There are no plans to extend the Nuclear Test Medal to personnel of 543 and 27 Squadrons who recovered, washed, decontaminated and maintained aircraft used for nuclear cloud sampling between 1966 and 1980, because they did not deploy from the United Kingdom, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, the Conservative peer, asked what progress has been made on extending eligibility to those personnel, in light of representations from nuclear test veterans involved in intelligence gathering of foreign nations’ atmospheric tests.
Lord Coaker, the Minister of State for Defence, said: “Nuclear Test Medal (NTM) eligibility has been broadened to include UK personnel who deployed in support of United States atmospheric nuclear tests, and UK personnel who were deployed from the UK in support of operations to monitor atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by France and China up to 1974 and 1980 respectively.
“Ministry of Defence officials will continue to keep the eligibility criteria under review to ensure that they are as comprehensive and inclusive as they can be given the current boundaries. There are no current plans to expand the criteria to include personnel who did not deploy from the UK in support of either UK or other nations atmospheric testing.
“Any formal proposal for the expansion of the NTM eligibility criteria would need to be endorsed by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee) and approved by His Majesty The King.”
Everything turns on deployment, because aircrew flown out to sample the clouds produced by French and Chinese tests qualify, while the people who met those aircraft on return and handled contaminated airframes do not, because they stayed at their home station.
Number 543 Squadron flew the Victor B2(SR) in the strategic reconnaissance role until 1974, and 27 Squadron took on the maritime radar reconnaissance and air sampling task with the Vulcan B2(MRR) thereafter. The Nuclear Test Medal was instituted in 2022 for veterans and civilian staff who took part in Britain’s atmospheric testing programme, after decades of campaigning.
