Lt-Governor presents islanders with Nuclear Test Medals
TWO islanders have received medals for their service as part of Britain’s nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s.
Lt-Governor Lt General Richard Cripwell presented Gerry Robert and Henry Torode with the new Nuclear Test Medal before an audience of family and friends at Government House.
Despite having both served at nuclear testing on Christmas Island and lived in Guernsey for decades afterwards, the two men had never met before the ceremony.
Mr Robert, now aged 87, was 21 when he witnessed the detonation of four nuclear bombs at Christmas Island in the Pacific in 1957.
He was serving as a corporal in the Royal Army Service Corps and had a clear view from the deck of HMS Messina of the first explosion, which was 12 times bigger than the larger of the two atomic bombs dropped by the USA on Japan in 1945.
Mr Torode, 85, was posted to Christmas Island a year after Mr Robert, having enlisted into the Royal Marines in 1956. He operated landing craft that ferried thousands of tons of equipment the one and a half miles between anchored Royal Navy aircraft carriers and the shore.
He was present for the detonation of two atom bombs and two much bigger hydrogen bombs.
‘I’m hoping we get the chance to talk after the ceremony,’ said Mr Torode.
Mr Roberts said it was ‘unbelievable’ to be getting recognition after such a long space of time.
‘We have waited 66 years for this,’ he said. ‘The medals are something we never thought we would get.’
Mr Torode says he will never forget what he saw. ‘I remember looking up at the sky and thinking there were two suns. The flames and the fireball were as bright as the sun, if not brighter.’
The last explosion witnessed by Mr Robert was of a much more powerful 1.8 megaton hydrogen bomb.
‘The watching troops were told [to] sit with their hands on their knees,’ he said.
‘When the plane dropped the bomb you could see all the bones in your fingers.’
Mr Robert began experiencing the effects of the tests following his return to the UK.
He was rushed to a military hospital after suffering internal bleeding, undergoing nine hours of surgery.
The Lt-Governor paid tribute to the two military veterans.
‘All medal ceremonies are unique, but this one is particularly special,’ he said.
‘We all owe a debt of thanks to Mr Robert, Mr Torode and others like them for the risks they unwittingly faced so long ago.’
The Nuclear Test Medal is a sovereign award, which bears an image of King Charles III.
It recognises military, civilian and overseas staff and personnel who participated in Britain’s nuclear testing programme during the 1950s and 1960s.
The medal was announced by the UK Prime Minister in November 2022, 70 years after the first British test of a nuclear weapon.
It is estimated that around 22,000 people worldwide are eligible for the medal, which is also awarded posthumously.
