Honestly, over the years I have not known where to start. I have read pretty much all of the articles on the nuclear test veterans over the years and know my Dads history. But one thing has always bothered me over the years, was my health and my diagnosis of chronic kidney failure. Many people unfortunately develop CKD, but I started to question is even more 2 years ago. We did our family tree with my cousins and wider family. We reached all the way back to Edward Smith, my 5 times great grandfather in 1736. A long family history or many living long lives, with no known health issues, only made me question my health even further.
I always knew my father had served in the Royal Navy, but only recently have I begun to uncover just how extraordinary and complex his service was. I had a difficult time with my father, who passed in May 2008 at 69 years of age. What started as an attempt to trace my family history has evolved into something much deeper: a search for answers about my health, my origins, and the hidden legacy of Cold War military service.
A Naval Journey: HMS Protector
My father, Michael, joined the Royal Navy in 1957 at the age of 18. He would go on to serve for nine years, a period that saw him aboard several ships, including the HMS Protector. According to searches I have carried out, like other Royal Navy ships, was possibly involved in monitoring the effects of nuclear fallout, both from atmospheric testing and the potential for a nuclear attack. HMS Protector’s missions during this Cold War period likely included environmental and radiation monitoring. The region’s strategic importance — coupled with global fallout drift — made even non-combat deployments potentially significant in terms of exposure.
While there is no direct official statement linking HMS Protector to nuclear testing activity, its patrol routes during Cold War years overlapped with known test zones. Some accounts and indirect evidence — including blood test records and crew recollections — suggest possible involvement in support or monitoring capacities. But I am unclear at this stage where the searches are picking that up from, important I point that out. However, what is clear from searching online, there has been significant activity in the Antarctic. My Dad was a radio operator and his wireless history sheet, has helped me with dates.
What I do Know
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The Protector was near active zones.
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My father had a Singapore blood card dated May 1960, why?
HMS PROTECTOR IN THE ANTARCTIC. MARCH 1963, WITH THE ANTARCTIC PATROL SHIP HMS PROTECTOR DURING HER PATROL OF THE REGION. © Crown copyright reproduced under delegated authority from The Keeper of Public Records. Image: IWM (A 34733)
My father is onboard at the time this photo above is taken. Also there is another photo that was taken of the Protector setting sail on October 14, 1963, out of Portsmouth. The photo is on Flickr and not sure of copyright so it can be found if needed.
The consistency of his duties and even the same commanding officer’s initials help confirm the timeline. The 1960s were a period of heightened tension during the Cold War, with both sides actively developing nuclear weapons and monitoring the effects of testing
Cold War Exposure: A Forgotten Legacy?
It’s important to be careful when drawing conclusions — especially about missions that may still be under classification.
While there is no direct, official confirmation linking HMS Protector to nuclear test operations, its deployments overlapped with regions of high Cold War interest, including the Antarctic and Pacific test zones. Non-combat Royal Navy vessels were often used for passive data-gathering and communication relay roles.
My father’s personal recollections, combined with his official service history, suggest at least indirect proximity to those operations. As Cold War secrecy fades into history, new evidence may one day emerge.
I’ve come to believe that sharing this story might help connect the dots. Perhaps others who served with my father remember more. Perhaps someone else has similar health concerns tied to military service. With a long family history that goes back so long, has there been a change in the DNA? Is the fact I look nothing like my brother, further evidence on environmental factors?
I was always told I’d be smaller, that my early health kidney problems would limit my growth. Yet, I grew to over six feet 2 with a large frame — something my consultants never expected. In contrast, my brother and I look so different and I am no expert on genetics, but it just adds further questions. Genetics are random, and our environments, even subtle ones, shape how we grow. Certainly food for thought.
The Singapore Card
Among my father’s keepsakes, I found something small but startling: a blood transfusion card dated 20 May 1960 from Singapore, stamped with a lab reference number. This wasn’t just an emergency tag — it points to formal medical testing and tracking.
My father told me about being exposed to nuclear testing during his time on Christmas Island. Could this transfusion have followed one of those exposures? Was he part of a broader monitoring programme, quietly recorded but never publicly acknowledged?
These questions don’t just belong to history. They belong to the present — because I could be living with what might be their legacy.
A Long Decline, Hidden in Plain Sight
I was first monitored around age 10 and memories of IgA nephropathy, but by 16 I was discharged. I was likely already in Stage 1 of chronic kidney disease, why I could not join the Navy myself. There’s a silence in the genetic record — no red flags, no inherited markers
Like many immune-related kidney conditions, the damage can simmer in the background for years. I lived without symptoms until age 26, when I was diagnosed with Henoch-Schönlein purpura — and chronic kidney disease stage 5.
That slow progression — from quiet beginnings to critical illness — raises the question: what started this process so early at 10? And is the answer found not in me, but in what my father experienced before I was even born? They are questions that have never gone away and made me more curious since our family tree.
Note: All information shared here is based on personal records, recollections, and public sources. Any corrections or insights are very welcome.
