As we come to a crossroads in the life of Craigsbank and East Craigs, we look back on the lives of some of those who started with us in infancy.
On the baptismal roll records that line the wall behind the cross at Craigsbank, the first name is Michael William Wood. The second is Margaret Adams Campbell. We have, i suspect, lost sight of both of these individuals. The third, Ronald Macpherson Small, was baptised in the then new, stone hall-church in 1938.
Craigsbank offered him a grounding in the lessons of the bible and Christian guidance for life. His father was an elder at Craigsbank and his grandfather would go on to help lay the foundation stone for the sanctuary in later years. His older brother, Ian (or Kiwi to many) returned to Craigsbank and was an elder there until his death. Ronald became known as ‘Sam’. He was in the Scouts at our church thoughout his childhood and early adult days, and performed in many a play on the stage of the Craigsbank hall.
Following school (Heriots), Sam did his national service – a peacetime conscription – in the navy and truly travelled to lands so distant that few of us will see them. His service took him to the Republic of Fiji and New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Singapore and Kenya, Aden, and the Gulf of Aqaba, and through both the Panama and Suez canals on HMS Ulysses – a Type 15 Anti Submarine Frigate F17. And, on one occasion, into a fighter yet in the skies above.
It was a life he cherished but also one which took him to Christmas Island as part of Grapple Squadron for the Nuclear Tests (the largest bombs of the British hydrogen bomb programme). On April 28 1958, at the age of 20, he sat on a naval boat in his shorts – the summer uniform -with no protection. He was faced away from the explosion until instructed to turn towards it, 60 seconds after the blast.
At the time, it was simply an order carried out. They even played football on the island after the test.
It took 66 years for the government to acknowledge the sacrifice made by those serving in the area who became part of the experiments. At the beginning of this year (2024), they received a commemorative Nuclear Test medal. Through the post. Sam was one of the 1717 to receive the medal in recognition of his service at that time. It is estimated that around 40,000 British personnel witnessed the nuclear testing alongside military personnel, scientists and civil servants from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Kiribati.
The certificate accompanying the medal simply states:
This Nuclear Test Medal is presented to you in recognition of your significant contribution to Britain’s nuclear test programme.
Sam has gone on to enjoy a very full life, well lived. He and his wife Elinor adopted two wonderful boys, now young men with families of their own. The couple moved to Musselburgh and live there together still, surrounded by their grandchildren.
Sam returned from the navy to set up his own business in the building trade, providing employment to many over decades (and returning often to Craigsbank to re-lay carpets and resurface wooden flooring). He has been heavily involved in the Rotary Club and the golf club and always has others at the forefront of his mind. He is generous of spirit and time and love and has been a grand example to his friends and extended family over the years.