Fallout: The Human Nuclear Test Subjects

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BBC Radio Wales - Fallout: The Human Nuclear Test Subjects

The story of the men from Wales who tested Britain's nuclear weapons in the 50s and 60s.

How nuclear test veterans from Wales are seeking answers about the lasting impact of being exposed to radiation after witnessing huge explosions in the 50s and 60s.

Actor Steve Purse from Prestatyn tells the story of nuclear test veterans from Wales who were exposed to radiation after witnessing huge explosions during the 1950s and 60s in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and Australia.  They'd been sent to test Britain's potential nuclear bomb arsenal as part of a huge experiment to prepare the UK in the event of a nuclear war. Britain was one of several nuclear powers which tested warheads. Others included the United States, France and Russia.

Steve Purse was born with a rare, possibly even unique genetic mutation which means that he has short-stature which he believes was as a result of his father's military career in the 1960s.  In 1962 and 1963 Flight Lieutenant David Purse, Steve's father, served with the RAF in Maralinga in Australia.  When his son was born ten years later, David suspected his time at the base may have been responsible for his impairment.

And Steve and his family aren't alone in suspecting a link between illnesses and disabilities and their role as personnel at test sites like Maralinga and Christmas Island. Some have reported health problems in later life while some children have been born with illnesses or impairments.

More than 20,000 men from Britain, including many from Wales were exposed to nuclear explosions and radioactivity. Thousands more from other countries were also exposed to the fallout. But questions remain about the exact cause of illnesses and disabilities. Some countries have admitted there is probably a link and have compensated veterans but successive British Governments, regardless of party, have refused to accept responsibility, pointing to inconclusive evidence of a link. 

In Fallout: The Human Test Subjects, Steve hears from former servicemen from Wales who witnessed explosions at first hand including being able to see the bones of their hands in the moments after the weapons were detonated. He hears from other relatives of veterans - and from experts about the many unanswered questions about possible links between health concerns and the exposure to radiation. And he tries to understand why, given the support to veterans in other countries, survivors here in Wales have, as yet not been offered any compensation for what they were put through in the 1950s and 60s.

Steve also finds out how the University of South Wales is embarking on a huge project to capture first hand testimony from men exposed to the testing and how, after years of campaigning, nuclear test veterans will finally be recognised for their service during this year's Remembrance Sunday commemorations in London.

Produced by James Pepper, Ashley Byrne and Kurt Brookes
An MIM Production for BBC Radio Wales

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