British nuclear test veterans: the complexities of identity, health and wellbeing, and the ageing process

Abstract

For 30 years ~22,000 men were silenced by the Official Secrets Act. They participated in 21 nuclear tests conducted by the UK in Australia and the South Pacific from 1952-1958. Since 1983 these men have been campaigning for recognition following premature deaths, illness, miscarriages, and offspring deformities, to no avail. They are the British Nuclear Test Veteran (BNTV) community and in 2021, almost 70 years since the first nuclear test, less than 3,000 of them remain. This unique ageing population face a double jeopardy of invisibility: hidden by government red tape, and now marginalised as the oldest old. The discourse is dominated by the health effects of radiation and the servicemen’s lived experiences, the nuances of ageing, and any health and wellbeing issues have not been investigated. This thesis therefore had three key objectives: to understand the complexities of BNTV identity; critically explore health and wellbeing issues among the BNTV community; and analyse types of leisure activities that enhance wellbeing and reasons for engagement. Using a life history approach, this interpretivist qualitative study conducted two rounds of in-depth interviews with 29 members of the BNTV community. A systematic framework for narrative analysis led to the construction of three creative nonfiction stories representing the ‘big’, ‘small’, shared, and exceptional experiences of the BNTVs. Key findings include loneliness and loss; collective nuclear experience and identity; illness following potential exposure; and staying active to reduce the perceived side effects of ageing. By challenging the politics of ageing, health, and wellbeing, from the perspective of this diverse ageing population, this work not only impacts the community which it interviewed but also provides the foundations for future programmes of support to address the salient issues that have been identified. Furthermore, these CNF stories provide the BNTV community with the recognition they have been seeking.