money that is raised to go straight to the National Treasurer. I don’t know if it will be too late for the current magazine, if so the next one will be OK. Best Wishes. Denis Shaw Grosmont

As all the present members of your Executive Committee arc fully committed with the work in hand, it cannot possibly be one of them. So, who should organise things? Could it be you? Do you have some time to spare and enough interest in the Association aims to undertake such a task? If you have, please let the Administrative Secretary know. We will have you voted in to Office at this years AGM. However, I am afraid that if there arc no volunteers, no one will be taking any action along the lines advocated.

AGM To be held at the Paradise Rooms, Blackpool Saturday 29,h April commencing 1.30 pm All motions for discussion at the AGM and all nominations for election to the Executive Committee must be in the hands of the Administrative Secretary no later than 19,h April 2006.

Trevor Butler writes about the Hull Branch We had our Annual General Meeting (AG.M) on Wednesday thc25th. January. With nine members attending and four apologies of absence. Minuets of the last meeting read and accepted. Matters arising discussed and referred to the next Branch meeting, the Branch Officials appointed. Any Other Business Our Standard Bearer Mr R Barley gave me his list of some 30 duties as from our last (A. G. M.) The Branch Meeting followed A Letter drop was organised for the Humberside area some 74 letters posted to collect information to up date Data Base. A good response to date with a third of members replying. Sales I have been asked for Grapple Blazer badges and original tics, I have managed to contact the supplier. Would you pul an add in the mag to sec if there is any interest? Replies to me please.

As all members of the Executive Committee are due to stand down, nominations are required for the following positions: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Administrative Secretary, Campaign Magazine Editor, Retailing Secretary, Widow’s Representative, Children’s Representative.

EVENING SOCIAL To be held at the Paradise Rooms, Blackpool Saturday 29,h April 2006 commencing at 7.30 pm.

Church Parade

Reunion & AGM BLACKPOOL 29th & 30th April 2006

Sunday 30,h April 2006-01-30 Salvation Army Citadel Rakes Parade - Blackpool Commencing at 10.30 am.

This year we intend to resume the customary march after __________the Service ‘Weather permitting’.

YES - THAT’S EOTERTAIMENT! BNTVA’s own impresarios Doug and Sandie have lined up for us an exciting evening entertainment.

THE MOST IMPORTANT AGM FOR SEVERAL YEARS

The AGM

Stuart and Carolyn Elliott of ‘Cortez’ have been on the stage for over 20 years. They ‘got together’ as a double act after Carolyn answered an advert for a female singer, placed by Stuart in 1998 and they married 2002. Cortez play popular music spanning the decades ensuring something for everyone. Kevin Bargen's versatility on the squeezebox, guitar and banjo meant bookings in UK, France, Austria and Ireland including Royalty. His is a popular mix of songs. Please come along - this is your opportunity to meet with old friends and make new ones.

FROM THE CHAIRMAN: At last years AGM one of the Members declared, “Its time we got dirty” and similar sentiments have been expressed by others in the past. There was even one notable occasion, a few years ago, when a comprehensive dossier, advocating action, was issued at a member’s expense and distributed to all those attending that years AGM. It is all very well for members to advocate taking action, but it requires organising if it is to be effective. Who is to undertake such a task? 7

The BNTVA Rule Book (Itii'mbers will be voting for acceptance of this at the AGIff) Article 20 of our Constitution allows for the formulation of a rule book, and directs that the members should be entitled to vote on the continued application of such rules at their AGM. ITEM 4 of the CONSTITUTION Membership shall be limited to men who served at a nuclear test site, their widows and offspring. It shall be limited to one membership per family, except where a veteran’s widow marries another veteran, in which case both may retain membership. Any member of the family may utilise the rights confirmed by membership, providing that they have the authorisation of the named member. CLASS OF MEMBERSHIP 1: FULL MEMBER-all subscriptions paid All rights - including the right to vote & to receive all communications. This shall include any member who is permanently ill, in hospital or a care home etc., and unable to pay subscriptions. 2: NOMINAL MEMBER - subscriptions unpaid No rights - may receive correspondence at the discretion of Executive Committee. 3: HONORARY MEMBER To be conferred on persons who are not nuclear Test Veterans, but have afforded outstanding service to the Association. Such membership to be conferred by vote at the AGM. TRAVEL & EXPENSES All claims for travel or other expenses should, so far as is practicable, be approved by the Executive Committee prior to such expenses being incurred. All claims submitted for the payment of travelling or other expenses which have not previously been approved by The Executive Committee should be accompanied by a detailed note giving the reason for the expenditure. Travel should always be undertaken by the cheapest means possible. All claims for travelling expenses should be kept to an absolute minimum. Where it has been agreed that a member may travel by his or her own vehicle, the Association will pay an agreed contribution towards the running cost of the member’s vehicle for the journey concerned. Under no circumstances shall the agreed contribution exceed ‘£0.20 per mile, calculated on the total mileage of the journey concerned (taken as being the distance calculated from the starting point of the journey to the end of the journey by the Automobile Association website route planner - www.theaa.co.uk SUBSISTANCE (This was voted at a Meeting ofthe Executive recently) The Association does not normally pay any subsistence allowances. It is presumed that you will take sandwiches etc. with you on your journey. Under no circumstances will the Association ever pay for alcoholic beverages. However, should it be necessary that you stay away from home for a period exceeding eight hours, you may claim a meal allowxwce not exceeding £10.00) ACCOMODATION Every attempt should be undertaken to complete one’s journey the same day, however, should it be necessary to stay away from home overnight, the Association will pay the following allowances. However, the necessisty of the stay, and the cost, must be cleared with the Treasurer prior to inception. The maximum allowance for a room shall be £50.00 per night, and the maximum allowance for Breakfast or an Evening Meal (where these are not included) shall be £10.00. This is a maximum allowance and it is hoped that people will, where possible, keep charges below this level. All accommodation claims are to accompanied by an official receipt. 8

It shall be the duly of the Treasurer to scrutinise all claims for travel or other out of pocket expenses. If prior approval for the expenditure has not been obtained from the Executive Committee then the Treasurer will consider rcasonabless of the expenditure (taking into account the reason for it and the cost) and shall cither agree the expenditure and reimburse the member accordingly or raise such queries as shall be considered by him as appropriate in the circumstances. jn dle event that a claim for travel or other expenses is not able t0 be agreed by the Treasurer then the member shall be given detailed reasons why the expenditure has not been approved and, if requested by the member following receipt of the Treasurer’s reasons, the claim shall be referred to the Executive Committee who wil| consider all circumstances of the claim (including any further representation which the member wishes to make) and shall reach a decision in respect of the claim. The Executive Committee’s decision on the claim shall be final. RULES FOR RUNNING OF BRANCHES FINANCES 1: All branches shall be entitled to claim an annual allowance, (currently £1.00 per paid up member based on membership fees paid in the previous year). This to be claimed in the January of each year. 2: Annual accounts must be submitted to the National Treasurer in January each year. Un-utilised funds from the previous year are to be returned to the National Treasurer. 3: All monies acquired in the name of the Association, for whatever reason an from whatsoever source, arc the property of the Association as a whole and not any one individual or group of individuals, and arc to be accounted for to the Treasurer. 4: Where a branch wish to raise funds for a special event, they are to inform the Treasurer, who will keep a separate account and advise the branch when sufficient funds are available for the event to take place. ORGANISED EVENTS 1: The National Administrative Secretary shall be advised of any event organised at Branch level, 2: All expenditure incurred must be checked with the National Treasurer prior to its inception. (Whether or not the Treasurer holds sufficient fluids to fulfil the branches obligations.) 3: All orders placed in the Association’s name must be confirmed, on Association’s stationery, by either the National Secretary or the National Treasurer. NOMINATIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 1: Members seeking election to the Executive Committee will require to be nominated by a Proposer and Seconder, both being fully paid up members of the Association. The nomination form must include signatures and membership numbers of all three members. 2: Members currently serving on the Executive Committee who are willing to continue will not require nomination. 3: All nominations to be in writing and sent to the National Secretary at least 10 days before the AGM. VOTING AT AGM’s Items 9c & 10 of the Constitution allows for voting ‘by show of hands.’ In order to facilitate the counting of votes, members are required to register and sign in before entering the room. Each registered member will be given a coloured card, which they must hold up for the votes to be counted. The only exception to this rule is for the election to the Executive Committee when there are more nominations than posts. In this case, each registered member will be given a voting form with all the names of members who have been nominated. Votes are cast by putting a cross beside the members whom you wish to

j I

*

vote for, to a maximum equal to the posts available. Voting papers will be placed in a ballot box. With a show of hands vote, the tellers will only count cards. A different colour card will be used each year. MOTIONS TO BE RESOLVED AT AGM’s All Motions must be in writing and must be in the hands of the National Secretary at least ten days before the AGM. All Motions must be signed by both the Proposer and the Seconder.

