Hospital patient receives bedside medal
An RAF veteran who survived two nuclear blasts has been honoured along with thousands of colleagues who took part in nuclear weapons' tests in the Pacific Ocean in the 1950s.
Thomas Walsh, 85, was awarded the Nuclear Test Medal (NTM) after a hard- fought campaign by veterans and their families with the Ministry of Defence.
The NDM is given in recognition of service and civilian personnel who served at locations where UK atmospheric nuclear tests were carried out between 1952 and 1957.
Thomas received his medal this week while staying at Northwick Park Hospital and was honoured by the hospital.
LNWH CEO Pippa Nightingale said: “It is an extraordinary part of history to have taken part in and even more extraordinary that Mr Walsh said he has never suffered any ill effects. We wish him all the best and a quick recovery.”
The then 18-year-old was doing his national service in the Royal Air Force when he was shipped out to remote Christmas Island.
“None of us really understood the potential threat to our lives back then. You just did what you were told and trusted your superiors.
“We were told to go and stand in a grove of palm trees near the beach. We had no protective clothing and were told to cover our eyes with our hands to protect against the flash.”
An RAF dropped the first bomb which detonated in mid-air to minimise the danger of fallout.
Thomas said: “I heard a distant explosion and when I put my hands across my eyes I could momentarily see all the bones in my hands lit up like an x-ray. We were then hit by a strrong hot wind. We went back to our tents after that and never received any medical check-ups or tests."
Operation Grapple was the UK’s first step towards becoming a nuclear power as the Cold War crept over Europe and involved several atomic detonations in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.
Thomas and his friends were also exposed to a second more powerful bomb the following year.
The veteran, who has lived in Harrow all his life, has never suffered any ill effects but said he shudders to think what might have happened.
“We’re all aware of the danger of nuclear radiation nowadays so I consider I had a lucky escape given I was just wearing shorts and sandals at the time.”