Who are the people who have been interviewed?

All individuals interviewed as part of the Voices of British Nuclear Test Veterans project, listed alphabetically.

British nuclear test veterans

Click on the images of the veterans to read a short biography and listen to their audio clips.

41 Items

Elderly man with short white hair, smiling gently while seated on a cream upholstered chair, wearing a blue pullover.

Derek Addy

At 19 he was posted to Australia on HMS Diana for Operation Mosaic, where he was responsible for ship maintenance.

Elderly man smiling while seated, wearing glasses, a dark blazer with medals and a red poppy pin, and a beret with insignia, proudly holding up a medal in his hand.

Richard Bonas

He was exposed to the nerve agent, sarin, at Britain’s secretive biological and chemical weapons research facility, Porton Down.

Elderly man wearing glasses, a dark suit with a red and black striped tie, and a medal pinned to his jacket, looking directly at the camera with a composed expression.

Frank Bools

Posted to Christmas Island where his squadron contributed to the construction of the base camp for Operation Grapple.

Young man smiling and sitting on a rock or crate, shirtless and wearing red shorts, on a sandy beach with the ocean and a ship in the background.

Anthony Broomfield

He was posted to Christmas Island for Operation Grapple as a member of the scientific team, taking readings and recording the explosion and its aftermath.

Colin Capon

As part of the RAF he served as a cook during the Minor Trials at Maralinga nuclear testing site.

Elderly man wearing a red shirt and black jacket with pins, standing indoors beside framed paintings of ships on a wall.

Ray Carbery

As a Royal Engineer he was part of Operation Grapple, working as a refrigeration technician as well as taking on other jobs. He witnessed five bomb tests.

Elderly man with short white hair and stubble, wearing a collared shirt, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Gordon Coggon

He was posted to Christmas Island as an administrative orderly, taking on many different jobs on the island.

Elderly man smiling indoors, wearing a purple Walt Disney World sweatshirt, standing in front of a large window with a garden view and floral curtains.

Anthony Cooke

He volunteered to go to Christmas Island for Operation Grapple, where he worked on upper air meteorological soundings for the nuclear tests.

Elderly man smiling, wearing a dark suit jacket with a small lapel pin, white shirt, and patterned tie, standing in front of a brick wall.

Arthur Dixon

As a field engineer he worked on road construction, in the quarry, and on several occasions assisted Atomic Weapons Research Establishment scientists.

Elderly man with a mustache, wearing a blue shirt and gray trousers, standing and holding a black pennant that reads 'Christmas Island H-Bomb Tests 1957–58.' A framed poster hangs on the wall behind him.

Alan Dowson

Posted to Christmas Island for Operation Grapple in 1958, he worked as a barman waiter in the officers’ mess and witnessed four nuclear weapons tests.

Elderly man with gray hair wearing a blue pullover, dark shirt, jeans, and sneakers, standing against a brick wall with his hands in his pockets and legs crossed.

David Farnell

He was posted to Maralinga for Operation Antler in 1957, where he worked in operations at Edinburgh Field, the Royal Australian Air Force base.

Black-and-white photo of a young man in a tuxedo with a bow tie, leaning casually against a striped booth. Above him hangs a poster advertising “Arthur Askey – Ramsbottom Rides Again” with the word “Tonight” displayed below it.

Phillip Fawke

During Operation Grapple, he helped to build and run the ‘Kamak San’ cinema on Christmas Island.

Elderly man in a blazer with medals, smiling as he stands beside a younger man in a suit. They are both holding a framed proclamation, posed outside a building with columns and red brick walls.

Alfred Fielding

In 1952, he was posted to the Monte Bello Islands in Australia to take part in Operation Hurricane, Britain’s first nuclear test.

Elderly man with a white beard smiling outdoors, wearing a light-colored hat, dark blazer, and tie, decorated with several military medals and pins.

Roger Grace

He worked on HMS Narvik for the Mosaic testing series, assisting with weather balloons and radar and ferrying servicemen and scientists between islands.

Elderly man standing by a marina, wearing a gray jacket, dark trousers, and brown shoes, with moored sailboats and buildings in the background.

Bryan Hackett

After joining the RAF he volunteered to travel to Maralinga in Australia.

Elderly man wearing glasses and a vest with a medal pin, seated at a table covered with memorabilia including documents, booklets, photographs, and a framed picture of a formal ceremony.

Dennis Hayden

In 1965 he was posted to Maralinga in Australia, where he worked on air movements and rail supply of goods.

Elderly man seated indoors, wearing a tan blazer, white shirt, and patterned tie decorated with book spines. He holds a pair of glasses in his hands and looks directly at the camera with a calm expression.

Terry Hilliard

He served as squadron pilot and acting flight commander. For the Grapple Z3 detonation he collected scientific samples from the mushroom cloud.

Elderly man with a white beard smiling, wearing a blue fedora, dark sunglasses, striped shirt, and pink patterned tie under a dark blazer, standing in front of a brightly lit patterned background.

Terry Hughes

While in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), he visited Christmas Island where he witnessed a nuclear weapon test and sustained some minor burns as a result.

Elderly man with white hair and mustache, wearing a dark blazer decorated with multiple medals and pins, a white shirt, and a green patterned tie, seated in a studio with hands folded and a calm expression.

Robert James

After joining the RAF and receiving further training as a firefighter, he was posted to Maralinga for Operation Antler in 1957.

Elderly man with short hair wearing a dark blazer, checkered shirt, and tie, with several military medals pinned to his chest, standing against a stone wall.

Nick Kettlewell

He participated in Operation Mosaic and was an officer onboard HMS Diana, a ship that sailed through radioactive clouds for many hours after detonations.