Segment 25/21. Atomic bomb testing part one

Summary

"Newsreel item from 1952 about the British testing their first atomic bomb at Montebello Islands off the North West Coast of Australia. An overview of Montebello Islands is given. Royal Naval Ships, HMS Campania and Narvik, and the Royal Australia Naval frigate, Hawkesbury, are shown at sea. Men on shore unroll wire onto the sand making roads. Equipment is then loaded onto the island and scientists unpack instruments. A man takes measurements of an Anderson air raid shelter and shelters built of concrete blocks are focused on. The shelters are to be tested against an atomic blast force. All personnel on the island then withdraw. Scientists sit at a panel of instruments in a control room and the countdown timer is shown. On Campania, Dr Penney and naval officers shield their eyes from the flash. The explosion is then shown. After the blast, men turn to look at the mushroom cloud." -- Description taken from National Film and Sound Archive.