Guernsey men awarded Nuclear Test Medal for Pacific service

Two men in Guernsey have been awarded a medal for their military service in the Pacific as part of Britain's nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s.

Gerry Robert and Henry Torode were awarded the new Nuclear Test Medal.

Mr Robert served as a Corporal in the Royal Army Service Corps and witnessed the detonation of four nuclear bombs at Christmas Island.

"When the plane dropped the bomb you could see all the bones in your fingers," he said.

Mr Roberts was rushed to a military hospital when he returned to the UK after suffering internal bleeding and underwent nine hours of surgery.

He continued to serve in the Army until his retirement in the 1970s, when he moved to Guernsey to work as a butcher.

The medal is a sovereign award, which recognises military, civilian, and overseas staff and personnel who participated in Britain's nuclear testing programme during the 1950s and 1960s.

It is estimated about 22,000 people worldwide are eligible for the medal.

Mr Torode was in the Royal Marines when he was posted to Christmas Island in 1958 to operate landing craft.

He said he could never forget what he saw.

He said: "I remember looking up at the sky and thinking there were two suns.

"The flames and the fireball were as bright as the sun, if not brighter."

Both men were presented their medals by Guernsey's Lieutenant-Governor, Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell.

He said everyone owed "a debt of thanks to Mr Robert, Mr Torode and others like them for the risks they unwittingly faced so long ago".

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