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Atom bomb test victory
A BUXTON veteran exposed to radiation during nuclear tests in the 1950s has been given the green light to sue the Ministry of Defence after a High Court ruling.
Michael Dilworth is one of around 1,000 ex-servicemen who have been fighting for compensation from the MoD for a number of years. And on Friday, a judge ruled five out of ten lead cases brought by the veterans in a group action could proceed to trial, leading to the possibilty of the MoD having to pay out hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation.
The MoD had tried to fight the case by claiming the group had waited too long to bring their claims – but Mr Justice Foskett rejected that on the basis of new evidence showing the health impacts of the tests on the veterans.
Michael, of Nunsfield Road, was just 18 when he was sent to Christmas Island. It was only once his ship, HMS Warrior, had sailed through Panama that he and his colleagues were told what their mission was.
Welcoming the court's decision, Michael said: "I am absolutely delighted. It has been a long battle which we have been fighting for 20 years. We can see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel now.
"I signed up to the Royal Navy knowing full well that I would be called into action if the country ever needed me and I was prepared to accept that.
"But I was not prepared to accept that as an 18-year-old lad I would be sent to Christmas Island to be used as a guinea pig in Government experiments."
He added: "What this has done is show that the Government since the 1950s right through to the present day have been liars.
"It shouldn't have taken this long though. This should have been sorted years ago when these cases were first brought to light. The MoD always insisted we had to pursue claims three years after the event but radiation takes more than three years to develop.
"They haven't told the truth all the way through. They more or less said radiation was not harmful – which is just laughable."
The young sailors were given no protective equipment for their mission and were told simply to turn their backs to the detonation and shield their eyes with their hands.
Once the tests had been carried out, samples had to be collected so the armed forces could see what effect the hydrogen bombs had, leaving the servicemen even more vulnerable.
Many of the men exposed to the radiation suffered horrific deaths. Others have long running and extensive health problems, such as cancer and skin deformities, some of which have been passed down to their children and grandchildren.
Michael, unlike many of his colleagues, has been relatively lucky. Within 12 months of returning from Christmas Island, all of his teeth disintegrated and he was regularly admitted to hospital with up to 40 carbuncles on his leg. Last year, he underwent a major stomach operation but the 71-year-old is still alive, unlike so many of his friends and colleagues who were sent to Christmas Island unaware of what was to come.
"I feel very lucky," he said. "Now I just want them to pay up before we all die.
"I want to get it sorted as soon as possible, one way or the other. Then we can get on with our lives.
"It is a great victory but we've just got to wait and see what response they'll come up with now. We've won round one but the fight starts here."
British troops weren't the only ones involved in the tests. Forces members from Australia and New Zealand were also exposed to the radiation but their governments have long since paid them compensation.
Michael explained: "A friend of mine was at the British H bomb tests but was also involved in the American tests. The British government said because he had tested under America, any claim he made would have to be made under the American courts. Recently his widow received a cheque for $75,000 dollars. Another friend, under the same terms, also received $75,000."
Speaking of the victory, Ian Rosenblatt, senior partner at the veterans' solicitors Rosenblatt's, said: "We are very disappointed that both the Government and the MOD have chosen to make our clients keep on fighting for so many years.
"We now hope that the MOD will accept the need to help these people and make a swift and adequate offer of compensation.
"Unfortunately, during the three or more years which the next stage of the legal process will take, it's likely that even more of our clients will have passed away without receiving justice."
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Weather for Buxton
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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