:00:11. > :00:16.This week, I'm in at Lancashire, a village that formed the backdrop to
:00:16. > :00:20.Whistle Down the Wind. More and that later. Also tonight: Why North
:00:20. > :00:27.West veterans of atomic weapons tests and still fighting for
:00:27. > :00:33.compensation. 50 years on. Christmas Island veterans will not
:00:34. > :00:37.go away until we finish up in a box. The Liverpool boxer hoping to make
:00:37. > :00:43.history in the first generation of women ever to compete for boxing
:00:43. > :00:47.gold at the Olympics. Anyone from anywhere can be anything. Just
:00:47. > :00:53.because I am black, a Bullman band from Liverpool doesn't mean I
:00:53. > :01:03.cannot at inspire to what I want. When Holywood came to Lancashire.
:01:03. > :01:19.
:01:19. > :01:23.Yesterday it was Remembrance Sunday, a time when we all paid tribute to
:01:23. > :01:25.those who had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
:01:25. > :01:29.There's one group of veterans who feel they have been totally
:01:29. > :01:35.forgotten, those who took part in the British nuclear weapons tests
:01:35. > :01:45.in the 1950s. Today they returned to the Supreme Court in their long
:01:45. > :01:49.
:01:49. > :01:53.fight for compensation from the Ministry of Defence.
:01:53. > :01:59.Along this strip is a task force wedding to make history... Britain
:01:59. > :02:06.carried out six weapons tests on Christmas Island between 1957 and
:02:06. > :02:14.1958. Codenamed Operation grappled, it culminated in the decimation of
:02:14. > :02:18.the first hydrogen bomb. People 10 miles away with their backs turned
:02:18. > :02:22.are conscious of its fantastic brilliance. John Morris from
:02:22. > :02:28.Greater Manchester was one of more than 2000 British servicemen
:02:28. > :02:35.stationed on the Pacific island during the nuclear tests. Our aim
:02:35. > :02:40.initially was to build a runway. At that time, we did not know we were
:02:40. > :02:46.going to set off atomic bombs. nobody had given the information?
:02:46. > :02:50.We had no idea at all. All we were told was that we were building a
:02:50. > :02:57.runway and there would be some experiments and then we were
:02:57. > :03:03.informed that they were going to do it nuclear tests. The very first
:03:03. > :03:06.test took place in a nail-biting 56, it was 200 miles away from
:03:06. > :03:11.Christmas Island. Too far away from them to see or hear the explosion
:03:11. > :03:20.will stop the island was completely in the middle of nowhere and he
:03:20. > :03:30.felt almost any variation of temperature or wind speed and the
:03:30. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:41.sea level. The seed of rice. But in November 1957, Christmas Island was
:03:41. > :03:42.
:03:42. > :03:47.chosen as the test case for a hydrogen bomb. An RAF Falcon
:03:47. > :03:50.dropped the top-secret device over the southern tip of the island. The
:03:50. > :03:57.explosion was 1000 times more powerful than the atomic bombs
:03:57. > :04:04.dropped on Hiroshima. We didn't hear the explosion initially. We
:04:04. > :04:10.felt more than we saw the sheer brilliant light. It is a light that
:04:10. > :04:14.you could never ever experience. We had sunglasses on, we had this
:04:14. > :04:21.cloth over our eyes and hands over our eyes and I could still see
:04:21. > :04:25.through my hands. It was almost like an X-ray. Then he felt the
:04:25. > :04:30.heat wave. I don't know if you have ever cooked something in the oven
:04:30. > :04:34.and you have put the oven on a very, very high. You have them open the
:04:34. > :04:41.oven door to look at what you have cooked and to get hit with the heat
:04:41. > :04:48.from the oven. If I said that heat was 50 times greater, but don't
:04:48. > :04:58.think I would be telling a lie. You felt you were going to go on fire.
