AN Army veteran in High Wycombe has finally received a medal in recognition of the dangerous work he undertook 65 years ago, ahead of Remembrance.
Michael Mossop received the Nuclear Test Medal after his daughter Sarah applied for it on his behalf.
Released in 2022, after years of campaigning by veterans and charities, the Nuclear Test Medal is awarded to UK service and civilian personnel, and individuals from other nations, who served at the locations where the UK atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted, between 1952 and 1967.
Michael was serving in the Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) and was stationed on Christmas Island in 1959, shortly after hydrogen bomb tests had taken place on the South Pacific island.
The 94-year-old lives at Royal Star & Garter in High Wycombe. Michael, who is now living with dementia, joined the Army in 1951, and served for 31 years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
In 1959, he was nominated to be Paymaster to Operation Grapple, the code name given for the controversial hydrogen bomb tests on Christmas Island, which took place in 1957 and 1958.
In his memoirs, Michael recalled: “I was never present at a nuclear explosion. However, I have stood where they had been exploded. The earth at ground zero was ash, blackened and in many places had turned into something like glass and clinker, like the interior of an old burnt-out coke stove.”
Keen photographer Michael captured many images on the island, showing fellow soldiers resting and relaxing, and on a military parade.