fleetstreetfox Profile picture
Oct 3, 2022 27 tweets 8 min read Read on X
While @trusskliz tries to convince her party she knows what she's doing, these are the men and women she refuses to meet.

Last week, nuclear veteran families held a reunion, and wrote her some messages. 1/plenty
Julie Soan, whose dad took part in firing the biggest weapon Britain's ever had, Operation Grapple Y, in 1958: "I seek justice for him." Image
David Witcomb, who was on National Service when ordered to Christmas Island after it had been covered by radioactive fallout. "Please, before we are all gone." Image
Gordon Craggs, sent to Christmas Island by the US govt to witness 24 US nuclear explosions with a combined yield 1,900 times that of Hiroshima: "Listen. Think. Act." Image
John Oates, who worked on planes that flew through the mushroom clouds: "I helped keep us all safe for the past 70yrs. Ms Truss be the first PM to recognise what the forces did for the country during the Cold War years." Image
Barbara Butler, whose husband died of multiple cancers after Op Grapple, and whose daughter has a litany of birth defects: "Please keep your predecessor's promise to us." Image
Matthew Waddell, whose grandad won a force *competition* for a holiday on Christmas Island during the tests, and who has had a spinal tumour removed not long ago: "I would like an apology." Image
Mike Dillon, who worked in the stores troop: "What about recognition for all the lads on the island and all that have passed away." Image
Widow Maureen Barber: "I find it difficult to believe that troops sent to the Pacific for nuclear testing have had no recognition from the UK." Image
Wheelchair-bound Suzanne Eades-Willis, whose father was at the tests: "Surely the promise made by Boris must be honoured promptly." Image
Her daughter Charlotte, who has autism: "We aren't going away." Image
Brian Unthank, who's had multiple cancers: "Don't you think the phrase risk and rigour is very over-used and rather defunct with all the rare illnesses the veterans and families are experiencing." Image
Malcolm Smith: "A medal for the heroes, please." Image
Widow Marion Gumbrill, whose husband took part in radioactive experiments in the Outback: "My husband has died, but his demons from Maralinga live on. Help me to give him justice and put his demons to rest for him and his family." Image
Hazel Davies, who wants you to know she's 82, has cared for her husband through failing health for 40 years. "Please Prime Minister, help all the veterans." Image
Bill Lawrie, who took part in clean-up operations: "Say 'thank you' now, not 'we will remember them' later." Image
Ernest Bow, whose dad David was in the RAF squadron which flew sampling missions: "Why are we the last country that has not given a medal or compensation?" Image
Long-time campaigner Dennis Hayden: "If the MoD stopped lying about the nuclear tests, we'd stop telling the truth about the MoD." Image
Finally, Eric Barton, who survived cancer, and was compensated by the American government after the UK ordered him to take part in their testing programme: "Look me in the eye, and recognise me." Image
These are the men and women who @trussliz has refused to meet. Those are the things they want to say to her.

Today is the #PlutoniumJubilee, 70 years since Britain's first bomb test. And it's also the deadline the government was given - a YEAR ago - to deliver recognition.
So far, they've been promised £450k next April. More than half will go to an institution to record their stories, with the remaining £200k available to be bid for by charities.

It's the equivalent of £133 a head for the 1,500 survivors. Does that sound like enough?
If you include the estimated 155,000 descendants of the original 22,000 men who served, it's equivalent to £1.28.

Each.

£1.28.

Does THAT sound like enough?
"What an awful time you've had, tell you what, here's £1.27 and a CD of your own life story, we won't admit or apologise for anything, and you're welcome."
Last week I told No10 that @JohnnyMercerUK and @DanJarvisMP were joining forces to warn Truss was in danger of betraying these heroes. On the day we published, No10 put out a press release - to other outlets, not me - saying there'll be a £450k 'tribute' to test veterans.
Those outlets which picked it up, with the best of intentions, can have very little appreciation of how little it means. Some are just repeating it word-for-word as though it's jolly nice of the government to notice.

