Nuclear Test Veterans Recall the Flash, Blast and Human Toll

Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

We were told nothing. We knew nothing. We were told very little about the day except, "Don't look at the flash."

Can you describe the day that the nuclear bomb was dropped?

And just before the sun comes up, we were marshaled in groups.

We, I went out on the aircraft carrier, the Warrior, and we was told to face the stern of the ship, the back of the ship.

We were told to cover our eyes with our hands or bury your eyes into the crook of your arm, which we did.

To say it was frightening is an understatement.

I think it shocked us all into silence. When the flash hit you, you could see the X-rays of your hands through your closed eyes.

It was just sheer brilliant light. So I'd, I've never seen anything like it.

Never had done. In the process of hands over your eyes, you saw every bone in your hand.

If I was looking at you now, I would see all your bones.

You would see all the blood vessels and everything, the bones, the lot.

Then the heat hit you, and that was just as if somebody my size had actually caught fire then walked through me.

It was an experience that was absolutely unearthing.

You c- it was so strange. Some of the lads would stand up, but about 30 odd seconds later, you'd get the blast, and the blast would knock you flying.

And there were guys with bruises and broken limbs.

We couldn't believe it.

After a while, we were told that we could now stand and look up and watch the mushroom form.

You, you caught sight of it, the sight of it at 90 degrees.

It was that huge. It wasn't there. It wasn't there.

It was there. It was practically above you.

All they saw was this rising fireball, a colossal fireball just going up, and thunder, lightning, you name it.

What I noticed most was the clouds moving away like that, you know, round and round and round.

I think it was too much for some of them, and some of them were crying, asked for their mum.

That was awful. There was no comprehension that anything like that could even exist.

It, it, it was immense.

It's a sight to see, but never wanna see it again.

Over a 10-year test period, there were 22,500 personnel.

In 2013, we estimated that 18 and a half thousand of us had died, and the reports that I'd seen, nobody had died practically of natural causes.

They had all died of, uh, leukemias and cancers, carcinomas of one sort or the other.

And for a government to do that to its own people is absolutely disgraceful.

It's outrageous.