isn’t very cheap for 1 person to pay for at once. So, on my way heftne from Newark, the chairman and I discussed the possibility of the children donating a small amount each and placing our own bench in there in memory of our fathers. If we could get 50 or so, sons/daughters to donate £10 each, we would be able to have our own lasting memory that will remain in the arboretum forever. We could have our own plaque on the bench that simply states ‘donated by the children of the veterans in memory of our fathers’. It should also tell people that don't know about us that there are children involved in this cause. GOING POSTAL-with apologies to Terry Pratchett Let me know what you think. Give me a call. It only takes 50 of Bob Smith says: In the last few months when 1 really got going on us, but if there were more interested, then the cost comes down for trying to amend the membership lists, I have been pleasantly everybody. Or, if we had an extra £200 left over, we could plant a surprised with the amount of good wishes extended to the tree as well. It’s a fantastic idea. £10 is nothing compared to the Executive. Many people sending subs and donations really lasting memory it will create. appreciate what is being done on their behalf. It is of course Martin Blackburn impossible to please everyone but I shall try to answer some of the FROM BOB SMITH: perennial questions. In response to demand that a more substantial memorial be Criticism if constructive is always welcome and to those who . , , , , , , . . . say we couldn’t organise a drinks party in a brewery, let me just say Put UP an aPPcal was launched t0 enablc us t0 S° ahead w,th that there is a vacancy on the Executive. this project. Thanks to a most generous donation from the All members were sent a copy of the magazine during 2005; all West Yorkshire Branch so ably led by Wally Holdsworth, we those returned were removed from the mailing list as soon as got started with £1,500.00. Further donations of £500.00 possible. We still do not have all the postcodes and we did ask for from Gron Williams and her family and £200.00 from Mavis them earlier. We will be amending the postal list so that anyone not Gardner and her family, helped swell the fund. A design was paid in 2005 or January 2006 will not get a magazine. put forward to the National Memorial Arboretum and was A suggestion has been made about everyone getting a postal accepted by the Trustees. vote. I foresee difficulties with this but the Executive arc prepared A builder has been engaged to set a plinth with a shaped to listen to viable proposals that are not too expensive to operate. brick housing to hold a granite stone. The outer shell of the Bearing in mind that any proposals for the AGM also seconded, must be with the Secretary a fortnight before the meeting. This does brick to be rendered with a special coating and then shells put not leave a great amount of time to get letters and voting forms out on render- At this time ten trees, mainly Eucalyptus as to members. It should also be supervised by the Electoral Reform Palms are hard 10 grow here, are in P*ace. Two of the trees will have badges and dedications. This costs £250.00 and we Society, which will cost us. Why Blackpool? Simply because it costs us nothing: I live 240 have eight at this time with no notice on. miles from Blackpool and can get there comfortably in four hours If a Branch, family or individual wishes to dedicate one of driving. You do not need to stay overnight if you don’t wish to - the trees to their loved one, please contact BOB SMITH on you can attend the meeting and then go home. Many of the 01360 311 300. A suggestion was made that we also set up members live less than four hours from Blackpool and even if you two benches for people to sit and contemplate the Memorial stay for the evening excellent entertainment, you can get cheap digs and to remember those they have lost. After enquiring, it was for one night. found that each bench would cost us £540.00 and we would People who say that Blackpool is a dump are possibly right for it need to give about eight weeks notice to have them in is about to receive a multi-million pound makeover. But you are not visiting Blackpool; you are attending the AGM, which would be the position, It is intended to hold the Dedication Ceremony at 14.00 same in any venue. It would be great if you could spend one day from your year to support the national Association (not forgetting hrs on Saturday 24th June 2006. There will be a small buffet your support locally) and attend the AGM, but if you cannot then and get together afterwards. If people wish to donate please you must accept the decisions made by those who do. scnc| cheques made out to BNTVA, with a note saying that it EAST MIDLANDS BRANCH MEETING - Sunday 2"~d April is to be put to use for the Memorial. Please accept my sincere 2006, 12.00 noon at Royal British Legion Club, Wood End, thanks to all who have donated so far. Melton Mowbray. Please ring Mavis or Marilyn.______________ Bob Smith SCOTTISH BRANCH - 3ra June 2006. 14.00 hrs Balaklava Club, Stirling.______________________ __________________ EAST ANGLIAN REGION - Saturday 20,n May 2006. 11.00 am. SPECIAL SPEAKER - Chairman John Lowe. Contact Keith Holmes.______________________________________ ______ SUSSEX BRANCH - Next Meeting - AGM - Monday 27lM March 2006 8.00 pm RBL Lancing._____________________________

BNTVA SHOP

f v

Trevor Butler, 75 Woldcarr Road, Hull Humberside HU3 6TR Tel: 01482 571 431

Badges * Car Key Rings Badges - Blazer Badges • Lapel Cull Links (pair) Caps Ties - BNTVA

ARBORETUM

3.00 2.00 12.00 2.50 5.00 11.50 7.50 22.00

Shirts - S Shifts-M Shirts-L Shirts • XL Tie Pms-Blue Tie Pins - BNTVA Ties - Grapple

12.50 12.50

■

9.50

I Fleece Hello everybody, I hope you are all well. At a recent executive committee meeting, we discussed the VETERANS DAY - June 27 is almost certain to be chosen as National progress of our display in the national arboretum in Staffordshire. Veterans’ Day, an occasion lor honouring former servicemen and women. It sounds like it is really taking shape. Bob Smith our membership The Queen was given a number of dates in June on which to hold Veterans’ Day. secretary told us of a final thing that could be added to finish the A source said that June 27 was considered suitable because it fell on the memorial off. We could place 2 park benches in there with plaques day after the anniversary of the first investiture of the Victoria Cross in on, in memory of loved ones. The benches are about £500 which Hyde Park in 1857. 9

MID PACIFIC NEWS

Following the request for copies in the November edition of Campaign, we were generously inundated with stuff. Thank you. However, because of the huge volume ot stufl the scanning schedule fell way behind what was promised. Sorry - but we are catching up. Delay was compounded by a spell of illness. Anyway. It will all happen but slower than promised. Ouch! I’m sorry that my promise went unfilled - a good intention that went wrong! Here is the list of what 1 have scanned. If you have any other editions please let me have them - but phone me first - and you will get them back! Eventually, they will appear on the BNTVA web site so that future generations can read our story. Great stuff. 21st 2nd 25th 13th 25tn 26th 12th 15th 18th 31st 23rd

1st 1st 4th

15th 3rd

January November November September December November March March Apnl May May May May June August December March Special Issue Megaton Test Souvear Edition Special Edition Wednesday May August - Final Edition

1958 1957 1957 1958 1958 1958 1957 1957 1957 1957 1957 1957 1957 1957 1957 1958

Years went past, this one’s my last I still can't quite believe just what they did Time went slow, all I've got to show Is a lousy pension for my widow and my kids So I thought you'd take a warning from one who's been hit hard About their atom plants, their testing sites, their fences and their guards Because the time-bomb is still ticking, right in your backyard If you knew what you were getting into Nothing would make you stay To pay the price you'll have to pay some day But they'll tell you it's safe, they'll swear that it's true They'll say. The risks are all acceptable - acceptable to who? They can't cover up the truth now, I feel it in my bones They can fool you with statistics, but you'll pay the price - Alone.

