British servicemen who took part in nuclear bomb tests were ordered to march through a smoking crater left by a blast, a veteran has said. Brian Tomlinson said he and his comrades were told to check how radioactive the area was while standing in the shadow of a mushroom cloud.
Brian said he was left with bleeding ulcers on his palms for 20 years. He recalled having to dig out scientific instruments buried in the contaminated soil.
The 85-year-old was a sapper sent to Maralinga, South Australia, in 1957 to take part in Operation Antler, a series of three atomic bomb tests designed to help build the H-bomb, The Mirror reports. His troop of Royal Engineers were blended with Australian soldiers, and 40 of them lived for a year inside the blast zone in canvas tents.
Brian, a 20-year-old corporal at the time, said: “Nobody told us what it was all about, or checked us for radiation, but every morning we went into the forward area. We had pneumatic drills, and had to blast down through the soil.”
The crew was tasked with burying dozens of large steel containers measuring 8ft square with instruments to measure the blasts. A few hours after each bomb, Brian and his crew - wearing only shorts, socks, boots and a hat - drove back in and extracted the instruments.
Brian said that, for the first two blasts, he was given no protective gear. This stood in contrast to the scientists who accompanied them.
He added: “After the third bomb, we were given little rubber boots, and a white overall, and a dose badge. We were told to walk through the crater. The mushroom cloud was still overhead.”
The first two bombs, codenamed Tadje and Biak, were one kiloton and 6kts respectively. But the third, Taranaki, was 25kts, as powerful as the weapon which destroyed Nagasaki in 1945.
Brian, of Yate near Bristol, said: “The site was like a bowling green. The heat from the bomb has crystallised the earth underneath it.
“It was a crust of molten sand, like glass. They told us to walk into the crater and check our meters to see how high the dose was.
“When it reached a certain point they told us to come out. It didn’t take long for it to reach that point.”
He said he was not checked for radiation while excavating amid the fallout, nor given long-term medical follow-ups. Six years later, he was medically discharged with a duodenal ulcer; radiation can cause gut issues.
A Government study this year reported nuclear test veterans were 20 per cent more likely to die from stomach cancer. Brian said: "It wasn’t until later I started having skin problems.
"It would cover me from head to toes, rashes on my back, chest, legs, thighs. They used to come out on the palms of my hands.
"I’d get a little itchy blister in the centre of my palm, it would spread over the fingers. I used to wear white cotton gloves to ease the pain and itching.
"The skin would crack and bleed. I had that for 20 years, and no doctor could work out what it was. Then one day, after 20 years, it just stopped, as suddenly as it came.”
Today, cancer patients are warned radiotherapy using beta radiation can lead to radiodermatitis, which sparks rashes, skin peeling, and ulceration. It is caused by the decay of isotopes, including plutonium and cobalt-60.
Last month, Boris Johnson became the first Prime Minister to meet nuclear test veterans, and promised action would be taken before the 70th anniversary of the first test, in October. However, his resignation has cast doubt on this pledge.
The Mirror is running a campaign to award medals to those involved in the 1950s tests. Brian said: "A medal would get us a little bit of recognition for those who took part. It says you’re someone who’s been noticed and not discarded, which is how we’ve felt for so long."
The MoD said: "The Prime Minister met with veterans recently, and asked ministers to explore how their dedication can be recognised."
