Grapple X Events
- Invisible Enemy
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Today is the anniversary of Grapple X, on the 8th of November 1957. With a yield of 1.8 megatons, it was 140 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The bomb was dropped from Valiant XD824, piloted by Millett.
We have been extremely busy this week with events running up to Remembrance Day tomorrow.
Monday 3rd November
Alan attended a Remembrance event at 10 Downing Street. This was a great chance to meet with other organisations and to meet the Prime Minister, the Defence Secretary and the Veterans Minister.
Alan ensured that the Prime Minister could not forget our promised meeting, discussing it with him personally. He then had long discussions with the new Veterans Minister, Louise Sandher-Jones, which were very productive. Finally, he discussed the imminent report on the missing medical records with the Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey. Mission accomplished. Alan also met old friends and colleagues, and members of the Office for Veterans' Affairs.
Tuesday 4th November
Alan attended the Gardens of Remembrance in advance of the opening to see the work that had been undertaken by Mike Chainey and the Poppy Factory team. The NTV garden is looking fantastic this year. Organised by the NCCF, it is a fitting tribute to those who have fallen.
In the evening, representatives from across the Nuclear Community and film industry met in London for a private screening of 'Our Planet, The People, My Blood.'
It was an incredibly emotional night, produced by Daniel Everitt-Lock. The documentary is an incredible piece of work. The audience reviews were fantastic, and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was fantastic to see Veterans, Descendants, MPs, Magazines, Film Producers and representatives from organisations such as CND, ACRONYM and ICAN present. A big thank you to Emmal Lewll MP and Rebecca Long-Bailey MP for their support.
Wednesday 5th November
Captain Terry Hughes, Daniel Everitt-Lock and Alan appeared on GB News to promote the documentary and to explain to their viewers that Keir Starmer did not attend, and the Cabinet Office did not even send a representative, nor did the Office for Veterans' Affairs, despite early invitations. You can watch the full interview here:
Thursday 6th November
Nuclear Veteran Terry Quinlan took the handshake from Her Majesty Queen Camilla for the formal opening of the Remembrance Garden, accompanied by his daughter Anne. Susan Musselwhite arranged for Terry to meet the Queen with Mike Chainey.
It is always extremely important that we maintain a presence in the garden, especially after the sad passing of Don James, who maintained the gardens for many years.
Friday 7th November
John Morris, Elizabeth Bacon, Steve Purse, Jacqueline Purse, Alan and Mel attended a remembrance ceremony in Manchester and laid a wreath at the NTV memorial in St Peter's Square, Manchester. We were joined by the Lord Mayor of Manchester and representatives of the original committee, who signed the first Nuclear Free Local Authority pledge in 1980. Messages of support from Cllr Tommy Judge and Richard Outram were read during the ceremony.
After the ceremony, we held the launch of our educational package in the Mayor's Council Chambers. We are extremely grateful to Richard Outram, Secretary of NFLA and Mayors for Peace, for organising this ceremony and event.
A full report on the event and a recording of the launch will be made available next week. It was an honour to use the Mayor's chamber for this event, especially commemorating the 45th anniversary of Manchester becoming the first Nuclear Free Local Authority.
We would like to thank Steve Purse, Elizabeth Bacon, John Morris and Richard Outram for their expert knowledge on the panel during the Q&A session.
You can view our educational package at https://www.labratsacademy.online/
Nuclear Test Veteran Malcom Smith played his drum at a Remembrance event in Branston near Burton on Trent. His NTV Medal is proudly on display.
Conclusion
It has already been an extremely busy week for the Nuclear Community, but we are not finished. Representatives will be marching in London. We are in the 'E' section this year, so look out for us on the live coverage. This section is leading the parade, so we will be amongst the first to march past.
Alan and Mel will be laying a wreath in Llanddarog, and other representatives across the country will also be attending Remembrance ceremonies.
To everyone who continues to ensure the Nuclear Community is never forgotten, we thank you. You are a special community that deserves so much more, and we will continue the campaign for truth and justice.