LINDA MOTTRAM: For the first time, a link has been made between a Gulf War veteran's illness, and the immunisations he was given before the war, including one for anthrax, the same one which was recently refused by 11 Australian sailors on board the Kanimbla, sailors who were then sent home.

It's being hailed in Britain as the first official recognition of Gulf War Syndrome, though ill Australian veterans are taking no heart.

Ben Knight reports.

BEN KNIGHT: In the end, Alex Izett never went to the Gulf, but as a British soldier preparing to go, he was vaccinated for anthrax, whooping cough and plague.

Today, he says those injections have ruined his life.

ALEX IZETT: My bones started to deteriorate, I've lost muscles, I have stomach problems, I've psychiatric problems. I was then diagnosed with osteoporosis, which seems to be a very large thing that is now coming through on Gulf War veterans.

BEN KNIGHT: His claim has now been accepted by a British war pensions appeals tribunal and for the first time it isn't being challenged by the UK Ministry of Defence.

For British veterans, it's a landmark ruling, particularly because Alex Izett was never exposed to the other variables on the battlefield.

Charles Plumridge, from the National Gulf Veterans Association.

CHARLES PLUMRIDGE: We, the veterans, have been banging the drum for 12 years now and now somebody has listened to the drum beat and we only hope that that drum beat can get louder and louder and that the Government will back down from their brick wall attitude that we are here today and gone tomorrow.

BEN KNIGHT: The Australian Government released its own study into Gulf War Syndrome in March this year. That report confirmed its view that there is no such thing as Gulf War Syndrome.

A spokeswoman for the Veterans Affairs Minister has also rejected a link between the vaccinations soldiers were given and the illnesses many are reporting 12 years later.

The Australian Navy is currently dealing with a complaint on the same issue.

But Australian Gulf veteran David Watts does not believe this decision will change anything for Australian soldiers.

DAVID WATTS: Well I would say look, it's been 12 years since the Gulf War was over. There's not one piece of legislation in Australia that allows any of the potential toxic exposures from our Gulf veterans from the last time to be, you know, get things, conditions, accepted, medical diseases etcetera, as due to their service.

The doctors and that aren't seeing the international scientific consensus that there is such a thing as Gulf War Syndrome. It's a legal thing in the UK at the moment but it may take time to go across the world and get further recognised.

BEN KNIGHT: The Australian report found that while Gulf War veterans were more likely to suffer from illness than others in the community, it said there was no unique pattern of symptom reporting.

Veterans like David Watts say that's avoiding the truth.

DAVID WATTS: I don't really care what they want to call it. There's a lot of young Gulf veterans from the first conflict who are rather ill. Call it whatever you want, these blokes need to be looked after and that's not happening, which is pretty inexcusable really.

You know, we're going to send 2,000 other people overseas and we haven't resolved the last lot.

LINDA MOTTRAM: David Watts is Chairman of the Australian Gulf War Veterans Association. He was speaking to Ben Knight.