TRANSCRIPT OF MEETING WITH THE VET MINISTER AT THE MoD from page 2

1959

1957 1958 1957 1957

SORRY FOLKS! - We do not have any more space available again. A lot of stuff has had to be omitted this edition. But keep sending stuff. Thanks.

FOR WEB FRUIT AND NUT CASES! Try these two great sites - just brilliant www.flickr.comwww.britishpathe.com

‘I WAS THERE9 The BNTVA Book There is still time for you to write your own story - but please have your copy with me by 1st June 2006. Include any photographs you have. Be factual. Be accurate. So many Members have a story to tell - so lets get writing. Be famous! Be published! There is still

room for many more stories. Start writing!

MINISTER: I am coming to this with a completely open mind in a sense that I have been Minister here since last May, I am aware of issues affecting this matter because I have got a (BNTVA) memorial in my own constituency, I am aware of the issues and concerns there. I read your piece in Campaign magazine. Is this an abuse of power lies and shenanigans? I would just like to make it clear, from my point of view and I hope from yours, that everyone is honourable and decent, seeking to understand the issue of the grief that is causing you concern (and) seeking to give a response from the Department's point of view talking open (and) in an honest way. If you take that message back that, yes, I have an open mind and I’m seeking to understand the issues and this is why we have got this meeting today. And certainly from the point of view we are approaching it in an entirely open way, I'm not trying to deceive anybody or spin anything, or hide any thing whatsoever and let’s believe things come out in a full discussion and you have got a number of questions. Now I’m not sure we are going to get through all of these. What I suggest we do, we'll go through them. We’ll seek to give you answers now but what I will also do is depending how far we get to, is to write to you on each one counting the comments you have made today and the background notes I have been given by my officials on all basis of the questions you have submitted. CHAPLAIN: Right, I would like if I may to give you a three, four minuet preamble, it might be helpful, there is a long history to this. I have been chaplain now for 18 years and this has brought me into contact with a great many veterans and their families who perceive a sense of injustice. I have researched the issue and I am firm in the view, the Chairman and Derek will fill in greater detail more specifically. But I want to set this scene. You will know Minister, that more than 20,000 British Servicemen participated in the nuclear tests, at Montebello Christmas Island, Maralinga in Australia, 14,000 directly witnessed the explosions and the vast majority of those did not wear and were not issued with any protective clothing. There is a public information film, which I have seen, indicating what happened. In 1951, the Ministry of Defence said that there was an urgent need to test the impact of radiation on human

S ministries which would dispose any tribunal in favour of a claimant," to which Sir William Penny added, there was a need for adequate insurance for participating personnel especially against radioactive hazards without disclosure to insurance companies. And those documents are now in the public record. In 1990 coming up to date, as you will be aware the then Health Minister, Gillian Shepherd, said “there is no evidence, either medical or scientific to bring participation of the nuclear test programme to ill health which some of the participants have suffered. The motion for pensions was defeated on the ‘three line whip’ and labour voted entirely unanimously in favour of the pensions. Simply put the veterans think that this is a debt of honour and that fair and consistent pensions should be paid. It is true that in the past the waters have been mudded, by individuals, who thought they could get a crock of gold and go into the tabloids and so on, but that is not the issue, it is fair and consistent and what my colleagues were talking about was fair and consistent pensions. The veterans believe, that there is. and I have to say that having ministered to a great many of them over the years, a clear causal link between radioactive fallout and a wide range of sicknesses and that is surely widely accepted now both in the civilian and the military sphere. You'll be aware minister, that in 1988, when the US legislation was enacted to compensate veterans with a wide range of cancers and certain other conditions and the dependents of those that died. Congress accepted, and I think this is critical that absolute proof was hard to obtain and it was demeaning for living veterans who were ageing and for families of the dead especially the widows. Senator Rockefeller said, YVe know enough to act, it is time to bring a end to research and injustice to respond with recognition and compassion to what these people went through in the line of duty" and President Regan added, The nation is grateful for this act of service, enactment of this law makes clear the nations concern for their continuing welfare." What has been very difficult for the veterans and this BNTV Association to come to terms with, is that Labour in opposition had a very, very sympathetic stance towards the veterans and several undertakings were given. I myself spent half and hour, privately in the company of John Smith in Liverpool, he said lie was surprised in the veterans case and this is clearly astounding and we will put it right." Neil Kinnock, your predecessor in Wales, at the dedication of the Riska memorial said ’My god I had no idea it was as bad as that." That was after my speech. You all know the history. I

Acceptable Risks by Sqcl Leader Pooley Many years back, a dusty track And the trucks were winding down to the testing site They had a bomb out there, I still see it clear It turned night to day and day to endless night Eleven hundred soldiers ordered to parade Sent down towards that fireball, I still see it clear as day It wasn't what they told as, it was what they didn't say And if I knew what 1 was getting into Nothing would have made me stay To pay the price I have to pay today But they told me it was safe, and they swore that was true They said. The risks are all acceptable - acceptable to who? They marched as down, we all stood around And I think they knew what they didn't say out loud Our only shelter there was the desert air Hands on faces, backs to the deadly cloud Then the world went white, I swear I saw the bones in both my hands The ground was glowing cherry-red, so hot we couldn't stand Something deep inside me told me what the army planned And the deadly time-bomb started ticking Deep inside my bones it's clicking When you hear that sound you're quick to understand But they told me it was safe, and they swore that was true They said, The risks arc all acceptable - acceptable to who? 10

believe that the Americans were right, that we do know enough to act. These people are dvina 0ff now, they are ageing people, there is no consistency in the awards that have been nLn and its really an entirely unsatisfactory situation and I think we should take a lead from n irPartners and our allies and put this right for them. minister* John you have got some more specific information? CHAIRMAN* Yes. I’ve actually got two pages to add to that...

Vetaranc a rari at "S - £ency a9reed- 'Yes the two illnesses that Mr... is suffering from can be caused by nprcn. „Cause 1 said t0 this tribunal ,hat 1 d;d not see an7 ^.meters but there were HaH Vk 3 dreSSedWh'te SU'tS’ g0"les etC'(,ntemational si9ns were not on lhe 1 .Daen- l,he 4 1)0X65 tha*1 h*J to strap down and I had to sit on them all the way back a don ls'and t0 Christmas Island. After landing, the aircraft round to AWRE and more

