New Zealand war veterans headed to London today to fight for compensation from the British Government over its 1950s nuclear tests in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
They launched their case last year, claiming they had been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation during tests at sites in Australia and on Christmas Island.
They want compensation for illnesses they claim are the result of exposure to radiation.
The BBC reported that a High Court hearing was due to start overnight to assess whether the claims are barred by the Limitation Act 1980. The hearing may take two weeks.
Solicitors representing about 800 former servicemen from New Zealand, Britain, and Fiji say if a compensation hearing goes ahead ahead, Britain's Ministry of Defence could face claims potentially costing millions of dollars.
At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, Britain carried out a series of nuclear weapons tests in mainland Australia, the Montebello islands off the west Australian coast and on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.
Veterans who served in the army, royal navy and air force, as well as personnel from New Zealand and Fiji, were involved in the tests.
Many now blame ill health, including cancers, skin defects, fertility problems and reduced life expectancy, on radiation exposure, and say they were not properly protected or warned of the possible consequences.
Defence chiefs have admitted in preliminary papers filed in the case that servicemen were exposed to dangerous radiation levels during the nuclear tests.
But the ministry has suggested only 159 men were affected out of the 20,000 who were present.
