It is the medal that should have been given to those who delivered the nuclear deterrent in 1952.
Instead, Churchill gave honours to the chief scientist and top brass.
It should have been awarded after Operation Grapple X, 65 years ago this month, in 1957 when they produced Britain’s first H-bomb.
But it was done in a hurry, safety concerns out the window, before a global testing ban came in. A little too embarrassing.
It could have been done in 1958 with Grapple Y, the biggest weapon we ever fired, and which bought us the Special Relationship with the US.
But we were still burning plutonium in the Outback to see what the wind did with it, so it wasn’t quite the time.
Perhaps they could have done it in 1962, when British troops were ordered back to the Pacific to help Kennedy set off 38 megatons of various devices over two and a bit months, to show the Soviets who was boss.
But no.
When they finished in Australia, in 1963?
When they ‘cleaned up’ Christmas Island in 1967?
In the early 80s when veterans on three continents, came forward to say they had cancer, their wives miscarried, their babies were sick or dead?
Nope. Nuh-uh. Nooo.
Perhaps they could have done it on the 50th anniversary in 2002, when @dailymirror revealed a major statistical investigation into veterans and grandchildren which showed three generations were suffering inexplicable illness.
Churchill and every PM since had very good reason to award a medal to these men. They never did.
They all had reason to award war pensions by automatic right, but instead told the veterans to prove they’d been irradiated.
They could all have said sorry.
Last week I reported how, since 1952, the MoD has had an archive of blood and urine records which shows the veterans were irradiated.
They are refused the right we all have to see their own medical records. One was even told that it could harm his mental health.
In the three days since I asked @RishiSunak to comment on whether he stood by his August pledge of support for a criminal investigation into the tests - bearing in mind that withholding medical information is a crime - word has come there none.
No10 would add nothing to the MoD blanket denials. The only time the press office was energised into adding more was when @Keir_Starmer said it was an insult, and they briefed that it was untrue to say Sunak had anything but respect for veterans.
Sunak has observed the Armistice Day silence. He has authorised quotes for #remembranceday2022 release tomorrow. He has been pictured buying poppies.
Yet he maintains the 70 year silence about what happened to the test veterans and their #nukedblood.
Which is why tomorrow survivors of those tests and their families will march wearing the #MissingMedal. It’s why I’m honoured to be wearing mine. It’s why MPs of all parties will be wearing theirs.
So if you anyone says “what’s that black and yellow badge for?”, let them know.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Well we'll be starting this again, this time without my home address on it. Here is Katie's pamphlet.
(Sigh)
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.