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British nuclear scientist fled test zone but left troops to face the blasst

British nuclear scientist fled test zone but left troops to face the blast Mirror News UK 26 Jan 09

The chief scientist at Britain’s controversial nuclear tests FLED the danger zone… while thousands of troops were left behind to be nuked.

Dr William Penney’s own RAF batman (personal assistant) says he and top military brass left the area before the biggest bomb exploded in the South Pacific because, scientists admitted, they “didn’t have a clue what would happen”.

“Penney scarpered somewhere safe and only came back in the evening, hours after the bomb,” said Ralph Gray, now 73.

At the same time several thousand servicemen – not told of the dangers – were ordered to stand and watch the detonation from only a few miles away.

The revelation comes as 1,000 veterans of the tests press their demand in court for the Ministry of Defence to compensate them for rare illnesses, cancers and birth defects in their children.

The judge in the case, which began at the High Court in London on Wednesday, has been given documents showing Penney demanded insurance policies for his scientists, while the troops were treated as guinea pigs to test the effects of radiation.

The Sunday Mirror has seen some of a bundle of 250,000 formerly top-secret papers handed to the court by the MoD, which include proof that: /Premier Anthony Eden, told troops would be irradiated, said it was “a pity, but we cannot help it”……………………………..

After they came home the men developed blood, skin and bone disorders, aggressive cancers, thyroid and fertility problems.

Their wives had high rates of miscarriage, and their children were 10 times more likely to be born deformed. New tests have shown they may have suffered DNA damage which can be passed down their bloodline.

British nuclear scientist fled test zone but left troops to face the blasst – mirror.co.uk

Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium

January 26, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties