(aka Megaton Mornings)

Unpublished photos and a recording of an actual countdown and detonation, newly available

The events in this story are true, although the names of the men involved have been changed. The anecdotes may invoke the memories of some of the men that were involved in them and have been included to try and reflect the spirit and feel of the island at that time. Charles Hall's memory was aided by reference to daily letters sent home from Christmas Island during the period November 1961 - November 1962 and from fellow veteran Clelland Barrie.

When British servicemen were observing nuclear tests in the Pacific during the 1950s, the Prime Minister of the time, Sir Anthony Eden, was warned that they risked a lingering death from cancer. His response is reported to have been, 'A pity, but we cannot help it.'

D Minus One From Kentucky by is an expanded manuscript of his original book, Megaton Mornings, published in 1993.

It is Charles Hall’s personal memoirs and account of the his experiences as an RAF Radio and Signals Operator during his posting to Christmas Island in the Pacific.

There were a total of 25 bombs detonated during his tour of duty over a period of about 12 months.

Although the book is military history, it does include humour that would still appeal to service personnel today.

Charles has obtained some unpublished photos and a recording of an actual countdown and detonation. He also has an American Fact Sheet about Dominic I (a series of 36 nuclear detonations in the Pacific), which could be included in the book.

Books by David Kerr Kameron

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Jul 18, 2018

David Kerr Cameron

Jul 18, 2018

Jul 10, 2018

A Kist of Sorrows

Jul 10, 2018

Last night I took the old roads and heard the old speak. I listened again to the sdll voices and felt the sting of the wind on my cheek. And it was good, like a home-coming.

The old track is grass-grown, almost obliterated by the years, and I am a stranger now where the old wind wanders, where it reeshles the dry broom and tugs at the tufted grass. The hill is quiet, shorn of voices.

Time has mellowed the stones, as it has sutured the hurts of the heart; hallowed them as the last reminder of the folk who once had their life and their being here. They rest, stilled forever in their coffin'd sleep, and now on the hill nature has reclaimed her own.

Jul 10, 2018

Jul 3, 2018

The Gaberlunzie Man

Jul 3, 2018

McQaid is a sword - and occasionally dagger - for hire in the turbulent Highlands, as disillusionment grows against the Hanoverian regime. On a fine summer night in 1745 he is summoned to the bedside of the dying laird of Auchlour and commissioned on the most secret errand of his life ...

Jul 3, 2018

Jul 2, 2018

London Pleasures, From Restoration to Regency

Jul 2, 2018

The year 1660 witnessed not only the restoration of the monarchy but also the beginning of a new lusty and licentious age. Under the Merry Monarch, Charles II, London shurgged off Puritanism and launched itself into debauchery to enjoy two centries of uninhibited pleasure. This richly evocative portrayal of the capital will take you on an unforgettable historical pleasure trip.

Jul 2, 2018

Willie Gavin, Crofter Man

Jul 2, 2018

David Kerr Cameron has captured and recorded for future generations a culture and a landscape that have now gone forever

Jul 2, 2018

The Ballard And The Plough | A Folk-History of the Scottish Farmtouns

Jul 2, 2018

Quoting generously from bothy ballads, David Kerr Cameron has written a book rich in anecdote and insight.

Jul 2, 2018

The Cornkister Days | A Portrait of a land and it rituals

Jul 2, 2018

With a knowledge and a skill that reveals his passion for the land and its people, David Kerr Cameron picks his way through the rural upheavals and developments of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries towards the landscape we recognise today. In doing so he provides a wide-sweeping and unforgettable view of our rural history and completes his great rural trilogy portraying the old farming landscapes of Scotland's North-east Lowlands.

Jul 2, 2018

The English Fair

Jul 2, 2018

Colourful, boisterous and often bawdy, the old-time fairs punctuated the routine of the year like exploding stars in the firmament. They were also a vital part of England's economy. This comprehensive and readable study examines a long neglected subject and its impact on trade and everyday lives.

Jul 2, 2018

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David Kerr Cameron was born in Aberdeenshire in 1928.

After National Service in the RAF he joined Kirriemuir Herald, a Scottish weekly, 1951. He worked at various newspapers and magazines, including the Farming Express, where he was managing editor.

In 1966 he joined the Daily Telegraph, where he was, in succession, a Features Sub-Editor, Chief Features Sub-Editor, Weekend section/Books section production Sub-Editor of both Sunday and daily pages, and finally Sub-Editor on Arts desk. He retired from the Daily Telegraph in 1993.

He never forgot the rigours of farming life in Aberdeenshire, which he wrote about with un-sentimental vividness in his books.

The Ballad and the Plough (1978), Willie Gavin, Crofter Man (1980), and The Cornkister Days (1984), all of which won Scottish Arts Council Awards, gave the social history of the North-East a readability that drew comparisons with the work of the late John Prebble.