No. No it's not.
This cannot be left to the MoD. It cannot be left on the bottom of the pile.

Evidence is building of the sort that governments cannot ignore any longer.

These guys and their families aren't going away.

@trussliz Meet the veterans, #LookMeInTheEye, and do your duty. /ends
From one veteran tonight on the govt's offer: Image

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More from @fleetstreetfox

Apr 5
EXC: MoD releases 4,000 pages of secret #nukledblood files as scandal bursts open

mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
The govt has announced imminent release of 150 top secret documents in a data dump, 7 mo after @DailyMirror revealed the existence of records at @AWE_plc about blood and urine testing of troops during the Cold War.
@DailyMirror @AWE_plc It also comes just two weeks after veterans served legal papers on @defenceHQ demanding access to their missing medical records.

crowdjustice.com/case/nuclear-v…
Read 9 tweets
Feb 27
An amazing win against the MoD! A judge has ordered them to hand over the records it’s withholding of Sqn Leader Terry Gledhill, whose blood tests blew open the #nukedblood scandal in 2022.

mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
Image
Withholding records has been ruled unlawful. Jane’s amazing strength and persistence has set a precedent for every other veteran family - not just of nuclear testing but ANY service.

Donate to help the cause: .crowdjustice.com/case/nuclear-v…
This decision came after a one-day hearing into the MoD’s refusal to meet Jane’s request for her father’s medical records under Freedom of Information laws. And it’s exposed a problem which for once is not the MoD’s fault.
Read 9 tweets
Jan 29
Due to boundary changes, the very safe Tory seat in Kent where I live has been split. Today I received a letter from the new Tory candidate, who said: "I am delighted to introduce myself."

Let's meet her, shall we? Image
Well we'll be starting this again, this time without my home address on it. Here is Katie's pamphlet.

(Sigh) Image
Let's leave aside for a moment how delighted she is about herself. And the fact I am welcomed to my constituency as though I've just moved in and she's the welcoming committee.

Her name is Katie. But there are pictures. Katie can straddle a stile! Image
Read 13 tweets
Nov 12, 2023
Some of those watching or taking part in the #RemembranceDay2023 parade may have noticed it slowed down in the last half. Here’s why. /🧵
For the first time the nuclear veterans were able to march with a medal commemorating the fact that they alone, of all veterans, had kept every other serviceman, UK civilian and overseas ally safe for 70 years.

As they formed up wearing their #medalforheroes they were beaming. Image
In the back right of that pic you’ll see a shorter chap. His name is John Williams. This was his first time at the Cenotaph, having always wanted to come and always watching it on telly.
Read 24 tweets
Oct 22, 2023
EXC: The MoD admits it may hold nearly 5,000 #nukedblood files which it previously denied having.



cc @grantshapps @RishiSunak @JohnnyMercerUK mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/m…
Image
In 2018, when I found the first doc discussing blood counts of servicemen at Maralinga, the MoD said it was "unable to locate any information that suggests... staff took blood samples for radiological monitoring at the [weapons] tests".

Now it says there may be 4,711 files.
The AWE - and arm's length agency of the MoD - said it could not be certain what was in the files it holds, because checking them would be too expensive.

If blood tests exist, they could prove whether troops were irradiated - leading to multi-million pound compensation payouts.
Read 9 tweets
Jun 18, 2023
Nuclear test veterans are threatening a Cenotaph protest over fears they will not get their long-awaited medal before Remembrance Sunday.

mirror.co.uk/news/politics/… Image
PM @RishiSunak promised the medal in November. More than 1,000 veterans, and 500 families, have applied for one, and were told they'd have it by 'late summer'. Now they're told it won't even be in production by then.

Is there *any* part of the British state that isn't knackered?
The impact of even a short delay, after a wait of 70 years, is unconscionable. Within the article is the sad story of Donald Baker, who served at Op Grapple aged just 21. He wore a boiler suit to watch a series of massive H-bombs. He drank desalinated seawater, coconuts, & fish. Image
Read 11 tweets

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