:04:58. > :05:02.They then said, you can turn around. That is when you saw all the heat
:05:02. > :05:07.all that was then dispersed. We were all watching this, absolutely
:05:07. > :05:16.in all of it. We could not believe what we were seeing. It was the
:05:16. > :05:24.most magnificent sight. Then the blast hit us. At that time, I was
:05:24. > :05:30.actually stood along with about 50 other people on some fallen trees.
:05:30. > :05:36.It blew us off the trees. Simple as that. I remember us all on the
:05:36. > :05:38.floor and almost to a man, we picked ourselves up and ran. Like
:05:39. > :05:42.most of the servicemen on the island, John didn't think of the
:05:42. > :05:46.health risks at the time. It was only later when a large proportion
:05:46. > :05:53.of them began to develop cancer that they began to suspect there
:05:53. > :06:00.might be a link. About 70% of us, I believe, have suffered with some
:06:00. > :06:04.form of disorder. I finished up with prostrate cancer. It could be
:06:04. > :06:09.argued that hundreds of men have prostate cancer, I am not disputing
:06:09. > :06:15.that. Do you think the Ministry of Defence knew a lot more than they
:06:15. > :06:19.told you about which omission was on Christmas Island? I would be
:06:19. > :06:26.amazed, knowing what I know now, then, with all their so called
:06:26. > :06:30.experts, they did not know, as I would say guinea-pig status that we
:06:30. > :06:39.were being subjected to. I am convinced that we were being used
:06:39. > :06:43.as guinea pigs. To see what would happen to the human body. Derek
:06:43. > :06:47.from Doncaster or lost his long battle with cancer in April. His
:06:47. > :06:52.wife is convinced his death is linked to his time on Christmas
:06:52. > :07:00.Island. He didn't talk about it very much, it wasn't until later on
:07:00. > :07:05.that we had been married and he was writing at his applications and he
:07:05. > :07:09.said that he had been cut in Christmas Island. They were told
:07:09. > :07:13.before the bomb went off, but they had to sit with their backs to it.
:07:13. > :07:18.He said they had no covering on are anything, just to sit up at their
:07:18. > :07:22.backs to the bomb. When the blast went, we had no sunglasses and he
:07:22. > :07:28.said they had to put their hands over their eyes and when the flash
:07:28. > :07:35.went, he said all your fingers, you could see the bones and the blood
:07:35. > :07:41.in your fingers. It was one of his jobs that he had to clean the
:07:41. > :07:47.aircraft when it landed. When they were coming back off the aircraft,
:07:47. > :07:52.they had to be tested with the Geiger counter. When they went into
:07:52. > :07:58.the washroom, they were told they had to use the soap because others
:07:58. > :08:01.had washed at that, that was contaminated as well. But as more
:08:01. > :08:06.and more veterans started to die from cancer, Derek, like others,
:08:06. > :08:10.began to suspect there was a link. After developing cancer himself, he
:08:10. > :08:15.was sure he would eventually receive compensation. He always
:08:16. > :08:19.thought he would get compensation. If we did that, we would go to
:08:19. > :08:26.Canada for our 50th anniversary but it never happened. What would it
:08:26. > :08:34.mean to you to get the compensation it now at all the recognition?
:08:34. > :08:38.would just like them to apologise, that is all. In July, lawyers
:08:38. > :08:42.acting on behalf of the veterans were granted leave to appeal an
:08:42. > :08:45.earlier judgment overturning their claim for compensation will stop it
:08:46. > :08:51.was an emotional moment for Margaret's eldest son who travelled
:08:51. > :08:54.down for the hearing. My dad served in Christmas Island, this was
:08:54. > :08:58.something he was passionate about and I am here to carry on the fight
:08:58. > :09:02.on his behalf but it is emotional. The Supreme Court must now decide
:09:02. > :09:07.whether there is a case to be heard for compensation but with the
:09:07. > :09:12.veterans dying at a rate of three and month, time is running out.
