Award
| Nuclear Test Medal | |
|---|---|
| Type | Service medal |
| Awarded for | Service during nuclear testing programmes |
| Description | Nickel-silver, 36 mm diameter |
| Presented by | UK |
| Eligibility | British forces and civilian personnel, foreign personnel involved with UK nuclear testing programme |
| Campaign(s) | UK nuclear weapons testing programmes |
| Established | 21 November 2022 |
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The Nuclear Test Medal is an award intended to recognise the service of personnel involved in the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons testing programmes.
History
Following many years of campaigning, in November 2022, the British Government announced the creation of a new medal intended to recognise the contribution of military and civilian personnel that took part in the various programmes aimed at developing nuclear weapons to be used by the British Armed Forces. The announcement was made to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the first UK nuclear test. In July 2023, the design of the new medal was released, with a commitment that many eligible veterans would receive their medals by Remembrance Sunday in November 2023.
Description
The medal features a crowned effigy of Charles III facing right with the inscription CHARLES III DEI GRATIA REX FID DEF on the obverse, while the reverse shows an atom design surrounded by olive branches, with the words NUCLEAR TEST MEDAL beneath. It was manufactured by Worcestershire Medal Service.
The ribbon has a central white stripe, with symmetrical stripes of yellow, black and red, and sky blue stripes on the out edge – the blue is intended to represent the sky and the sea in the Pacific, where the UK's nuclear tests took place.
Qualification
To qualify for the Nuclear Test Medal, individuals need to have served at locations where atmospheric testing took place during the UK's atomic and thermonuclear development programmes between 1952 and 1967, on one of the following test operations:
- Operation HURRICANE – October 1952, Montebello Islands, Western Australia
- Operation TOTEM – October 1953, Emu Field, South Australia
- Operation MOSAIC – June 1956, Montebello Islands, Western Australia
- Operation BUFFALO – September – October 1956, Maralinga, South Australia
- Operation GRAPPLE – May 1957 – September 1958, Malden Island, Kiribati
- Operation ANTLER – September – October 1957, Maralinga, South Australia
Although the UK did not conduct nuclear testing after 1957, eligibility for the medal covers not just participation in the tests themselves, but also in the preparation and clean-up phases. The medal can also be awarded to any UK personnel that participated in Operation DOMINIC, a series of atmospheric nuclear tests undertaken by the United States in locations including the island of Kiritimati between April and October 1962. To be awarded, the recipient should have served either as a member of the armed forces, or as civilian personnel in one of the named operational areas. Recipients from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Kiribati are also eligible. The medal can be awarded posthumously.
Notes
- The clean-up operations primarily took place at Maralinga in South Australia and were codenamed as Operation CLEAN-UP (1963), Operation HERCULES (1964) and Operation BRUMBY (1967)
- Civilian personnel would be primarily those serving with either the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment or the Atomic Energy Research Establishment
References
- Robinson, James (21 November 2022). "'An enduring symbol of gratitude': Thousands who took part in UK's nuclear test programme to receive medal". Sky News. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- "British nuclear test veterans to receive new medal". The Past. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Design of new medal for UK nuclear test veterans unveiled". Forces News. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Nuclear Test Medal". Orders & Medals Research Society Journal. 62 (4): 217. December 2023. ISSN 1474-3353.
- ^ "Nuclear Test Medal – Eligibility Criteria". Ministry of Defence. UK Government. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
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