Christmas Island Nuclear Testing Documentary

Website of the british nuclear test veterans association bntva.

Christmas island nuclear testing documentary. In search of britain s nuclear legacy bbc news 8 july 2013. A shot of one of the bombs tested on christmas island image. The british nuclear weapon tests on kiritimati or christmas island had profound and lasting cultural consequences for both atomic veterans and local islanders. However veterans and civilians who lived on christmas island during the tests maintain they were exposed to the negative health effects of the heat and ionizing radiation of the nuclear tests.

But what did the thousands of young soldiers experience on christmas island 40 years ago. The uk s nuclear testing programme by the preparatory commission for the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty organization. This is supported by documentary evidence released from british official archives as well as independent medical research reviewed in the new. Operation grapple was a set of four british nuclear weapons test series of early atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs carried out in 1957 and 1958 at malden island and kiritimati christmas island in the gilbert and ellice islands in the pacific ocean modern kiribati as part of the british hydrogen bomb programme nine nuclear explosions were initiated culminating in the united kingdom becoming.

The tests ended six years later and parts of the island were sealed off. For six years in the last 1950s and early 60s the british military conducted nuclear tests from christmas island. In 1957 the british military began conducting nuclear tests in the pacific ocean and based themselves on christmas island. Britain exploded its first hydrogen bomb on christmas island in 1957 as part of a series of tests in the pacific.

The northern eye documentary about christmas island nuclear test veterans and their descendants. The test took place at high altitude to minimise nuclear fall out. Sunday mirror collect read more related articles. Nuclear testing in the south pacific.