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New year ruling for A-bomb vets
Veteran ... John Taylor.
NUCLEAR test veterans in South Tyneside will have to wait until early next year to discover if their fight for justice has been successful.
Old soldiers, who say they were treated like ‘guinea pigs’ during atom bomb tests in the late 1950s, warn some veterans could die while waiting for compensation.
Hundreds of British servicemen – who received little or no protection from the tests – say they later suffered a range of health problems, from cancer to infertility to skin defects, with some veterans claiming they have passed on health issues to their families.
A hearing at the Supreme Court in London has been adjourned, with a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) stating: “A panel of seven judges sat last week, but we do not expect a result until the new year.”
Nuclear veteran John Taylor said he was “disappointed” with yet another delay in a case which has dragged on for several years.
Mr Taylor, 74, of Carnegie Close, Biddick Hall, South Shields, said: “If this case keeps getting put back, I fear other people will die in the meantime.
“I’m not really interested in the compensation, but the possible effects on my family.”
An RAF aircraftman in Maralinga, Australia, when he witnessed three nuclear tests in 1957, Mr Taylor recalled: “We stood there in just our shirts and shorts, watching three atom bomb tests over the course of six months.
“The bombs were ignited between seven and 20 miles away, and there were huge mushroom clouds.
“You could feel the heat and the blast on your face, but we had no protective gear whatsoever.
“All we were given was a kind of Geiger counter attached to our jackets.
“This had a film inside and we were told that if the film changed colour, you were supposed to be contaminated, but we never heard any more after our jackets were taken away.
“When I got back to Britain, I developed rashes over my body – which my doctor couldn’t explain – and I link other health issues I’ve had to the tests I witnessed when I was in Maralinga.”
Mr Taylor is annoyed that compensation has already been paid to other nuclear test veterans in Australia, Russia and the Isle of Man.
Nuclear test veterans Bede McGurk, from Jarrow, and Bob Redman, from Hebburn, are also fighting for justice.
A spokesman for the MoD said: “The decision by the Supreme Court in July means it agreed to hear an appeal of the judgement handed down by the Court of Appeal, which found in favour of the Ministry of Defence in nine of the 10 lead cases.
“The judgement has not been overturned.
“In granting the appeal hearing, the Supreme Court judge said he did not want to give veterans any ‘false optimism’.
“In arriving at its judgement last year, the Court of Appeal also considered, to some extent, the merit of the claims in terms of causation and concluded that the general merits of the claims were extremely weak.
“We recognise the invaluable contribution of all service personnel who took part in the nuclear testing programme. We are grateful to them for the part they played in ensuring UK security.”
terry.kelly@northeast-press.co.uk
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