| Nuclear Test Medal | |
|---|---|
| Type | Service medal |
| Awarded for | Service during nuclear testing programmes |
| Description | Nickel-silver, 36 mm diameter |
| Presented by | UK |
| Eligibility | British forces and civilian personnel, foreign personnel involved with UK nuclear testing programme |
| Campaign | UK nuclear weapons testing programmes |
| Established | 21 November 2022 |
.jpg) Ribbon bar | |
TheNuclear Test Medal is an award intended to recognise the service of personnel involved in theUnited Kingdom's nuclear weaponstesting programmes.
Following many years of campaigning, in November 2022, the British Government announced the creation of a new medal intended to recognise the contribution of military and civilian personnel that took part in the various programmes aimed at developingnuclear weapons to be used by theBritish Armed Forces.[1] The announcement was made to coincide with the 70th anniversary of thefirst UK nuclear test.[2] In July 2023, the design of the new medal was released, with a commitment that many eligible veterans would receive their medals byRemembrance Sunday in November 2023.[3]
The medal features a crowned effigy ofCharles III facing right with the inscriptionCHARLES III DEI GRATIA REX FID DEF on the obverse, while the reverse shows anatom design surrounded byolive branches, with the wordsNUCLEAR TEST MEDAL beneath.[3] It was manufactured byWorcestershire Medal Service.[4]
The ribbon has a central white stripe, with symmetrical stripes of yellow, black and red, and sky blue stripes on the out edge – the blue is intended to represent the sky and the sea in thePacific, where the UK's nuclear tests took place.[3]
To qualify for the Nuclear Test Medal, individuals need to have served at locations whereatmospheric testing took place during the UK'satomic andthermonuclear development programmes between 1952 and 1967, on one of the following test operations:
Although the UK did not conduct nuclear testing after 1957, eligibility for the medal covers not just participation in the tests themselves, but also in the preparation and clean-up phases.[note 1][5] The medal can also be awarded to any UK personnel that participated inOperation DOMINIC, a series of atmospheric nuclear tests undertaken by the United States in locations including the island ofKiritimati between April and October 1962, as well as all UK Service and civilian personnel who served at the locations where American atmospheric nuclear tests took place, including under Operation BAGPIPES (1954). The eligibility criteria has been expanded to include all UK Service and civilian personnel who deployed from the UK on operations to monitor atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by France and China (to 1974 and 1980 respectively), Foreign nationals who served at the locations where the UK atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted, including the preparatory and clear-up phases, between 1952 and 1967.[5] To be awarded, the recipient should have served either as a member of the armed forces, or as civilian personnel in one of the named operational areas.[note 2] Recipients from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji andKiribati are also eligible. The medal can be awarded posthumously.[4]
Text was copied from this source, which is available under anOpen Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
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