:09:12. > :09:16.the original 12 claimants but were there, five have passed on since
:09:16. > :09:20.the original judgment. God knows how many of us will be left but
:09:20. > :09:27.most of us are well into our seventies and we are getting fewer
:09:27. > :09:32.and fewer. He has always said that we would get some compensation,
:09:32. > :09:37.even ride at the end he said they would see a stride. But I don't
:09:38. > :09:42.think they will. He has got more feared than I have. They should
:09:42. > :09:52.have done it years ago so it benefited him. It would have
:09:52. > :09:56.benefited him. Many other countries including America, New Zealand and
:09:56. > :09:59.Australia have all given some compensation to their atomic test
:09:59. > :10:09.veterans so we wanted to know whether Ministry of Defence haven't
:10:09. > :10:32.
:10:32. > :10:42.The Christmas Island veterans, like me, will not go away until we
:10:42. > :10:44.
:10:44. > :10:54.finish up in a wooden box. But my family will carry on pursuing what
:10:54. > :10:56.
:10:56. > :11:00.we think it's just us. -- justice. Coming up: 50 years on, the
:11:00. > :11:04.Lancashire villagers who starred alongside Hayley Mills in the
:11:04. > :11:09.iconic Whistle Down the Wind. didn't understand anything about it
:11:09. > :11:16.whatsoever, it was an adventure really, we didn't even know what a
:11:16. > :11:19.film was. By this time next year, a young
:11:19. > :11:24.woman from Liverpool could be the proud owner of a unique Olympic
:11:24. > :11:29.medal. The London 2012 games is the first where women's boxing has been
:11:29. > :11:39.allowed. Natasha Jonas from Toxteth soaping to be one of the chosen few
:11:39. > :11:42.
:11:42. > :11:47.to represent Great Britain. At 26, Natasha Jonas is hoping to
:11:47. > :11:55.make history, to be the first generation of women to ever compete
:11:55. > :11:58.for a boxing gold at the Olympics. Obviously it's the first time it is
:11:58. > :12:03.going to be in the Olympics and we've got it in London so it's on
:12:03. > :12:12.home soil. I am really proud of my achievements so far but to get to
:12:12. > :12:17.the Olympics for an amateur, it's just the greatest achievement.
:12:17. > :12:21.Olympic dreams still hang in the balance. Tasha is 4th in the world
:12:21. > :12:25.amateur rankings but was only one of eight women in the GB squad. By
:12:25. > :12:29.May next year, that will be reduced to three fighters who will go on to
:12:29. > :12:36.the Games. While she waits for the selection decision, she competes,
:12:37. > :12:40.Tasha is a customer service advisor for Liverpool City Council. They
:12:41. > :12:43.support her with an Elite Sports scholarship. It means she can be
:12:43. > :12:46.flexible about when she works, and can also continue with her
:12:46. > :12:52.relentless training. When you first started working here,
:12:52. > :12:55.did anyone know who you were? think there were rumours around the
:12:55. > :13:04.office that I was some kind of athelete, but no one actually knew
:13:04. > :13:07.what I did. But now, obviously everyone knows and.... Do they
:13:07. > :13:10.support you? Yeah, they've come along to the Echo Arena when I was
:13:11. > :13:20.in the GB Championships last year, and they always know when I'm going
:13:21. > :13:23.
:13:23. > :13:26.somewhere and they're always Tasha trains at the Rotunda ABC in
:13:26. > :13:33.Kirkdale - one of the most successful amateur clubs in the
:13:33. > :13:43.country. It's produced 33 national champions in the last 15 years and
:13:43. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:47.trainer Mick McAllister knows why Her discipline, her dedication. And
:13:47. > :13:53.she trains very hard. She never questions anything that, you know,
:13:53. > :13:57.you give her, she just gets on with it. But for Tasha, boxing is a
:13:57. > :14:05.relatively new sport. She first stepped into the ring at the ripe
:14:06. > :14:08.old age of 21. Sport, though, is in At home in Toxteth, she took up
:14:08. > :14:18.karate while at primary school because her Uncle Harris was a
:14:18. > :14:27.