^«««»»>.»Ms.WM„,1.Mod had in the mam . . . . I?*3 , ' . . 0 '/°u ve 9°' an island there and island there, so moving boxes simply did not bother to pamt deliberately deceive. A typical example being the claim that a total amount ol radiation given signs on them. (This was common practice) otl Irom all the tests was minuscule. When members attended a pension tribunals they often CHAIRMAN: Can I say I am one ol the people who is not claiming the pension, touch wood, tound that the panel often accept this claim by the MoD as gospel. there's nothing wrong with me You will understand that our main aim lor seeking this interview is to persuade ADVISOR: It's a particular issue, there the principle is they're actually independent, they have . in the main, that nuclear test veterans seeking war pensions are not allorded a lair an independent chairman, they're nothing to do with the MoD. they have an individual medical you hearing. It is often the thought that the criteria on which NORCROSS operates, when they member who is a service doctor but in many cases a completely independent doctor and they consider that claimants case does not fit with that criteria the claimant is referred to a tribunal. take a decision which is their independent judgement, they look at it from both sides and the However, even when that tribunal finds in favour of that claimant and a pension is awarded theory is that they are capable of reaching a judgement. As to your evidence is better than they refuse to accept the tribunals findings and they never amend their criteria We have met ours and they reach a view. But we can’t accept that judgement, it’s not ours to give or take with them and they have told us straight they do not agree with the tribunal, they will grant a and there is a right of appeal upward if you don’t like .... pension but the do not agree with the tribunals findings. We don t see how that can be right. TRIBUNALS OFFICER: And they just seems to refer every single case to a tribunal and that Especially when you have had two or three cases, identical. Men went out on the same statement definitely made, that’s right because you were there, they just do not seem to aeroplanes, sat next to each other, saw the same tests came back on the same aeroplane accept the tribunals findings although the issue of pensions......... and died of the same disease. We visited with the war pension but they stated if anybody else ADVISOR: There are two questions here of course, and one is the question that the tribunal comes up again they will still refuse. This last few years the association has handled a is entirely independent and comes to a conclusion that it is something that favours a payment number of cases where the claimants have been referred to a tribunal and has been and that the veterans agency isn’t acting in the v/ay it should act then it’s up to me to find the successful in 80% of them. This in itself suggests there is something wrong and that claims Minister of (Pensions) to investigate, and I will, and if you’re saying there are clear cases have been turned down without proper consideration. That the pension agencies are not where they are refusing to acknowledge where they should be acknowledging, then I will find applying the correct tests and are simply not doing the job correctly. that out. In the solicitors opinion it is employing doctors to undertake work which requires CHAIRMAN: Yes. sure legal training. Doctors simply look for a medical diagnosis, they don’t understand the concept ADVISOR: They are doing what the PAT are telling them what to do... or apply the terms, ‘reasonable doubt' All claims are entitled to receive the benefit of the CHAIRMAN: Yes we had two identical cases, one, a man flew to Christmas Island on an doubt however, the claimants themselves will tell you that this is not the case in most cases. I aeroplane, he witnessed two tests then flew back home again, I can’t remember what he died have with me a copy of the Radiation Exposure Crown Employers Bill from 1990, even at that of but he died of a cancer. His widow claimed a pension, it was put forward, and she got her time MP’s would argue that test veterans be given the benefit of the doubt. We consider that pension. And one week later he got another case and it was identical, same plane, same too much faith is placed in the NRPP reports and (the) methods used in the study may have tests, same plane back, same job, he died within three months of each other with the same been sound but that doesn't alter the fact that it was purely a statistic exercise and like all disease, and when it got to the tribunal, it was the same panel, they said we've had this such exercises the results are only as good as the information on which they are placed. before, and we went to the pensions agency with it and they said that the people would not There has been many published criticisms of the report. When studying death certificates held accept the tribunals findings, they would pay the pensions but if they got another identical by the BNTVA. Dundee University discovered an appreciative number of cases that case then they would turn that down as well. That can’t be right. which were not included in the NRPP study. How can it be that out of 3,000 members we CHAPLAIN: I think what the evidence shows that there is a lack of consistency, which is very locate more deaths from this cause than the NRPP can out of 22,000 participants. I suggest hard for sick people to understand. People who can give clear testimony as to the identical that the NRPB report is not accurate. Even if you do accept the NRPB’s findings, and you'll circumstances being dealt with in entirely different ways and it is that and the kind of agree that we don’t, there are problems as the pensions agency is most selective in applying obfuscation which that gives rise to and cause so much frustration and some of the the reports findings, a typical example being the incidents of leukaemia. In the NRPB report regrettable language that is being used. Because there is real frustration and anger about this there was concern expressed over the incidence of leukaemia amongst test veterans. In the ... The sad thing about it is when Mr Greenhalgh the solicitor, takes the cases up. he has a second NRPB report they were still concerned but a time limit of 25 years after participation at very, very good success rate, when veterans themselves take it up it is much more difficult, the test site was placed on claims. In the third NRPB report they removed the 25year He can present the case, he can give a legal background to it and he can persuade by limitation, however, (the) pensions (agency) are still applying that limitation They have never advocacy the independent panel. But there is no consistency in it, that is the trouble, I have, updated their criteria. without being emotive about it, I have administered some very, very, very sick people who ADVISOR: Would you be able to leave us a copy of that paper? have died angry, bitter and (feel) let down and that’s where I believe, the American CHAIRMAN: I would be happy to, I have it on computer. experience comes in because they took a decision that you cannot produce hard and fast ADVISOR: That would be helpful.... proof, why is it that if I smoke 40 cigarettes a day and you smoke 40 cigarettes a day and I CHAIRMAN: I also have just noted from the press that the MoD is prepared to pay get cancer and you don’t. Nobody can explain why and its exactly the same with this, two compensation to civilian workers. This is one of the questions. Where radiation doses records people got on the same plane one got ill, one didn't, well who can say why? The fact of the do exist and who have contracted or died from a form of cancer formed by the scheme as well matter is that one can delves very deeply this is a very, very murky area and its one which the as cataracts. Why is there not a similar scheme cannot be applied to service personnel for Americans decided it was demeaning to put through test after test and they made a great list whom a radiation dose record exists. Do you not think, Minister, that it is time for this of cancers among other things which were attested to be affected to be caused by radiation, government to consider the settlement of nuclear veterans claims and admit the wrongs of the And they said right, anybody who had served atomic veterans and to manifest these diseases past and make reparation for the injustice and injury? or disorders were automatically be paid a pension and also widows and that was a ............ MINISTER: May I just raise the point -1 don’t accept there is any attempt of deceitanybodies I know it's emotive but that’s what they did. past. I think you will agree we have acted properly with the information we have. Now you ADVISOR: Well first of all our scheme is evidence based and that I suppose is what the may not like the conclusions... NRPB investigations are about and you may query them and would need to update them, that CHAIRMAN: No is something we can look at. The principle is, we have rules that say if you have a certain MINISTER: Anymore than I or anybody else, but I hope you will accept, make it clear, that exposure that happened over a period of time, the classical case is asbestos they will accept from today, that we will be as open as you are with us, in responding to the points you have claims on asbestos dramatically, if somebody meets the criteria, then we all take up those. made. And if we act in good faith and we can do no more than, whichever conclusion we But on radiation exposure, it’s not true, I don’t think that we are indifferent to the civilian come to than being absolutely straight and honest. I’m not the Minister trying to deprive you of scheme in the sense that we would pay in the same circumstances effectively, if there was a what you are entitled to, what I have to do is, if I was to agree that after some point if Nicholas level of exposure testified, and a particular condition of a cancer which was related to and I discuss I have got to demonstrate that if it is justifiable.... exposure from radiation, then we would pay and we are in exactly the same position in that CHAIRMAN: Its just how we feel, and some of the answers are not deep enough, let me put it respect. The difficulty is that so far the NRPB investigations haven't shown the link that you that way. are arguing that there are and because we are an evidence based scheme we depend on that MINISTER: Yes, but I do accept that we are being honest, and straight. we can't accept liability just on the basis of what we do we look at nuclear test veterans, we TRIBUNALS OFFICER: I reflect on what John was saying about tribunals, I don’t think its so look at a comparative population ... and so far we... much the veterans agency (but) from the tribunal people. We are not on a level playing field CHAIRMAN: What we are saying about the NRPB is that they appear to include. I witnessed regarding the reasonable doubt. Last week I did a tribunal for a chappie who was rained on three tests. Grapple one, two and three. We have been told by the MoD that that actually straight after the test in November 1957. The MoD did not issue any radiation warning at all to means that in the NRPB report I am three separate people, because I witnessed three tests, the 'whole Christmas Island during that period. The people sat down at the side of the table That makes a nonsense of the report because if I did get cancer I would only have it once I and asked, Have you got any radiation readings9” Now this chap was in the Navy, where wouldn’t have it three times. was he going to get a geiger counter from anyway to take radiation readings? How can TRIBUNALS OFFICER: A chap called ... on the American tests and they were testing on ordinary servicemen get readings? They turned him down because he couldn’t come up with Christmas Island. He was counted 26 times. any radiation readings. In other words they were saying that (the) veterans agency couldnt ADVISOR: The associations legal advisers have itemised my judgement pretty well, (and) because they couldnt supply the radiation readings and we couldnt supply any. What the comprehensively demolished the methodology used by the NRPB both in the relation of miss chap was suffering from was fuelled by radiation. He (had) got letters from specialists saying counting, double countinq treble countinq and more and also in the criteria of death this. But they turned him down. (In) my own case. I suffer from two illnesses which the certificates that they haven't used and so on. 11

