An Oral History of British Nuclear Test Veterans
Dr Chris Hill (Pl, University of South Wales) and Dr Jon Hogg (Co-I, University of Liverpool)
‘An Oral History of British Nuclear Test Veterans’ documents the experiences of military and civilian personnel who took part in British nuclear test operations (1952-1967). It makes a unique contribution to postwar social history, recognising the backgrounds, careers and struggles of the men who helped make Britain a nuclear power.
In partnership with National Life Stories, the oral history charity at the British Library, researchers from the University of South Wales and the University of Liverpool have been active in making in-depth audio recordings with British nuclear test veterans. Their project, ‘An Oral History of British Nuclear Test Veterans’, was funded by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs in spring 2023, not long after the then Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced a ‘Nuclear Test Medal’ for participants in military operations between 1952 and 1967.
The research team have conducted interviews with former servicemen and officers from the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, as well as with a civilian worker, members of the merchant navy and a nuclear physicist. The interviews highlight links between these roles on test sites in Australia and the Pacific. The project was led by Dr Chris Hill (Pl, University of South Wales) and Dr Jon Hogg (Co-I, University of Liverpool).
The project had three aims. It sought to comprehend in participation in nuclear tests in the wider contexts of veterans’ lives; to generate public recognition for veterans’ service; and to understand how we might learn from test veterans for the benefit of other servicemen.
The project will support nuclear test veterans in their longstanding struggle to receive meaningful recognition for their service. The project will also help policymakers to better appreciate the long-term and psychological risks that can arise from perceived exposure to radiation. As well as benefiting nuclear test veterans, this project will also lay the foundations for research into other cohorts of veterans who believe they may have been exposed to toxic contaminants in the course of service.
Outputs
- An archive of 41 interviews with nuclear test veterans
- An interactive web resource, hosted on the British Library website, featuring eight essays and 69 excerpts from the interview collection
- A project film, The Greatest Force on Earth
- Educational resources for GCSE and A Level students
- Several articles, book chapters and a monograph by project researcher, Fiona Bowler (The British Nuclear Test Veteran).