I’m the daughter of Michael Marsh, British nuclear test veteran. Dad participated in Operation Buffalo, 1956, at Maralinga, Australia. He was a proud RAF serviceman of 22 years and died, age 64, of a radiogenic cancer, which he believed was as a result of the nuclear tests.
Shortly before his death, my father told me to do something about the way British nuclear test veterans were being treated by the government. Many years later I did do something and became a trustee of the British Nuclear Test Veterans’ Association.
In 2020, I was appointed chair and subsequently CEO. During this time, I advocated for nuclear test veterans and spoke on behalf of veterans at senior government level, as well as making numerous appearances to speak for the veterans’ cause on national TV and radio.
On 10 February 2023, my world was unnecessarily blown apart by Susie Boniface, freelance journalist, at The Mirror. Ms Boniface wrote an article riddled with lies and distorted claims targeting me personally Mirror Article
This followed previous false accusations by Ms Boniface about me within the British nuclear test community. She made malicious and untrue claims to the elder statesman of this community, and peace campaigner, who I had the honour of writing his obituary, Kenneth McGinley obituary. False claims included that I received the gift of a car from the survivors of Hiroshima. As the daughter of a nuclear test veteran, these incredulous slurs of my integrity are truly shocking and distasteful, particularly made to a veteran diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
The completely false allegations in the article published in February 2023 are still online for the world to see. This is a continuation of detriment and daily harassment of me because anyone anywhere can keep reading these lies, believing they are true.
I have asked The Mirror to remove these lies on multiple occasions, but this has been declined or ignored. I complained to the press regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). To my dismay, IPSO did nothing to put this right but implied there was nothing wrong about the Mirror publishing lies about me and they were uninterested in the facts I presented that tell the truth.
To my astonishment, IPSO is funded by the newspaper they apparently police, so it’s no surprise that they have turned a blind eye to this falsehood. IPSO has also refused to come under the Press Recognition Panel; this isn’t right.
This article, with its lies, has been seen by some organisations within the British nuclear test community as fact and truth. LABRATS International, LABRATS International post which has links with Susie Boniface, shared the article on their website, and to the University of South Wales, within the nuclear community and to government departments.
Last summer, the University of South Wales, taking the article at face value as fact, surprisingly decided to terminate my visiting fellowship, without discussing anything with me. I learned through a data request that this article was behind my dismissal.
I have written open letters to these organisations, and you can read them here.
As a result of this tabloid trash, I am currently working to make ends meet on a zero hours contract. I have struggled to find gainful employment. Prior to the article’s publication, I was headhunted for various high-profile jobs on six figure salaries.
Last spring, I was turned down for a CEO job due to a simple Google search by the prospective employer of my name and the article came up. The employer informed me that this article would attract bad media attention.
Due to the lies in this article, I contacted numerous law firms for help but was quoted significant legal expense costs. I also contacted Hacked Off for assistance for help but was only offered negligible legal support and advice.
I’m fundraising to get justice, not only for myself, but to stop this happening to anyone else.
We have seen the devastating consequences of lies and false allegations about innocent post masters in the Post Office Horizon scandal. Press lies can be devastating and ruin lives.
I am not rich or famous like Prince Harry, and what happened to me could happen to anyone else. I have received an offer from a specialist, tenacious solicitor who has advised the tabloid has a case to answer but the costs are prohibitive for me on my zero hours contract. I continue to fight and advocate for vulnerable individuals and will not be deterred by this article or intimidated by a tabloid newspaper. I have founded a non-profit organisation to advocate for and support victims of moral injury, ethical betrayal and abuse, which you can read about Breached CIC.
Your support would be for funding legal action to take on The Mirror.