CHAIRMAN: Yes. that’s where we found this business about being used three or four times and when we phoned the MoD they said yes, that’s nght, that was word of mouth. TRIBUNALS OFFICER: What actually said that you’re less likely to get cancer if you’re a nuclear test veteran than the rest of the population and that is so manifesting non-sensible, because I've seen these people. I’ve been with these people. Its quite extraordinary that the link isn’t accepted, and why is it that workers at Sellerfield is accidentally exposed he doesn't only get a pension he gets massive compensation press did this and the exposure of these guys had in T-shirt, sandals and shorts, turn your back away from the blast, the numbers of them that testified that with eyes shut with their back to the blast, it was like double daylight and you could see bones through the flesh, it was the most extraordinary searing thing and then out comes the public information film, saying, that in order to protect against hazards all these people are given a tiny, tiny proportion were given protective clothing and the thousands of people.... CHAIRMAN: These would not protect you from radiation, would it? The cotton suit will not protect you against radiation, it would protect you against fallout, but radiation would go straight through it. TRIBUNALS OFFICER: Not space suit things it was just to reassure the public... ADVISOR: You’re right it was about fallout and dust, people were given suits generally speaking to the extent that they were the exposure was going to be testified and the argument was at the time, the question is, is that sustainable that the people who were not given suits didn't need them and that because the level of exposure was low. That's the difference with Sellafield people is that they were working there 250 days a year, or whatever it is. and you may live in the area, quite a different order to somebody who witnessed even three tests in Chnstmas Island.... TRIBUNALS OFFICER: Out of all the sick veterans that I have been dealing with, not one of them had protective clothing. They witnessed.... ADVISOR: The question is are the cancers that we are looking at cancers that would have arisen in the normal course of life or are they something derives from...... CHAPLAIN: Congress said that was unjust. So many died with these old age cancers at young ages.... Technically, it shouldn’t be un-provable. cause in effect is very difficult after this passage of time. ADVISOR: Technically you would expect a higher level of deaths if there really is this radiation effects among veterans, you would expect a higher level of deaths from the key cancers. CHAIRMAN: If the information being put in the stuff is incorrect and if you put in 22,000 when there is only 15 and a half thousand, and then you're putting it in against a control group of 24.000 then your findings are going to be wrong. The solicitors said they can prove that that 22.000 is incorrect.... MINISTER: Let us look at the NRPB studies we can certainly look at those and look at whether we need to redo the evidence.... CHAIRAMN: The other thing is, and the argument of course is, a number of cases where they put things down to a chance finding. Every time you will find it is something that they've found that was in favour for the nuclear test veterans. They put it down to a chance finding. Yes, you will find they will not investigate it any further. MINISTER: Well I'll have to go through the report I'm afraid. TRIBUNALS OFFICER: It would be useful because it just seems that every time you say that there are more cases of these cancers than there are amongst the things but this is a chance finding. CHAIRMAN: Yes this is true ... CHAPLAIN: You were making the point after what Derek was saying about ground zero and the affects would have been apparent but I would remind you of the director of trials planning paper, which I quoted at the beginning which said the point of this is that ill effects may be very long delayed that people could have been showered with radiation fallout and would be totally unaware of it. Ill effects can be very long delay, we know what terribly insidious substance this is but you've only got to look at Chernobyl that is more poisonous now than it was straight after the explosion. We are in the realms of the unknown but what we do know beyond the slightest doubt, there was a report in today’s paper about an overdose of radiation at a hospital and somebody has to pay the consequences, and what we do know is that there is a lethal connection between radiation and a certain kind of illness and....... TRIBUNALS OFFICER: Certain amount of radiation and I think one the issues is the context in a sense that you and I are very different ages, which certainly the exposure I got from going to the dentist was probably out of all proportion of what I got and going to Christmas Island and one of the good reasons why dental procedures change is, I'm guessing is through radiation from exposure. ADVISOR: It’s like the X-ray machines in shoe shops. So that is what we are talking about is was the level of radiation exposure that people might have been subject to at the bottom and top end and going to extremes. This central risk of changing the incidence of certain cancers or what are the other factors there in peoples lives, like, you know if you live in Cornwall and you're exposed to radiation from the rock, is very significant, much more significant than ... there is balance in these things and looking at how important what happened with these particular incidence in terms of the total life dose. And what the risk is. CHAIRMAN: If the NRPB report has split the tests instead of lumping them together and done Maralinga and Montebello separately and Christmas Island and Malden Island. Now I was at Malden Island and I think through reading that Malden Island tests were a lot safer than other ones. I will accept that, for one thing we were further away. We were supposed to be 35 miles away and we weren't. Nobody has quite explained why they just said they can’t find out when the rules were changed, but we were 22 and a half but we were still 22 and a half miles away which is a lot further than 5 or 6 miles away. So if nobody was affected at all at Malden Island then this alters the figures for Maralinga because we know that it was contaminated because to this day it is contaminated. MINISTER: Another point about the NRPB trials, if you have a concern that a cute case has been buried in the mass because some people are at higher risk than others then that is something we can again look at.

