Paradise Lost

National Service was a complete pain to most conscripts. However, I was lucky and felt very grateful to Her Majesty’s Government for posting me as dental officer to Christmas Island in the Pacific. They must have wanted to get rid of me as it could not have been further from dear old blighty, so I set off with the entreaty to make sure I got to Christmas Island by Easter and not Easter Island by Christmas.

By Peter Foreman (43-50)

On the flight disaster struck in the form of a tap on the shoulder by the senior officer to inform me that only the cavalry wore turnups in their trousers and I should do something about it. So much for kitting myself out at Millets! What was to be done? A needle and thread were not available at most airports so I hit upon the idea of turning the trouser bottoms in over, securing them with adhesive tape and praying that it did not rain. My luck held and we then flew out across the Pacific, an ocean which seems to go on forever; I now know how Magellan must have felt!

Eventually we got our first view of the island which was to be home for the next 10 months. Emerging onto the tarmac we were ushered into a hut and briefed about the island, its history, the present inhabitants and the general routine of life, not to mention the bomb. At this stage an airman came in carrying, very carefully I might add, an enormous land crab. We were informed that these would be our nocturnal companions for the rest of our stay and it would be a good idea to get our beds lifted onto orange boxes as it was very difficult to ensure that they did not venture into our sleeping accommodation, which at that time was tents sleeping three at a time.

Paradise Lost Memories of Christmas Island

Christmas Island (now Kiribati) circa 1957 An example of the three H-bombs dropped on Christmas Island in 1957

At this point I should mention our whole purpose for being on the island. I mean of course the bomb. There were two hydrogen bomb explosions while I was there and two atom bomb explosions. For days before the planned explosion the waters around the island had to be searched and cleared of all shipping, large or small. On the day of the actual drop all personnel had to be accounted for well in advance of the allotted hour. Anti flash suits were issued but I am not sure if this had always been the case on earlier drops. The count of personnel started so early that we never bothered going to bed. Everyone had to be in position by sunrise or the operation would be cancelled. We then waited, listening to the loud speaker system keeping us in touch with progress. Eventually an announcement informed us that the plane carrying the bomb was circling over our heads and had to gain height before dropping the bomb about 30 miles away. We were told when the bomb was to be released and had to turn with our backs to the flash, close our eyes and hold our gloved hands over them. After dropping the bomb there was a countdown to the flash.

The explosion of hydrogen bombs which were really spectacular (the smaller atomic bombs such as the ones dropped on Japan during the second world war, were insignificant by comparison): I shall never forget the vision of all the bones in my fingers showing up as if in an x-ray. We had been warned that after the flash there would be a few minutes before the sound reached us. Under no circumstances was anyone to turn round and look at the mushroom cloud until informed that it was safe to do so. There was also the little matter of the blast wave. On a previous drop this had been overlooked and the men sheltering under the palm trees were suddenly subject to an unexpected bombardment of coconuts as the palm trees bent over. The mushroom cloud was spectacular but unfortunately we were not allowed to photograph it. On one occasion there was a change in wind direction and the cloud started coming towards us. There was an orderly scramble for the emergency boats but fortunately the wind changed again and the emergency was over. One little matter remained at the hospital. Someone had to release the cats which I understand had been locked away in filing cabinets for their own safety. They were not very happy about it all. In our spare time most of us used the swimming facilities. One of my part-time jobs was life guard duty at the swimming lagoon. This involved paddling a surf board around and chasing the sting rays into deeper water in case anyone stood on one. There were not many of them but they had poisonous barbs down their tails and it was advisable to wear old sandshoes for safety. There was also a small lagoon given over to waterskiing. One day the outboard motor on the ski boat hit a large fish, possibly a shark but the water was too murky to be sure. The result was that the engine was knocked completely out of the water and the boat came to a halt. This left the poor skier floundering about not knowing what had happened. After a few minutes of frantic activity, the engine was started again with no harm to anyone.

Eventually my period of duty was over and the time came for my return home. My time on the island had been very interesting but I was tired of the heat and longed to return home to family and friends. The flight back was via Vancouver and Goose Bay. It was there that we had the strike and refused to board the plane. Regulations state that personnel must have a meal break after a certain length of time. At Goose Bay we suspected that they would try to take off before everyone had been fed and so the officers moved to the back of the queue and refused to board until all had eaten. We remained firmly in the dining area despite entreaties and threats that we would miss our slot. They just did not dare taking off without the senior officers.

After the UK abandoned the island it was taken over by the USA for further nuclear tests. After this it was returned to the Line Islands and became known as Kiritimati (in Gilbertese replace the “ti” with “s” and you have Christmas).

I am sorry to have to report that much of the surplus army equipment such as old unwanted lorries were left to rot in the plantations and were not removed until comparatively recently. The land crab population was also depleted as the locals ate most of them. Much of the island is now a wildlife sanctuary but access is arranged for tourist parties.