Dave Whyte has campaigned for decades for the truth regarding his exposure during his British Nuclear Testing program service.
Dave has never received a fair hearing, he has never received the full documentation that he has asked for on numerous occasions.
Successive governments have promised so much in opposition, yet when they come into power they fail the Nuclear Test Veterans. Dave was hoping the new Veterans Minister Al Carns would be different.
Unfortunately for Dave his fight for the truth regarding his exposure continues, he has been regarded as 'Vexatious' by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), despite writing to the Veterans Minister personally and LABRATS asking the Office for Veterans' Affairs to look into this matter.
Dave was interviewed by the Daily Express in October 2024 by Steph Spyro.
Dave Whyte blames his exposure to the fallout from two atomic and three hydrogen bomb blasts on Christmas Island in 1958 for a catalogue of health problems, including sterility.
The pensioner, 88, was responsible for clearing atomic debris from “ground zero” of the detonation site but was provided with no form of protection from the radiation he was exposed to.
Dave, from Kirkcaldy in Scotland, accused the state of treating veterans with “contempt” and carrying out the “cover up of the century”.
He said: “I believe there should be a public enquiry because the civil service has told so many lies to cover this contempt up. I think it’s time the public got to know the truth.”
The veteran, who was stationed in the Pacific for nine months aged 21, won a legal victory in 2012 to force the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to release radiation exposure records.
But he was told for years by the MoD that they did not have information on the radiation levels he was exposed to when he served in the army on Christmas Island.
A ruling by the Information Tribunal court in London then forced the MoD to release the record.
Dave told how the MoD previously stated the radiation exposure for his entire time on Christmas Island was a mere 2.4 millisieverts (mSv) but the veteran insists the true figure is at least 1,000 times this amount.
Dave, who witnessed Operation Grapple Y and Z, told how he was issued with radiation film badges and QFE Dosimeters which measure the levels of exposure.
The veteran said that the MoD alleges that his devices, along with several others, were never returned although Dave disputes this.
He said these devices hold the “true levels” of radiation received by service personnel at Christmas Island.
In February this year, LABRATS met with the Office for Veterans Affairs and discussed Dave's issues. Information was passed to the Veterans Minister Al Carns. Dave had written to him on the 8th of January 2025:
I am sure you will agree that this is not an unreasonable request from a proud veteran who served his country. The UK Government should provide him with this information, especially his blood counts and hospital records.
This was the response he received on the 20th of March 2025:
After waiting for approximately 3 months for a response, the MOD flagged Dave as Vexatious relating to Nuclear testing from 1958-1959 as well as Nuclear Test Badges. How is Dave ever going to get the truth?
Do these documents exist? His blood counts and hospital records should exist and he should be provided access to them. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says no information is withheld from veterans, yet this is a clear example of them withholding his information.
The MoD also states:
"It remains the case that no information is withheld from veterans and any medical records taken either before, during or after participation in the UK nuclear weapon tests are held in individual military medical records in the government's archives, which can be accessed on request."
Yet Dave's request has been stonewalled, his access denied to him. Ministers are being lied to, we now have numerous cases of veterans and their families who are being denied access to important medical records.
LABRATS have sent a copy of this blog to the Office for Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Minister for comment. We hope that Al Carns will order the release of Dave's records and the documentation that he has legally requested as per the MoD's statement. If we receive a response, we will provide an update to this blog.
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