Nuclear Test Medal honour for Whitby RAF veteran, 86

Eric Copeland has been presented with the Nuclear Test Medal

An RAF veteran who took part in Britain's nuclear test programme in the 1950s has finally been recognised for the role he played.

Eric Copeland, 86, was one of thousands of servicemen who witnessed atomic and hydrogen bombs being detonated on Christmas Island in the South Pacific.

Mr Copeland was presented with the Nuclear Test Medal at the care home where he lives in Whitby.

It follows a long-running campaign for service personnel to be recognised.

Mr Copeland completed two tours of duty on Christmas Island where Britain's new range of nuclear missiles were being tested in the 1950s.

Mr Copeland served in the RAF in the 1950s

He remembers witnessing mushroom cloud explosions and was unsure how the radiation would affect him and his comrades.

Many of them have said they later developed cancer.

Mr Copeland, who lives at the Jubilee House care home in Whitby, recalled: "You were a bit scared, yes."

Groups including the Lab Rats International charity spent several years campaigning for the 22,000 atomic test survivors to be recognised.

The Nuclear Test Medal was announced by the government last year to recognise the civilian and overseas staff and personnel who took part in the nuclear testing programme in the 1950s and 1960s.

Jakki Edmond applied for the medal for Mr Copeland

Jakki Edmond, activities co-ordinator at Jubilee House, applied for the medal for Mr Copeland.

"He told me all about his time on Christmas Island and he has a cabinet of seashells he collected at the time," said Ms Edmond.

"He always said they had never received any recognition and so when I learned that they were doing a medal for those servicemen I applied on his behalf."

Martin Drake of the Scarborough RAF Association presented the medal to Mr Copeland

Mr Copeland was presented with the medal by Martin Drake, Chairman of the Scarborough RAF Association.

Mr Drake said: "Eric has waited 68 years for this medal and, as an association, we are very proud to be able to finally give him it today."

After receiving the medal, Mr Copeland told the BBC it was long overdue: "It doesn't make sense to me. I mean, the older you get... Flippin' 'eck, I'm nearly 90."

Ms Edmond summed up how much the medal meant to Mr Copeland: "It has just made his life because he has always said that he should have had a medal for what they did on Christmas Island and today he has got that medal."