'I was exposed to evil in British nuclear tests'

A nuclear test veteran who witnessed the detonation of several British atomic bombs in the 1950s has said he was "exposed to evil".

Robert James, 87, was an RAF firefighter stationed in Maralinga in Australia, where seven major UK tests took place.

Mr James, from Fordingbridge, Hampshire, said many service personnel had suffered fatal illnesses as a result and he was angry that the UK government had still not offered compensation.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said ministers were continuing to discuss issues with families.

Veterans' campaign groups have said British service personnel were lined up and deliberately exposed to bomb tests to see what effect they would have.

Mr James said many of his comrades had died as a result of cancers and diseases associated with radiation exposure.

He said: "A lot of the guys suffered a lot. There's lads dying every day... and after having long illness.

"We were exposed to evil, we were exposed to radiation. That's pretty serious and I think that warrants compensation.

"Not only for people that are surviving like myself but the families that have suffered where their husbands or fathers died."

In 2019, the Labour Party, then led by Jeremy Corbyn, pledged £50,000 for each surviving British nuclear test veteran.

Sir Keir Starmer met veterans in 2021, before becoming Prime Minister, but made no promises - and the 2019 offer was not in the 2024 manifesto.

However, the current Defence Secretary John Healey posted on his website in 2021: "UK remains the only nuclear power that refuses them recognition or compensation, unlike the US, France, Canada and Australia."

Mr James said: "Don't go back on your word, Mr Starmer... You promised us full compensation and recognition. Keep to your word."

Gerry Bowler served on Christmas Island and witnessed four nuclear tests there in the 1950s.

He died as a result of brain and lung cancer in 1990.

His granddaughter, historian Dr Fiona Bowler, has been researching veterans' eyewitness accounts for the Universities of Southampton and South Wales.

She said: "Everything I do, I do because of him. He never got to share his story with me.

"And I always think: 'If I could interview him, what would he say to me?' But I'll never know because I never met him."

Dr Bowler said the Nuclear Test Medal, unveiled by the Ministry of Defence in 2023, was not enough to counter "years of distrust between veterans and the government".

Campaign groups have called for a special tribunal to be set up to avoid a protracted legal battle, but their lawyers said an end-of-year deadline passed without a response to their request for one.

The families have also demanded access to what they said were missing government medical records.

In a repeat of a previous statement, the MoD said: "Ministers are looking hard at this issue - including the question of records.

"They will continue to engage with the individuals and families affected and as part of this engagement, the Minister for Veterans and People Alistair Carns has already met with parliamentarians and representatives from the Nuclear Test Veteran community to discuss their concerns further."

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