British Nuclear Test Veterans

In 2021 I had the honour to speak with British nuclear test veterans at the  British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA) annual conference. I met many veterans including John Robinson and Peter Lambourne. John Robinson was an RAF pilot who was tasked to fly into the mushroom clouds of nuclear bomb tests to capture samples … Read more

The man who built his own Cold War nuclear bunker

Graham Bate was 30-year-old Civil Servant when he built his own nuclear bunker in the garden of his rural home 20 miles outside Hull in the UK. It was here that the Bate family expected to survive for at least 3 weeks after a nuclear attack. We speak with Graham Bate and his son Conrad … Read more

Flying into nuclear mushroom clouds

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google Podcasts Squadron Leader John Robinson AFC (ret’d) was an RAF pilot who was tasked to fly into the mushroom clouds of nuclear bomb tests to capture samples at Operation Buffalo at Maralinga in 1956, and Operation Grapple, at Christmas Island in 1957. He tells of his recruitment … Read more