:14:27. > :14:31.If you think of a bow and arrow, attack with it. She was always
:14:31. > :14:34.active. She always wanted to do, regardless whether it was karate,
:14:34. > :14:37.it was football or boxing - you know, there was always something.
:14:37. > :14:47.The boxing she wasn't really into at a younger age, but she wanted to
:14:47. > :14:50.be around any active sport. After Karate, Tasha took up football, and
:14:50. > :14:53.once had a trial for Tranmere Rovers' ladies team, as well as
:14:53. > :14:57.spending a year in America on a soccer scholarship. When I was
:14:57. > :15:00.playing in those football teams I was a 14-15 year-old girl. Most
:15:00. > :15:05.Friday and Saturday nights, a lot of the young people around my area
:15:05. > :15:09.were going out drinking, and girls were getting into boys and stuff.
:15:09. > :15:19.And to be honest, I just...I didn't really get into it as much as other
:15:19. > :15:57.
:15:57. > :16:07.kids, because I knew I always had As part of the GB team, attache now
:16:07. > :16:28.
:16:28. > :16:32.spends most of heard week in Sheffield. $$$WHITE Paul Walmsley,
:16:32. > :16:34.the Head of Development on the GB squad, used to be head coach at The
:16:34. > :16:37.Rotunda, and has trained 75 national champions. Traditionally,
:16:37. > :16:40.scousers are fantastic boxers - why is that? I think that Liverpool is
:16:40. > :16:44.traditionally a hot-bed of boxing, and there's a lot of clubs. It's
:16:44. > :16:47.just in our genes, if you like. She's a very skillful boxer, but I
:16:47. > :16:51.think her calmness and her ability to box under pressure, if you
:16:51. > :16:56.like... She's so laid back? Yeah, I think it's a good credit to her,
:16:56. > :17:00.big credit to her. I've never been a nervous person, so from my first
:17:00. > :17:03.bout I wasn't one that was biting my nails and thinking "Oh, my God,
:17:03. > :17:07.I've got to get in the ring." That wasn't me. That's not the type of
:17:07. > :17:09.person that I am. I think nerves are good to have, but it's the
:17:09. > :17:12.balance that you have. Some people are naturally nervous, and
:17:12. > :17:17.therefore they don't need any more nerves. It'll just be detrimental
:17:17. > :17:27.to the performance. I'm a bit, I suppose I was a bit too relaxed, so
:17:27. > :17:44.
:17:44. > :17:47.I did need a bit more nerves. But Tasha and I are off to meet a woman
:17:47. > :17:49.who's had an enormous influence on her - and the other 33
:17:49. > :17:51.grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and 10 children that
:17:51. > :17:55.she has. Her grandmother. What do you think about your grandaughter
:17:55. > :17:58.boxing? I'm made up for her in a way, because it's her choice, it's
:17:58. > :18:01.something she wants to do. didn't push her into that - no one
:18:01. > :18:05.pushed her? No. I wouldn't push her into it, because I'm always
:18:05. > :18:08.frightened in case she gets hurt. In fact, when I've gone to her
:18:08. > :18:12.boxing, I look the other way. And it's only when they all cheer and
:18:12. > :18:15.go "Come on, Tasha," and she's won that round that I turn round and
:18:15. > :18:18.face her and clap. But I couldn't watch her. But she doesn't get hurt.
:18:18. > :18:22.She hardly ever gets punched, she does all... I know, but I don't
:18:22. > :18:32.know that, do I? I don't know that. I can feel every punch that
:18:32. > :18:36.
:18:36. > :18:39.someone's giving her. So I would sooner look the other way. If Tasha
:18:39. > :18:41.is to realise her dream of walking into the Olympic stadium in
:18:41. > :18:44.Stratford for next year's opening ceremony, she must maintain her
:18:44. > :18:46.status as Britain's number one in the lightweight division and then
:18:46. > :18:50.win the final qualifying bout in China. Given her determination,
:18:50. > :18:53.it's going to be hard to stop her. You can be anything you want to be.
