14 DAY TRIAL // A number of British Army veterans, who served their country during the height of the Cold War, are now looking for compensations for a number of diseases they claim to have suffered on account of being exposed to atomic radiation without appropriate protective measures. They say that they had no idea what they were part of, and that no one told them the dangers that were involved with watching a nuclear explosion. The 1950s saw a number of UK atomic tests on various territories and islands, mostly in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but in Australia as well.
The Ministry of Defense has already announced that it plans to stop this lawsuit from reaching court, saying that too much time has passed for the veterans to file any claim. However, officials admit that the men and women who served their country more than half a century ago deserve the full prise of the English Armed Forces. A MoD spokesman has also explained that the Army recognizes the “vital role” the servicemen played during the testing operations.
Some of the seniors who now want to sue the state blame the nuclear tests for long-standing health problems they now have, such as cancers, infertility, skin diseases, and overall reduced life expectancy. They have revealed that, over the years, they received no compensation for their ordeal, and that the government didn't even bother to check up on their health from decade to decade.
“The UK government recognizes the vital contribution service personnel played in the UK's nuclear tests during the 1950s, and understands its obligation to veterans. When compensation claims are received, they are considered on the basis of whether or not the Ministry of Defense has a legal liability to pay compensation. Where there is a proven legal liability, compensation is paid. There is a case ongoing and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further,” the MoD spokesman stresses.
“We were human guinea pigs. We are the front line heroes from the Cold War. There was no-one closer to it than us,” British Nuclear Test Veterans Association member, Douglas Hern, who also adds that the troops near explosion sites were experimented upon by Army doctors, argues.