Ministry of Defence ordered to hand over nuclear veteran's blood tests to family

26 February 2024 , 23:13

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Terry Gledhill died in 2015 (Image: Jane O'Connor)

The Ministry of Defence has been ordered by a judge to hand over the blood tests of a nuclear veteran to his family.

The MoD spent more than a year fighting the relatives of Squadron Leader Terry Gledhill, who wanted to see if blood samples taken before and after he flew through five mushroom clouds led to his later decades of ill health. Terry died in 2015, but his daughter Jane O’Connor argued that, as his executor, she was able to exercise his legal rights to see the blood test results. Now a Freedom of Information tribunal has ruled in her favour.

“I’m over the moon, and I hope dad would be proud of me. As an officer he always wanted to take care of his men, and with this we’ve set a precedent which could mean other families can likewise see the blood tests of their fathers too,” she said. The MoD has a month to appeal the ruling, and was contacted for comment.

* A legal case has been launched to force the MoD to the High Court for a judge to order full disclosure. To donate to the crowdfunder, go to: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/nuclear-veterans-case/

Jane O'Connor wants to see her father's blood tests (BNPS)

It refused to address the fact its policy had been ruled unlawful, and instead issued a 402-word statement about a recently-awarded medal, and flawed health studies which the Mirror has established were rewritten by MoD civil servants.
It said it "remains the case" that any medical records can simply be requested by a veteran, even though dozens of veterans have reported receiving files that have had vital information redacted.

In 2018 the MoD told Parliament it had “no information” about blood testing that was ordered to be carried out on trips at the nuclear weapon tests, which were conducted in Australia and the Pacific between 1952 and 1967. Then in 2022 we revealed a 1958 top secret Atomic Weapons Establishment memo about Sqn Ldr Gledhill’s blood tests, discussing “gross irregularity” and saying further tests would be taken.

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Campaigners have since uncovered repeated orders for blood tests to be conducted on thousands of servicemen over more than a decade, in the army, navy and air force. Since then dozens of relatives have applied to the AWE for their fathers blood or urine tests, only to be told they have no right to see them, as the only legislation that covers it covers records made after 1990. Now cross-party MPs are discussing a change to the law so that records from before that date could be included.

The AWE has been forced to admit in FOIs by the Mirror that it may hold up to 5,000 personal blood tests. Although it insists none are individually identifiable, it says any individual can request a copy of their own. It has also admitted holding at least 150 documents about blood and urine testing which have been withheld from the National Archives, along with other state secrets.

Defence minister Andrew Murrison has promised to review the “tantalising” records, which have titles including “blood count data”. But last week we revealed that only seven AWE officials have security clearance to see them, and his request to view them was being blocked.

Susie Boniface