:18:53. > :18:56.Anyone from anywhere can be anything. Just because I'm black,
:18:56. > :19:00.or I'm from Liverpool or I'm a woman doesn't mean that I can't
:19:00. > :19:04.aspire to be what I want. And if you ask for it and you fully
:19:04. > :19:07.believe it, then that's what you'll get if you put in all the hard work
:19:07. > :19:10.and that's what you'll achieve and. And I'd like to think that other
:19:10. > :19:13.people can be in a similar situation or maybe better or maybe
:19:13. > :19:23.a bit worse and they can still look at the positives and think "You
:19:23. > :19:27.
:19:27. > :19:31.know what, anyone can do it." If you are a movie fan, you have
:19:31. > :19:36.probably seen Whistle Down the Wind. It was filmed in 1961 and is
:19:36. > :19:41.celebrating its 50th anniversary. It is a classic, and it had
:19:41. > :19:44.everything - great Scripts and a fantastic backdrop. But it could
:19:44. > :19:54.have been different if the producers had stuck to their
:19:54. > :20:32.
:20:32. > :20:36.50 years on, the script is still as fresh as ever. This classic opening
:20:36. > :20:46.of a mystery man carrying a sack is a chilling introduction to a
:20:46. > :20:48.
:20:48. > :20:53.wonderful story of childhood A group of children find a murderer
:20:53. > :21:02.on the run, and hiding in a barn. They make the mistake of thinking
:21:02. > :21:06.he is Jesus. The film follows their It is hard to believe when you look
:21:06. > :21:11.at it now that this picture-perfect village in Lancashire was the
:21:11. > :21:17.backdrop for one of Britain's most iconic films. He did come to me,
:21:17. > :21:22.and he did comfort me. I was alone, I needed help. And in his infinite
:21:22. > :21:27.goodness, she reached out and gave me help, even though I had sinned.
:21:27. > :21:31.Whistle Down the Wind was a low- budget production produced by
:21:31. > :21:35.Richard Attenborough. Alan Bates and Hayley Mills Weather two main
:21:35. > :21:40.stars. But it was the village and the cast of children recruited from
:21:40. > :21:49.the local schools that stole the show. When you look at the camera
:21:49. > :21:55.angles, the way it was shot, and the very stark environment, it was
:21:55. > :21:59.ground-breaking for the time. has been part of the celebrations
:21:59. > :22:04.organised to mark the 50th anniversary. But it could all have
:22:04. > :22:09.been different if they had not -- fate had not intervened in 1961.
:22:09. > :22:17.Four the film was set on a farm in Sussex. And I do not know who work
:22:17. > :22:21.for the film company, he was born in Burnley, he suggested to Richard
:22:21. > :22:26.Attenborough to put it in Pendle. Richard Attenborough found this
:22:26. > :22:32.perfect location. For many of the local children involved, it was the
:22:32. > :22:36.opportunity of a lifetime. But for people like Diane Poole, who had a
:22:36. > :22:40.starring role as Nan Bostock, it would be many years before she
:22:40. > :22:44.realised just how important the film had been. Did you understand
:22:44. > :22:50.when you were told you had got the part how important it was? For no,
:22:50. > :22:55.no idea. It sounds incredulous now, but we did not realise what we were
:22:55. > :23:00.part of. We do now. What was it like being on the set with Bryan
:23:00. > :23:04.Forbes and Hayley Mills? First of all, you have to understand it was
:23:04. > :23:09.1961 - we did not know who these people were because we did not go
:23:09. > :23:14.to the cinema. They were just nice people to us. We did not understand
:23:14. > :23:18.who they were, totally. A lot of the time, we were sitting around
:23:18. > :23:24.waiting for things to happen, and we had to have school lessons in
:23:24. > :23:31.between. They made it into almost like a game, really, for us. So it
:23:31. > :23:41.was not as boring. It is my find as much as years. And I want to see my
:23:41. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:50.kitten! Who is that. Here is that fellow? It's not a fellow. It's
:23:50. > :23:56.Jesus. For many, it was Alan Barnes whose cheeky personality shines
:23:56. > :24:06.through it every scene, and who they remember most. The is he dead?