12

TRIBUNALS OFFICER: I was part of a 4 man flight team. Squadron Leader Hurse he died of cancer of the colon. But the other two, I can't find them anywhere, there's just mo left. Okay I’m going into 73 but they’ve disappeared off the face of the earth. ADVISOR: The MoD that’s your reference to the potential liability and so on and so forth, I’d like to know more about that. TRIBUNALS OFFICER: This emerged from under the 30 year rules is that right? ADVISOR: Yes we will follow that through if we can. CHAPLAIN: The difficulty is, Minister and you’ll understand, John and Derek and many, many of the veterans are extremely articulate concerned people with a real interest. When you are taking on things like the NRPB they just felt very, very put down by the letters they have received, and quite frankly the way in which this has been dealt with, on the few occasions that it has come on the floor of the House of Commons, some of the words that have been put in some of the ministers mouths the low point was 1990, debate of course and it’s very, very difficult to take on these institutions particularly the learned institutions like the NRPP. And it was precisely for that reason that J Rockefeller was successful in persuading congress that actually, if you’re going to go on standards of evidence you just won’t be able to do it not after those ... it was in 1998. The language they changed the whole tenor of the discussion from scientific proof to a death of honour and of course that chimed very well with Reagan's philosophy . It was extraordinary that the most right-wing American President to the present one. in living memory, was the one with attitude with just... what I fear is that we are going to pick over little bits of the NRPB report and the methodology and the rest of it and at the end of the day they are going to say, yes well maybe or this might be a freak finding or people in Hartlepool are just as likely to get cancer as on Christmas Island. Actually these guys were serving the Crown, 7,8.9,10 years after Nagasaki and Hiroshima the dangers were known. The stuff at the time it is imperative to ascertain the effect on men and machinery and so on, I speak as a Priest not as a politician, I think it would be a very popular cause by the way. I have dedicated 17 memorials and in every single case the members of parliament have been there, members of all parties. Some very senior exservice officers. And they say “My God, why didn't we know?" MINISTER: I take the point you made I wouldn’t intend to tinker around with the NRPP report but what I want to understand, because I am given advice by my officials who are acting on good faith on the information we have got, you’ve come here today casting some doubting on the methodology of the other report and it isn’t the exercise of tinkering with this and getting that right, I want to understand that if there is any doubt that reinforces any doubt that I might have. Now the other issue how we might resolve this, that you suggest, is separate from that. I just want to understand clearly if there is any doubts about the NRPB report were it lead my officials provide Ministers that this is a sound argument to put. ADVISOR: That’s where I come in, from where I am coming at it, if there are not we have a problem. MINISTER: I agree, If we come with some facts and figures and we test it against what we know and we come back and say sorry boys, you're wrong this is right, the issue is still there and I'll accept that. But I want to understand that if, in anyway, our judgments have been coloured to the extent with your suggestion John that the basis for this is not sound. CHAPLAIN: When officials have said 'yes’ but this is anecdotal, anecdotal is me sitting beside somebody who is coughing their lungs up. The skins peeling and flaking off, this is sort of thing, this is anecdotal but it's anecdotal on a very human basis. ADVISOR: The novelty is, we have had a lot of people say, and are as convincing as you. that my service which has given rise to a particular condition which is anecdotal to ... and if we don't have evidence of that then we are spending amounts of money on compensation if there is no scientific evidence of a link between the two then there is just a whole draft of issues which... CHAPLAIN: Nobody has used the word compensation... ADVISOR: Well, we are talking about fair and consistent pensions... CHAPLAIN: The waters have been muddied over the years and people saying they're going to open bars and haciendas in Spain on the compensation. ADVISOR: I think compensation in a sense that a war pension is a payment for disablement due to services. That’s what we are talking about. I get a lot of people come in and say that this particular act that we took part in, in the Armed forces during my services has given rise to the condition, there is evidence for it this is anecdotal and I'm convinced it was, and many of the cases are very sympathetic but it is very difficult to .... when you open the doors to sympathetic treatment they can open very wide. CHAPLAIN: Yes, we are talking about the remains of the 15,000 or so veterans that directly witnessed tests who have never been treated as a distinct, discrete group by the NRPB, by the way, they have always put 22,000 or so, however that will immerge. There is a sufficient reasonable balance of probability of association that’s what they decided in the United States. That is the question. THE MINISTER LEFT TO GO TO THE HOUSE TO VOTE AND RETURNED IMMEDAITELYAFTER VOTING CHAIRMAN: One of the reasons why there were 22,000 was that Mrs Thatcher wanted everybody included even people who had been out there, laid and striped the tarmac, never witnessed a test and they were all included in the NRPP report, because Mrs Thatcher said, surely you want all your friends included. ADVISOR: This is an issue which we can look at. If there are people that shouldn’t be in the trial then we can look at that. CHAIRMAN: What bothers us. I was at Malden Island and after they had dropped the bomb 10.30 in the morning, and they kept us on the upper deck for three hours and they couldn’t go to the toilet, three minutes we were allowed, they landed us for a walk round about 4.o’clock. Now the people who were station on the island were taken off while the bomb was dropped and then landed back on the island to do their work. They were on the same part of the island as we were, on the same beach. They had a dose stamp in their pay books, we were there at the same time but we have no records. ADVISOR: You have no record, without a record we can’t accept it. MINISTER: No, AWE have records of some they can replicate them from people who were there at the same time. So it may be sensible.... CHAIRMAN: The whole of the crew....

ADVISOR: They may havo had their dose record but it may actually be well below the criteria for this scheme. MINISTER: Would it help if we wrote to you on that point. The dose records could be made available. CHAIRMAN: Yes ADVISOR: But it's not just a question of having a dose record it has to be..... MINISTER: Okay are you happy that we move on and leave that, we will write to you to gjve you information and then you come back if you challenge anything of it and say if you have any other concerns. On to question two • Our understanding that those people who were closest to the blast area and those likely to be exposed were provided with protective clothing. I know that this is something you are disputing, and have seen films were people were just wearing shorts and nothing else. The understanding, and the AWE's understanding that those who v/ere going to be potentially in an exposed position were provided with anti-flash gear and other protective clothing. There is also an element they were looking to see what was possibly the best clothing and that’s why some people, who were not in an exposed area were wearing sub clothing next to people who were.... CHAPLAIN: A point I quoted earlier it is imperative to test the affects of radio active fallout on man and machines with and without protection. CHAIRAMAN: As far as I'm concerned this is a question I can't understand, why was it necessary to have 3.600 people to witness test on Mullen Island. MINISTER: Who are you writing to for this information? CHAIRMAN: We used to write to Minister’s Moony and Ivor Caplin, you said all the reply’s come from other people. MINISTER: You are talking about questions of being released under FOI. that only came into effect a year ago so wouldn't apply. We have been releasing information under the FOI... I think the AWE have probably been dealing with this direct. I can certainly take it up... Let's lake it up and if you want to add anything.... TRIBUNALS OFFICER: The nub of that question is the strong believe and presumption of the veterans, the figures used by the NRPP but their methodology is grossly inflated. MINISTER: Our understanding is under data protection and you can write personally to the NRPB for the information that is held about you and that under data protection they.... CHAIRMAN: They simply refuse to give iP Suppose I served on the Narvik, she went out tnree times, at Montebello and then they later looked for control group for the Christmas Island I would no longer be on the Narvik I would be another ship, what proof is there that I was not in control groups? It wasn't until 25 years later that they found out that I was on Christmas Island control group. I read something the other day. I can't find it. I read that there were 20 people who were applying for pensions at the time that they comply the... group and because the papers were missing they didn’t include them in the NRPP, they can’t prove this ... ADVISOR: I think the NRPB report accepted that they located 85%. CHAIRMAN: You see that is what they said about... how she managed to locate people but they couldn’t but they were members of the BNTVA9 ADVISOR: In a way I don’t think the exclusion is so significant, that provided you get a number of people who were there, you are going to get data on cancers, the issue more as I agree as they include people who didn’t have exposures but that would certainly dilute the samples, alternatively you will also say that those people who were at the test in the control group and that would also..... MINISTER: Can I make it quite clear, as far as I’m concerned, that we should cooperate in giving you the information that you are asking for. Otherwise there is no transparency about this we are not going to trust each other at all. What we will do if you can detail it. we will respond and if you want to come back and say in response in point six in this specific case we ,v.:i look at those specific issues to go further into it again. CHAIRMAN: This is - one why was there 3,600 men needed to witness the Malden Island tests? ADVISOR: I think the view taken it would be too difficult to take off the island the people who weren't actually key to the tests, take them somewhere to a safe distance and then bring them back. The view taken that the risks and the amount of exposure would be such as to make it actually better to .... TRIBUNAL OFFICER: Everybody who were on the island and the men who were stationed mere they buried their equipment before they went on board the ships, that John was on. ADVISOR: The simple question is not the fact, whether they were there or not is going to be a tffficult judgement to make, the fact is they were there and the question is was the fact that they were there, sufficient enough to have affected their....... MINISTER: We will reply to all the questions in detail. I suggest we meet again.

Saturday 24th June 2006 Dedication of BNTVA Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum 14.00 hrs The Arboretum is located between Lichfield and Burton on Trent, just off the A38 on the A513 signposted for Tamworth.

6A 2>ay to always JR e m e m b e jr’

Roy Howard from Rackheath sends another addition to the books written about the atomic tests. ‘Maralinga - the Legacy' was published by Fontana 1982 in their Australian branch. ISBN 0 00 636 3911. Thanks, Roy. Then again, we were reminded about these ones as well as the several written by BNTVA founding member Ken McGinley. Oom Gx*an end M<dnt

lEc'y There were dilhculbes in transcription from the tape recording and we cannot guarantee 100 i accuracy Where.. are that means the tape is undecipherable because several people were talking at the same time)

Hi

British War Causalities Boer War WWI Korean War WWII Kenya - Mau Mau Falkland War Northern Ireland Gulf War I Former Yugoslavia Afghanistan Gulf War II - Iraqi (1st March 06)

671 47 70 4 so far 103 so far

Nuclear Tests (Cold War)

8,000?

