Remembrance

DaveH Remembrance Art

As we approach Armistice Day 2023, we remember those that have lost their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice serving their country.

We have 30 people proudly marching under the LABRATS name at the cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday. Many of those are veterans who will be proudly wearing the newly awarded Nuclear Test Veterans Medal.

This year, tensions are high across the world, but we must always remember those people who are no longer here, those whose service should be remembered forever, at all times.

We must not allow anyone to affect this years remembrance events across the UK, not matter what they are protesting for.

Our Nuclear Veterans are a unique cohort, they did not face physical bullets, but many have been affected by invisible bullets since their participation at the tests. Between 1952-1991 the UK tested weapons across the globe. (Monte Bello Islands, Australia, Christmas Island, Malden Island and the Nevada Desert)

Many UK servicemen also took part in other countries nuclear testing programs including the USA, France and China. Flying through the clouds, taking samples. One such Canberra crew crashed on Enewetak Atoll and lost their lives during the Castle Bravo series.

Our veterans are a unique cohort, many have witnessed the deadliest of mans creations and helped ensure that the UK became a nuclear superpower at all costs. Many of these veterans paid for this service with their lives, many died young, others committing suicide. Leaving behind young families and small children without their fathers.

We now know that even the smallest amounts of ionising radiation can cause damage, in August 2023 a paper was published in the British Medical Journal by twelve researchers from six national agencies from USA, UK, Spain and France, individuals who collectively represent the epidemiological cutting edge of the science investigating the health effects of ionising radiation. Read the paper here - (https://www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj-2022-074520)

Yet whilst the dignitaries will line up for photo opportunities, MP's will come out in full support of the veterans, the reality is very different in the case of British Nuclear Veterans. A growing number of MP's support the call for compensation, for an apology and a study for the descendants, yet the Ministry Of Defence still (despite the new evidence) refuse to acknowledge that the veterans were put in harms way, instead spending over six million pounds fighting them in court.

We have a very proud Veteran's community, with many service related organisations undertaking great work, many of them smaller organisations who are making a real difference at the front line, helping veterans when they need it most, ensuring that their often complex needs are met. But should the UK, who boasts one of the most elite armed forces in the world, rely on these organisations?

Many veterans are being left behind, many are not being supported, ignored and their pleas for help ignored. When they complain and start to fight back, our Veterans Minister blocks them on Social Media, instead of listening to them. Our Office for Veterans' Affairs is woefully understaffed and under funded. The people who work there are over worked, despite their best efforts. We need more consultation and more input from Veterans.

Many UK Veterans are not being given the care or respect they deserve by the UK Government, yet the dignitaries will all line up at the Cenotaph to pay their respects, successive Prime Ministers across all Political Parties laying wreathes, when they have all let the Nuclear Veterans down.

The Ministry of Defence has always denied responsibility for their actions, the Nuclear Veterans are not alone. Gulf War Veterans and Porton Down Veterans all undertook experimental vaccines which have caused major health issues, the evidence has been shown to the Veterans Minister, yet the denial continues.

I along with many will pay my respects at local ceremonies, and remember those who lost their lives fighting for this country, ensuring our safety, making sure we as a country were safe. But I will also be remembering those who are forever effected by their service, those whose lands were forever contaminated by the testing program, those who lost their lives during the testing programs and those who did not come back the same.

Funeral during Operation Dominic

Our Nuclear Veterans now have a medal for their service, officially recognised for the first time since Operation Hurricane on the 3rd of October 1952. It is progress, but there is a lot more to achieve, much more work to do.

Personally, I have lost some great friends over the last 18 months, some fantastic veterans who fought to the end of their lives to get the recognition they deserve, not just for them, but also for their families. Remembering these fantastic men, whose stories will stay with me forever, these men who campaigned for years and never saw what they deserved.

I encourage anyone to attend a local ceremony if you can, or to watch the cenotaph coverage on the BBC on Sunday 12th November, especially on BBC Breakfast on BBC 2 after 8 o'clock, when representatives of the Nuclear Veterans will be interviewed live. The world must be further educated by what happened at the tests, we cannot allow the faceless Civil Servants at the Ministry of Defence to airbrush the Nuclear Veterans from history.

Everyone has a personal story, a personal journey, many connected to brave servicemen in their family tree. Take the time time to remember them, to remember their sacrifice. Take time to recharge, time to reflect, time to re-focus on the tasks ahead to ensure the Nuclear Veterans get what they deserve.

Our Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer states that he wants the UK to be the best place to be a veteran. We have taken a major step forward in that direction by awarding the medal, but this is just the start of a journey, one which will has been long, distressing but is now further forward then ever before.

We have taken over the baton of some great people who started this journey, many who are no longer with us, we will see this journey finish and we will be taking all of the Nuclear Veterans across the finishing line with us, both physically and in spirit. Our families are still suffering and the new generation of descendants, who are well educated, well researched are more determined than ever to hold the UK Government to account.

No-one knows what the future holds, many veterans are passing away each week from our community. All I know is that we will do everything we can to ensure that future generations will always remember the Nuclear Veterans, even after the last one has passed away, we will ensure that their service is recognised.

Watch Andy Burnham's speech at our seminar in 2022, to see the support we have for the veterans - https://youtu.be/wTTAsqf0FxE?si=-gbRhdlOwnjXqKBK

Two of the LABRATS Directors have lost their fathers, they will never see the Nuclear Test Medal, these are two of thousands of men who are no longer with us, their lives cut short by their participation at the tests, so I dedicate this blog to all those who have passed away who participated at the Nuclear Testing programs across the world. We will remember them always.

If you would like to add a serviceman to our Roll of Honour, please visit https://www.labrats.international/rollofhonour