A Tribute to the Life of Prince Philip, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, on behalf of the British Nuclear Test Veterans’ Association
During the Queen and Prince Philip, the HRH Duke of Edinburgh’s tour of the Commonwealth in 1953-1954, Prince Philip visited the Woomera Rocket Range in South Australia. The significance of the Woomera Range at this time, was that it included an area, called Emu Field, which was surveyed and chosen by the UK government and William Penney to perform neutron tests involving polonium, uranium and beryllium. This type of testing could not be achieved at the Montebello Islands, and the British had conducted Kitten trials, without having gained permission from the Australian government. Operation Totem followed in October 1953, which featured two tower-mounted tests using plutonium, causing a black mist to spread over a vast area. Prince Philip visited the Woomera Rocket Range shortly after this time, in 1954, where he ate at the Officer’s Mess.
Prince Philip’s first visit to Christmas Island was in 1957, during Operation Grapple, on his return from New Zealand. Prince Philip stopped briefly with the Queen’s private aeroplane on an unexpected visit for refuelling and servicing of the aeroplane. Ron Bostwick, an electrician with the Royal Engineers and a member of the British Nuclear Test Veterans’ Association remembers the Duke’s visit well. Ron said that Prince Philip walked down the aeroplane steps and exclaimed to the men who were standing still in their working clothes,
“Very good, very nice of you to do that, but haven’t you got anything else to do?!”
In April 1959, following Operation Grapple, the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Christmas Island for an official four-day visit. He arrived on the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was anchored by 19-year-old Bryan Taylor from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The Royal Yacht was anchored next to the RFA ship, the Fort Constantine.
Prince Philip was greeted by a Guard of Honour of British nuclear test veterans on his arrival to the Island. Peter Frost, aged 22, was sent to Christmas Island as an apprentice Royal Engineers’ electrician attached to 73 Christmas Island Squadron. Peter relates,
“It wasn’t through choice that I was in the Guard of Honour for Prince Philip; I was conned into it! A few weeks beforehand, notices went up on boards requesting the servicemen to come forward to form an improvised band. We heard that the Prince would visit. They wanted volunteers, and I was volunteered into it. I faced the water, the sun was beating down, my eyes were watering and the sweat was pouring down me. We stood for half an hour like that, waiting for the Prince. As soon as he stepped from the landing craft, he said, ‘Whose silly idea is it for these men to stand out in this heat?’ He then asked for the men to be let go immediately, which we were more than grateful for.”
Bryan Taylor, later Captain Bryan Taylor RFA, recalls Prince Philip asking who caught the fish that he was eating. Young Bryan nervously raised his hand, and Prince Philip immediately asked to go fishing with him the next morning. They went fishing three times during his stay, and chatted at length. Bryan remarked at how down to earth the Duke was on his fishing trips. He took the Prince over 20 miles away from Christmas Island to a safe spot for fishing, away from radiation damage, and Prince Philip caught smaller tiger sharks as well as many other fish. He was eager to freeze some of his catch on the Royal Yacht Britannia for the return journey around South Africa. The Prince also related that he desired to put the crew through some tumultuous seas on the journey home to England, to give them a time they would not forget!
During the Duke of Edinburgh's Christmas Island visit, on 13 April 1959, Prince Philip planted a Pacific Pine tree. Many British nuclear test veterans and Gilbertese Islanders recall the Duke planting this tree, which has been referred to fondly since its planting on Christmas Island as the ‘Queen’s Tree’.
Bryan Taylor became Head of Fisheries at Lowestoft after he left the RFA, and met the Prince on four occasions altogether. Prince Philip always remembered Bryan and fondly spoke of his visit to Christmas Island on these occasions, without being prompted. Prince Philip returned to Christmas Island in October 1982, this time bringing the Queen with him on an official Royal Visit.
Ron Bostwick met Prince Philip in November 2019 at the Garden of Remembrance outside Westminster Abbey. Ron was representing British veterans from the nuclear tests and clean-ups in the Montebello Islands, Maralinga and Emu Field, and Christmas Island from 1952-1967. Prince Philip noticed that Ron was separated from the main group, as he was seated in his motorised scooter, and was unable to step over the short fence. The Duke walked over to Ron, shook his hand, and said,
“Do you know what? I could do with a little machine like that to go around the Palace”.
The BNTVA is grateful for the Duke’s life, service, humour and commitment to the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces throughout his life. May he rest in peace. I attach the BNTVA’s tribute in Prince Philip’s book of condolence.
We would also like to thank Colin McCabe and Michael Boon for allowing us to use these photographs of Prince Philip on Christmas Island in 1959.