22,00

908,400 1,078 280,00 26

TESTING BRITAIN’S

FIRST H-BOMB

239

AlKYKB marshal

..... 1 OAIMWUR ‘ •UI'M IHIRn ’V.. J| |,%|sN •

13

r* »►

REQUIRED READING FOR VETERANS OK! Chaps - run - yes

TIM SLESSOR

RUN - come on then run faster - and queue up in an orderly fashion Oh! OK! Get your zimmer frame out and use some WD40 on it, and shuffle along to your local library and get this book. It says what we all know - that successive governments spend our money on spin, lies and deceit and hates ‘the public’ with an enquiring mind.

David Small, ISBN 0*86146-0871 1993 / Maralinga ISBN 0-00-6363911

LYING IN STATE HOW WHITEHALL DENIES OlSSfMSies AND DECEIVES n*

C«*w io f.-( uv.' A’Iaj

This really is a ‘must read. ’ £8.99

Lying in State by Tim Slessor, Aurum Press ISBN 1-84513-030-8

“A marvellously researched and deeply shocking book; it should be required reading for all who labour in Whitehall, civil servants and ministers alike’ LUDOVIC KENNEDY

A USA NUKE VETERAN’S STORY An increasing number of people around the world are readers of Campaign. Here is a story from one reader in USA.

BNTVA Member Charles Hall has some copies of his book - ‘Megaton Mornings’ available for only £5.00 including postage. Address: Charles Hall, Chase Cottage, The Chase, Ashington, Rochford, Essex SS4 3JE

Louis Cohen of Louisville

Kentucky I was born on July 1, 1932 in Louisville, Kentucky, where I have lived all of my life. In 1955, I finished law school, passed the bar exam, and drafted into the army June 4, 1956, and discharged March 3, 1958. My basic training took place in Fort Lewis, Washington. On the aptitude tests that the army administered, I scored highly on the morse code. Though I didn’t know it at the time, I was bound for the signal corps. A friend from law school, who was also stationed at Fort Gordon Signal Corps School in Georgia, tried to arrange for me to stay there. But his commanders told him that I was on “pipe line orders,” and destined for the Signal Corps of the Army. From there I went to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. It had been an Indian war fort, and was a basic training post for blacks before President Truman integrated the military. Camp Desert Rock was the US army post outside the Atomic Energy Commission Site. This was where the last series of surface atomic bomb tests were staged. The mission was to demonstrate to troops that they could survive atomic bomb tests. This was the era of the Cold War, and the public greatly feared the possibility of atomic bomb attacks. People built bomb shelters in their back yards, and certain concrete and brick office buildings (both private and public) were designated as bomb shelters. Basements were filled boxes of drinking water containers, dry food rations, portable toilets and toilet paper. In the 1970s, I was part owner of a downtown office building in Louisville; I found these abandoned Cold War relics in our basement. Camp Desert Rock was somewhat primitive. The showers, shaving washbasin and toilets were all in one very large open room building. What an atmosphere! At one end of the building, men were showering and in the next area, men were shaving, and at the other end, men were at the toilets - all in an open space.

DVD - SILKWOOD Like most people in her town, Karen Silkwood worked at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium. Exposed one day to a lethal dose of radiation, Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial whilst coming to terms that she will suffer a painful and lingering death as a result of company negligence. As her illness increases, her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be. But Karen is too spirited to be silenced and takes on the Plant with devastating consequences. This is a remarkable and poignant true story of one woman's struggle to tell the truth at all costs.

Available on DVD and tape from your local Video Store. Worth watching. Worth doing something about the Brit cover up.

14

i

There was no running water. All water was trucked in and pumped up to water towers. The water pressure was created by the falling water. We were constantly reminded to conserve water as it cost seventeen cents per gallon. We lived in Quonsct huts: curved roof building with doors at each end and no windows. There were about fitly soldiers doublebunked in each Quonset hut. They were extremely hot and we woke up many mornings soaked with sweat. We were signal corps troops and our mission was to provide communication in the trenches where the troops stayed for a bomb blast. We were permanent personnel, which meant we were there for the entire series of bomb blasts. Other troops, such as Marines, sailors and airborne troops came in long enough to experience one or two tests. Our signal corps troops put in loud speakers and radio communications, and sounded a count-down to the troops in the trenches. As permanent personnel w'c did not have to stay in camp overnight if there was a longer interval between blasts. Camp Desert Rock was about sixty miles from Las Vegas and a few of us had our personal cars on post. About a week before the tests started six of us were allowed to drive to Las Vegas from Fort Huachuca, and leave our cars there until the entire company went to Camp Desert Rock in convoy. The next day after we drove our cars to Las Vegas (we slept on the floor of an officer’s apartment), we were flown back to Fort Huachuca in a small plane that was attached to our company. Four of us rented a trailer in a trailer park that had an outdoor swimming pool for $40 per month, $10 each. The trailer was air conditioned by water flowing through a screen in back of which was a fan. At that time, gambling was done with silver dollars, and no matter where we went - restaurants, gas stations, and so forth - we always received our change in silver dollars, I presume to encourage us to gamble. We were all privates and our net pay was S94 per month, so we did little gambling. The Las Vegas strip was about a couple of miles long in those days, and less than twenty nightclubs and hotels - nothing of the magnitude of Las Vegas today. One weekend five of us drove to one of the hotels on the edge of the strip, detenu in ed to have one drink at each hotel until we got back to downtown Las Vegas. Thank goodness we fell short of our goal. The hotel shows had big name entertainers - I do not recall who, but they were well known people. There was a three or four dollar cover charge, but you received a mixed drink for every dollar of the cover charge. When a blast was scheduled we would drive through a checkpoint into the Atomic Energy compound. Our jeeps were searched, and no cameras were allowed. The engineers had dug trenches where the visiting military people would stand when the blast came. The idea was that if you were below grade you were relatively safe and this was the object lesson to the troops. The winds were constantly tested to determine in what direction the air would flow. If it was expected that it was going to blow toward Las Vegas or any other populated area, the test was delayed until the wind currents were safe (?). We all wore badges to get a reading of radioactivity and the badges were read periodically. I recall that a few soldiers in our company had received a high enough reading that they were shipped out to other duty. The blast was at the top of a large tower-like structure made of steel. They looked like oil derricks and were 300 feet to 500 feet tall. They had an elevator to take the bomb to the top. A day or so after a blast, we were allowed to go to ground zero where we would find that the tower had been vaporized, and there was no sign of its existence. On the ground were small glass-like pellets that had been created by the heat on the sand. The vaporizing of these towers was the most impressive thing I recall. We were as close as three miles and as far away as twenty-seven miles from ground zero. At twenty-seven miles we were allowed to stand upright above ground, with our backs to ground zero. At that distance the blast raised the loose sand about eighteen inches. The shock wave came within a few seconds after the blast. The test

scries ran from April 24,1957 to March 14, 1957. We returned to Fort Huachuca in 1958, after the last blast. The biggest blast was Smokcy" August 31, 1957. I had a skin cancer in 1969 but the doctors were sure it was unrelated to the bomb tests. Other veterans suffered from leukemia and there was a great deal of litigation, attempts at legislation, benefits having been denied by the Veterans Administration, generally unsuccessful as far as I know. It is good to link up with you all and share my story'. Louis Cohen

Q 11 R£TIR€MHT fiiOC I protest

<rJSPp^ ‘What do n r want?

W hy did we come here? What were we saying?'

