Page 26 - CAMPAIGN Spring 2022

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CAMPAIGN Spring 2022
Meet the BNTVA Community Engagement Officer
Ian Razzell Major (retd.)
Towards the close of 2021, the Veterans' Foundation kindly awarded much-needed funding towards a part time Community Engagement Officer.
We are delighted that Ian Razzell, Major (retd.) who served for over three decades in the Royal Army Medical Corps, with deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and the London 2012 Olympics, has joined us in building specific Community Welfare Services.
Ian joined the Association to develop this part time role and works closely with Ceri and Michelle to assist veterans and their families with specific health and social care issues including risk assessments, liaison with social services departments, contact with specific military charities where necessary and Armed Forces breakfast clubs. He is passionate about connecting people and finding solutions to overcome individual barriers.
Reader’s Story
Risk and rigour on
Christmas Island encapsulated by a sapper
I am an ex Sapper, Royal Engineers. Today I am 84 years old. My brain is a little slow to remember things. Nevertheless, I'll try my best.
I am a nuclear veteran from Christmas Island, South Pacific.
I went through numerous detonations whilst there. My job on the Island was to run eight massive English National Generators. It was a very important job. We would supply every inch of the Island with lights, tannoys and radios. There is nowhere on the Island that you could not hear a countdown to detonation.
If you did not have this and a bomb went off, you could lose eyesight for up to a week. Dangerous. You must never face a detonation, always have your back to it. If you put your face towards your chest, when the bomb goes off you can see right through like an x-ray. This was illegal.
We lost two men while I was there. One was a terrible accident. He was taken by a shark in the lagoon after a boat had sunk. Awful.
The second was a friend - Des Lynam. Never knew why or how he died. I know he was buried at sea within three days of his demise.
A very fit and all round sportsman. Terrible, terrible.
As I said, today I am 84 years old. I live on £693 monthly pension.
Less £250 for rent. Not a lot to show for my years.
I'm also twice decorated; one for Cyprus against EOKA, the second a General Service Medal, Saudi Arabia (Aden), where I spent three weeks in hospital after being blown up by a hand grenade. Sixteen people were hospitalised from this and 8 were children. The target was an open-air cinema. I thank two Royal Scots who carried me half a mile to the medical centre.
I've served my country, like so many others have. I do believe help for people like me is so long overdue.
I wonder how many of the people
in charge of government have had any military duty or have been approximately 30 miles from nuclear bombs?
Yours sincerely.
PS: 14 and a half years military service. 2 and a half boy soldier. 12 colour service. Thank you.