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A veteran from Little Lever is demanding recognition of the devastating health impacts of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme. Around 39,000 servicemen, scientists and local people were in close proximity to 45 nuclear bombs tested during the post-war period. John Morris (87) joined the army in 1956 when he was 18 to fulfil his National Service.
He was stationed on Christmas Island where he witnessed four nuclear bomb tests – the closest set off just 20 miles away. These were part of Operation Grapple – the name given to a series of British nuclear weapons test. A nuclear explosion as part of Operation Grapple (Image: John Morris) John said: “The light was so bright, it’s almost impossible to explain – like an X-Ray in front of your eyes.
“You could see the light through your hands and your bones. “After the explosion, we never saw a fly or a mosquito for two weeks, they were completely destroyed.” John spent two years in the army before returning to England, after which he soon started to feel the effects of being exposed to radiation.
He was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia when he was 26, a blood condition which requires him to receive injections every three months. He said: “I also broke my arm playing football in Little Lever and it took six months longer to heal than it should have – my blood and marrow may have been affected.” John has also survived stomach and prostate cancer.
John Morris on Christmas Island while serving in the British Army (Image: John Morris) Exposure to nuclear blasts can increase the risk of cancers, stillbirths, heart disease and even cause generational birth defects. On February 15, 1962, John awoke to the sound of his wife’s screams and their four-month-old son Steven lifeless in his cot. John was initially arrested on suspicion of murder before the death was deemed a ‘cot death’ and the charges were dropped.
It took 50 years before John was finally able to get the coroner’s report which suggested that his son’s lungs may not have formed properly. He still worries that the effects may pass on through his family, as his granddaughter Laura has just had a baby of her own. John said: “Everything appears to be ok, but I worry every day of my life.
" John Morris on Christmas Island while serving in the British Army (Image: John Morris) He and other veterans have been campaigning to get access to their medical records during their service. John said: “There’s been a very significant campaign to get our medical records from the Ministry of Defence – we got some, but not all. “No blood or urine samples in them at all.
“I’ve had stomach cancer and prostate cancer and the MoD have said it wasn’t the result of [the testing]. “I don’t know if it’s related – it might be and it might not be, without my medical records I can’t prove anything.” Other nuclear states have recognised the link between nuclear testing and cancers and other conditions.
The UK, however, has not paid any compensation. READ MORE: Nuclear veterans seek tribunal to resolve legal claims over ‘withheld’ records READ MORE: Criminal sanctions could be brought over harm suffered by nuclear test veterans READ MORE: Bolton Guild of Help wants to find veterans who did National Service John said: “Every country in the world has paid its veterans compensation except England. “If I had been serving on the small American unit there [Christmas Island], the army would have paid compensation.
” The veterans were finally honoured with medals commemorating their service two years ago – over 70 years since nuclear tests first began. John said: “We finally got honoured with a medal, and it was great, but I think they could have handed it to us – it was delivered by a postman. “We got what we asked for but that was after years and years of campaigning.
” In 2019, then Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, pledged £50k for each surviving nuclear-test veteran. Sir Keir Starmer met the veterans in 2021 but made no promises – the 2019 offer was not in Labour’s 2024 manifesto. John Morris, left to right, meets Keir Starmer with Labrats International campaigners Alan Owen and Steve Purse (Image: John Morris) John has called on the government to launch a public inquiry and apologise.
He said: “I would like Keir Starmer to meet me and I feel he is an honourable person, and I would give him every chance. “I hope that he will meet me along with other veterans.” A new documentary airing tonight on BBC Two tells the stories of John and other British veterans who were exposed to nuclear testing.
Britain’s Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story airs on Wednesday November 20 at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer. The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment..
