The long-overdue tribute to Lawrence Sandford, which recognised his decades-long RAF service and exposure to nuclear fallout, came 16 years after his death.

Mr Sandford, known as Sandy, served in the Royal Air Force for more than four decades.

Lawrence Sandford was deployed under 'Operation Grapple' (Image: Supplied) He was deployed to Christmas Island in 1958, where the UK conducted a series of nuclear weapons tests of early atomic and hydrogen bombs in the Pacific Ocean under the auspices of Operation Grapple

READ MORE: Race to rescue a rare wartime vessel from the Norfolk Broads

Now, his family has finally received the Nuclear Test Medal, created in 2022 following years of campaigning by veterans and their relatives.

As Mr Sandford died, aged 73, on Christmas Day in 2008, after being diagnosed with cancer, the medal was accepted on his behalf by his eldest daughter, Fiona Wilson.

Lawrence Sandford (left, with hands on hips) on the beach in Christmas Island (Image: Supplied) A photograph of a Christmas Island........

© Eastern Daily Press