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Personal injury solicitors face up to MoD over 50s nuclear testing
It is something that is practically unimaginable in today's world, yet more than fifty years ago hundreds of UK and New Zealand servicemen were exposed to some levels of radiation when they were placed in dangerous proximity to nuclear tests in the South Pacific.
Now more than 700 of these surviving servicemen have decided to seek compensation for what they allege are a litany of serious health issues such as cancer, infertility and dermatological conditions caused by exposure to radiation during Cold War nuclear testing in and around the waters of Christmas Island during the 1950s.
On 3 March these veterans launched a mass action compensation claim against the MoD through a leading firm of personal injury solicitors, with many still angry that they were treated as "human guinea-pigs" all those years ago.
One veteran told the BBC about the MoDs nonchalant attitude to health and safety at the time, saying, "We were just told to turn our backs on the detonations. We didn't have any protective clothing on, we just had our OGs, which were a jacket and long trousers,"
In cases that hinge on events which occurred to long ago, collating credible evidence and witness testimony will always be invaluable, yet the men and their solicitors believe that they can present a convincing case, highlighting their belief that the veterans and their families exhibit higher rates of cancer, deformity and skin diseases than members of the general population.
There are also witness accounts like the ones given by the men who were on HMS Diana when it was ordered to sail through the immediate fallout of a test in order to test the effects of radiation on naval equipment.
One man who was aboard the ship after the detonations, the second of which was 600% more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, remembers the intensity of the explosion and the ill health many of his fellow servicemen seemed to experience in its fallout.
He told the BBC, "The explosion was tremendous. They actually heard it in Australia 200 miles away from the islands. We turned our backs, covered our eyes with our hands. I had my eyes open and I could see the bones in my hands, even with my back to this thing."
Adding, "Several chaps lost teeth, and others lost their hair. So a lot of wives and sweethearts waited in Devonport to welcome back bald fiancées and bald boyfriends with a few teeth missing."
Then veterans and their solicitors believe that they possess proof that the servicemen were illegally used as human guinea-pigs, with their central piece of evidence being a document written in 1953 by the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which says, "The Army must discover the detailed effects of various types of explosion on equipment, stores and men, with and without various types of protection."
The MoD, however, deny that this implies any kind of liability, with a spokesperson claiming that the wording of document is ambiguous and arguing that the word "men" only refers to "effects" not to any actual deliberate testing on human subjects.
Although, they deny liability, the MoD are not ruling out the possibility of paying out compensation altogether, releasing a statement which says, "When compensation claims are received they are considered on the basis of whether or not the Ministry of Defence has a legal liability to pay compensation. Where there is a proven legal liability compensation is paid."
Whatever the case, with the veterans now dying at a rate of 50 per year, it is hoped that the matter will be resolved soon.
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