![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/nuclear-test-veteran-from-ipswich-among-first-to-receive-medal/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/131241774_bob.jpg&description=Image source, Last family Image caption, Bob Last served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers A 92-year-old veteran who watched nuclear weapons being tested in the 1950s has become one of the first to receive a new military medal. Bob Last, of Ipswich, Suffolk, was a newlywed in his 20s when he was sent to south-west Australia with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Their contribution was recognised by the government after a long campaign. When the medals were announced, the Prime Minister said they would be a symbol of "our country's gratitude". Mr Last's daughter, Sandie Catlin, said the Nuclear Test Medal had been a "long time coming". It came after years of campaigning to gain recognition and restitution for the thousands of personnel exposed to nuclear radiation and their families. Ms Catlin and her sister Debbie Last said their father, who has dementia, had started to speak about his experiences in the Australian outback in recent years. "I think they were told not to talk about it; and that generation, if they told not to talk about something, they didn't," said Ms Last. "He said they would see explosions go off, and they would cover their faces with their hands and they could see the bones in their hands." Image source, Getty Images Image caption, A cloud hangs over Australia's Monte Bello Islands after Britain tested its first atomic bomb Seven atomic bombs were dropped in Maralinga, where Mr Last was based, in October 1957. Mr Last returned from Australia in 1958 and was then stationed in Germany with his wife Doreen, with the first of their two children born that October. He left the forces in 1978 and worked in other jobs including banking before his retirement at 65. For years, veterans and their families have campaigned for recognition, saying the radiation they were exposed to caused ill health and premature deaths, as well as health problems in their families. However the Ministry of Defence has maintained that three large s){kind=link}
A 92-year-old veteran who watched nuclear weapons being tested in the 1950s has become one of the first to receive a new military medal.
Bob Last, of Ipswich, Suffolk, was a newlywed in his 20s when he was sent to south-west Australia with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
Their contribution was recognised by the government after a long campaign.
When the medals were announced, the Prime Minister said they would be a symbol of “our country’s gratitude”.
Mr Last’s daughter, Sandie Catlin, said the Nuclear Test Medal had been a “long time coming”.