The UK remains the only nuclear power in the world to insist its historic nuclear tests conducted in Australia and the South Pacific were harmless to the scientists and servicemen that took part in them.
Britain first tested a nuclear bomb through denotation in 1952 off of the coast of Australia, continuing nuclear tests throughout the 1950s and 1960s, right up until the 1990s.
During these tests, countless servicemen were asked to work just several miles from nuclear radiation clouds wearing only shorts and sandals; some were even asked to sail directly into radiation clouds from nuclear bombs to assess the impact of nuclear fallout on ships and crew.
Whilst the UK may no longer engage in nuclear testing, the legacy of these tests endures today.
Of the 22,000 scientists and servicemen that worked on testing, only a few remain alive. For over six decades, those that have survived have suffered from cancer, disease, high rates of miscarriage, deformity and death; oftentimes passing down these issues to their children and grandchildren.
And yet, despite this clear human impact, the MoD has failed to publicly acknowledge or apologise for the human cost of these nuclear tests.
The MoD may not want to face the impact of its nuclear legacy, but CND stands firm with the victims of nuclear testing and condemns nuclear weapons in their entirety. Join CND in calling for an end to nuclear weapons, ensuring that no one else will suffer their deathly effects.
For more information on the human cost of nuclear testing, see The Mirror’s ‘Damned’ webpage.