:24:06. > :24:10.Of course not. That is not Jesus! He now lives in Longridge, so I to
:24:10. > :24:18.come back for a walk down memory lane. When you look back at the
:24:18. > :24:22.film, how does it make you feel? is very strange. You can look back
:24:22. > :24:30.at yourself when you were seven years old. Not many people can do
:24:30. > :24:37.that in that detail, only out of a photograph. I can watch how I was
:24:37. > :24:42.at seven. Five British bulldog, British bulldog! It is my party,
:24:42. > :24:47.and I can do what I like! capture the innocence and naivety
:24:47. > :24:52.of the children, Bryan Forbes used some unusual methods. We did not
:24:52. > :24:57.get a script, that was the whole thing that Bryan Forbes wanted to
:24:57. > :25:02.do. He wanted innocence and spontaneity. And he did not give us
:25:02. > :25:07.a script to read. He just explain to us before each take what he
:25:07. > :25:10.wanted us to do. And how to say things, what to say, the movements.
:25:10. > :25:20.And if we did something slightly different way and he thought it
:25:20. > :25:20.
:25:20. > :25:27.fitted, he just left it in. Shut up, you two! You why not to say
:25:27. > :25:31.anything, you why not to breathe it to our Aunt Dolly, she will did you
:25:31. > :25:37.understand how big the film would be? I did not understand anything
:25:37. > :25:42.about it whatsoever. It was an adventure, really. I did not really
:25:42. > :25:49.know what a film was, what they did. So why did not take it that
:25:49. > :25:55.seriously. At seven, how do you learn scripts and take direction?
:25:55. > :25:59.You do what you're told! Somebody will tell you, say that part, lit
:25:59. > :26:07.in this direction, looked surprised, whatever. And you just follow what
:26:07. > :26:12.they say. Back in 1961, over 100 children were recruited locally,
:26:12. > :26:16.many from Chatburn Primary School. They were cast as disciples in the
:26:16. > :26:19.film. A screening of the film was shown at the Village Hall as part
:26:19. > :26:24.of the 50th anniversary celebrations, and many of the
:26:24. > :26:30.original cast were invited a special guests. I am a bit choked,
:26:30. > :26:37.actually. It is a long time. It means a lot, really. It is a
:26:37. > :26:44.reminder of what we used to look like, and I have a copy of it at
:26:44. > :26:48.home, obviously. The children are quite proud their dad was in it.
:26:48. > :26:53.was so little, I remember you telling me to keep back. And when
:26:53. > :26:59.the actual film is being shown, I can spot you sell -- myself under
:27:00. > :27:04.your arm on the screen. That was my moment! It is a lovely film, a
:27:04. > :27:11.beautiful film. I loved being in it, and we still keep in touch with
:27:11. > :27:15.everybody, we are still friends. It is just lovely. It has been
:27:15. > :27:20.absolutely fantastic. To meet people I have not seen for years,
:27:20. > :27:26.and also to meet new people as well. People who have travelled from far
:27:26. > :27:31.and wide to come to the reunion. The film has many hidden messages.
:27:31. > :27:37.Did you get them at that time, when you were filming it? No, not at all.
:27:37. > :27:40.I think the only thing that did strike me was when Alan Bates was
:27:40. > :27:45.brought out and the police were going to escort him, and he stood
:27:45. > :27:50.there in the shape of a cross with his arms stretched out. That hit me
:27:50. > :27:55.at that time, when we watched the film back. But now, you watch it
:27:55. > :27:59.with a different pair of eyes. And each time you watch it you see
:27:59. > :28:03.something different. The innocence of children against trying to
:28:03. > :28:08.defend someone they believe is somebody else, and it was just an