© Matt Daily Telegraph 16/05/05

Nearly the 'Last Word'

Son of Veteran Frank Reverend Jim Craig Community Arts Chaplain Gateshead_ _ _ i I carry in my pocket a very small object that sits there alongside the coins, chewing gum and other sundry items that happen to be there. It’s rather an odd thing for me to be holding on to, as it is neither an object of beauty nor of an object of value. It is not something that has a utilitarian purpose. The object in question is a very small piece of brown bottle which I picked up from the beach at Alnmouth, Northumberland. I’m not ordinarily a beachcomber, and unlike my dad I have no fascination for geology. However, every now and then an object screams out at me - usually something very ordinary, or of little value, and therefore ignored by most people. Whenever we think of broken glass we imagine its sharpness and the danger it threatens to our fragile skin. However, this piece of glass has been worn down by the action of the waves; it’s sharpness is gone. What is left is a bit of a paradox - a object of brokenness which has become for me an object of beauty. There is a saying: a diamond that is not chiselled or polished is not an article of beauty. I hope that this will ring true for many of you. There is something about the difficult episodes in our lives that have the potential make us people of great beauty. There may be pain involved in this process, but most of the discomfort often arises out of our own stubbornness as individuals. I hope that whatever injustice you experience as a British Nuclear Test Veteran, you will also take time to experience the beauty that such hardship has brought you. Whatever your understanding of ‘salvation' is, I believe it really only begins when we allow God to have the last word. Christianity is at the very least a movable feast which helps you discover beauty in the most unexpected places. Even the sight of a broken body on a cross. 15

Captain Birds Eye's Intrepid Journey

• - !'

pIk

Peace festival, which look place at venues across the city in November. The English Arts Council kindly provided funding f0r the play.

„

y*

|

The moving play was performed in front of students at Leeds University on the 18th November, and then at the Civic Hall on the 20th. Around 30 or so veterans and their families were present in a wider audience. The 8 actors brilliantly brought to life the very human stories involved in the tests, and the moving stoiics of health problems since then. The experiences of veteran’s wives and children was also given. The Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds opened the performance noting the support of Leeds City Council for the BNTVA. The Council passed a resolution of support for the BNTVA in 2001, and Lord Mayors, local MPs and local councillors and officers have sought to support the annual remembrance service at Leeds Parish Church and with ' . .r events. The play was considered a resounding success by the audience and opportunity was given to feedback on the content of it. Paul Brown and Lucy Skilbcck both noted they would be looking to perform the play again in Leeds and in other UK cities in 2006 and 2007. Sean Morris Emergency Planning Officer Peace and Emergency Planning Unit Leeds City Council

Lone sailor BNTVA Vet Derick Redfern look delivery of his catamaran and sailed it solo on the epic 800 miles from Scotland to Plymouth via the North Sea & English Channel, sometimes facing Force 9 gales. “/’/>/ really enjoying it, ” he told the Editor when he visited him on an overnight stop at Lowestoft on a really cold November 2005 evening. Derick R did his sailing training at the Royal Hospital School near Ipswich before joining the Royal Navy.

IMALIflflfROJECT •

LEEDS HOSTS UK PREMIERE OF NUCLEAR TEST VETS PLAY On Sunday 20th November in Leeds Civic Hail, members of the Yorkshire BNTVA, along with the Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds and local Leeds citizens, watched the UK premiere of the play 'Half a life - the Maralinga Project1 The play was brought to Leeds by the Bluetongue Theatre Company, led by the West End theatre director Lucy Skilbcck. It was written by Paul Brown, an Australian who has worked with veterans in Australia and the UK who were present at the first nuclear tests at Maralinga, Australia. The Maralinga Project was devised first in Australia with support from the Australian Nuclear Test Veterans Association and the Australian Arts Council. It is a verbatim play where actors dramatically read out the experiences of veterans during the tests, and charts their health problems and the problems in receiving recognition and compensation for the illnesses they have incurred. The play 'Half a life' was first shown in the Adelaide Arts Festival in 2004, and there have been further performances in other Australian cities. The Project was expanded to the UK, where interviews were given by UK veterans who had been stationed at Maralinga. The play was supported by Leeds formed part of the Leeds Together for

ARE YOU READING 'LYING IN STATE'? IF NOT - WHY NOT? Ed"": " “

lYIVfi IN STATE

iThw!.'CwTncIS

NRS 9EH

d° ° rePr®senl °fficial BNTVA policy and are the sole responsibility of

IF UNDELIVERED - RETURN TO B Smith 11 Holyknowe Crescent Glasgow G66 7DY

Captain Birds Eye's Intrepid Journey

Peace festival, which look place at venues across the city jn November. The English Ar.s Council kindly provided funding ft, ' The'moving play was performed in from of sludenls M Leeds University on the 18th November, and then at the Civic Hall on the 20th. Around 30 or so veterans and their fam.l.cs were present in a wider audience. The 8 actors brilliantly brought to life the vc^ human stories involved in the tests, and the moving stones of health problems since then. The experiences of veteran s w.vcs and children was also given. , , r The Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds opened the pciloimancc noting the support of Leeds City Council for the BNTVA. The Council passed a resolution of support for the BN TVA in 2001, and Lord Mayors, local MPs and local councillors and officers have sought to support the annual remembrance service at Leeds Parish Church and with r .revents. The play was considered a resounding success by the audience and opportunity was given to feedback on the content ol it. Paul Brown and Lucy Skilbeck both noted they would be looking to perform the play again in Leeds and in other UK cities in 2006 and 2007.

illfTP

n

Lone sailor BNTVA Vet Derick Redfem took delivery' of his catamaran and sailed it solo on the epic 800 miles from Scotland to

Scan Morris Emergency Planning Officer Peace and Emergency Planning Unit Leeds City Council

Dear Member, If you live in the Bristol area and enquired some time ago about having a BNTVA Memorial Stone in the greater Bristol area, due to your lost letter, please now make immediate contact with: Honorary President Peter Fletcher MBE, 11 Lord Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 2SJ Tel.VFax: 01744 630 612 *

tii '■

LEEDS HOSTS UK PREMIERE OF

NUCLEAR TEST VETS PLAY On Sunday 20th November in Leeds Civic Hall, members of the Yorkshire BNTVA, along with the Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds and local Leeds citizens, watched the UK premiere of the play ’Half a life - the Maralinga Project’ The play was brought to Leeds by the Bluetongue Theatre Company, led by the West End theatre director Lucy Skilbeck. It was written by Paul Brown, an Australian who has worked with veterans in Australia and the UK who were present at the first nuclear tests at Maralinga, Australia. The Maralinga Project was devised first in Australia with support from the Australian Nuclear Test Veterans Association and the Australian Arts Council. It is a verbatim play where actors dramatically read out the experiences of veterans during the tests, and chans their health problems and the problems in receiving recognition and compensation for the illnesses they have incurred. The play ’Half a life’ was first shown in the Adelaide Arts Festival in 2004, and there have been further performances in other Australian cities. The Project was expanded to the UK, where interviews were given by UK veterans who had been stationed at Maralinga. The play was supported by Leeds formed part of the Leeds Together for

ARE YOU READING 'LYING IN STATE'? IF NOT - WHY NOT? Campaign magazine Is published by the British Nuclear Tests Veterans Association. Editor. Revd John Walden 11 Hemmings Close Norwich NR5 9EH e-mail: reverendjohnw@fsmail.net Next issue copy deadline 1st May 2006. BNTVA is not an anti-nuclear . 3nti*war association. All opinions, views and

r wlr ZrefTm

al BNTVA P0licy and are lhe sole responsibility of

the writer. Photographs and ,mages - & Copyright of owner acknowledged. transcripts InWAiH'ToT,W any repr°ductio" °f lelters ' /

IF UNDELIVERED - RETURN TO B Smith 11 Holyknowe Crescent LojMJoxtowti Glasgow G66 7DY