Mustard gas found at Woodhall Spa, two in hospital
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Mustard gas found at Woodhall Spa, two in hospital
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The substance was widely used in chemical warfare in World War One - and causes blisters on the skin and lungs.
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They would class a Chemical incident as a 'major incident' almost regardless of the size because of the possible outcomes. It's possible the person arrested and maybe the two in hospital deliberately went looking for the Mustard Gas.
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There's reputed to be tons of the stuff or similar still underground and undiscovered in the woods near Riseley in Bedfordshire. It was a chemical Forward Filling Depot for the nearby US airfields in WW2, and was only partly cleared subsequently. Parts of the wood remain fenced off to this day.
From a post in 2012
Whilst I was flying in the Solomon Islands in 2006 a cache of mustard gas was found on a small island. It had almost certainly been left behind by the Japanese in 1942/3. A disposal team was flown in courtesy of the USAF in a C5; all seven of them. The aircraft got stuck, nose first, on the apron of Honiara International and whilst it was there it was the largest man made structure in Guadacanal. There was nothing on the island big enough to tow it and the Pentagon would not authorise them to use reverse thrust.
They had to fly in a C17 with a towing unit.
Whilst I was flying in the Solomon Islands in 2006 a cache of mustard gas was found on a small island. It had almost certainly been left behind by the Japanese in 1942/3. A disposal team was flown in courtesy of the USAF in a C5; all seven of them. The aircraft got stuck, nose first, on the apron of Honiara International and whilst it was there it was the largest man made structure in Guadacanal. There was nothing on the island big enough to tow it and the Pentagon would not authorise them to use reverse thrust.
They had to fly in a C17 with a towing unit.
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Have some knowledge of this nasty stuff as my unit (No. 1340 [ Special Duty ] Flight , RAF Cannanore) was tasked to spray and drop the liquid mustard on the ranges of the Chemical Defence Research Establishment (a tropical offshoot of Porton Down).
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My involvement starts on "Pilots Brevet" Thread, page 152, #3046, and continues sporadically from then on. An interesting twelve months spanning the end of the war, with the cherry on the cake being a romance which got nowhere ! Ah, well .....
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I must admit that finds like this fascinate me from a historical perspective.
There seem to be many such caches dotted around.
Last year a dozen or so A.W.bombs (Phosphorus) were uncovered near Nissan in Sunderland.
At least they thoughtfully came with a warning sign buried on top!
There seem to be many such caches dotted around.
Last year a dozen or so A.W.bombs (Phosphorus) were uncovered near Nissan in Sunderland.
At least they thoughtfully came with a warning sign buried on top!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
In that wood, about 300 yards in, is a line of 4 underground buildings. They are heavily overgrown and the surface brickwork is in poor condition. What looks like the entrance down a vertical ladder cannot be as there are iron bars set in the brickwork.
It will be interesting to see where they found the bottles. AFAIK this was an Army area pre-Arnhem and recovery area afterwards.
It will be interesting to see where they found the bottles. AFAIK this was an Army area pre-Arnhem and recovery area afterwards.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Tash, a similar cache was found at Colsterworth when the built the flyover on the A1. They were a secret army cache. That army was so secret that many such caches exist.
Remember the radio transmitter found in Wales IIRC but this was Cold War and not British.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units
Remember the radio transmitter found in Wales IIRC but this was Cold War and not British.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units
The Woodhall Spa incident could be a 6lb Ground Bomb, missed during a cursory post war clearance. The bombs were filled at Forward Filling Depots where the mustard was stored in sunken lead lined pots. During de-commissioning all the pipework and pumping gear was dumped in the now empty pots, along with the odd left over ground bomb. During the 80s and 90s a 'final' clearance was undertaken, Riseley Wood cleared under op Coleman Keg, op Capsicum Jar was another at Escrick nr York. For the clearance the pots were clean bottomed, the lead lining folded down, back-filled and mounded over.
Tashengurt refers to the No 76 White Phosphorus Grenade, issued to the Home Guard to use against enemy tanks. Imagine a full milk bottle crate. Many were disposed of in the local pond, thus preventing ignition by exposure to air should the closure leak. No doubt there still are plenty around. PN, I don't think it would be WP bottles at Riseley, although a carboy of mustard was found in a hut during the clearance.
Tashengurt refers to the No 76 White Phosphorus Grenade, issued to the Home Guard to use against enemy tanks. Imagine a full milk bottle crate. Many were disposed of in the local pond, thus preventing ignition by exposure to air should the closure leak. No doubt there still are plenty around. PN, I don't think it would be WP bottles at Riseley, although a carboy of mustard was found in a hut during the clearance.
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Tash, a similar cache was found at Colsterworth when the built the flyover on the A1. They were a secret army cache. That army was so secret that many such caches exist.
Remember the radio transmitter found in Wales IIRC but this was Cold War and not British.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units
Remember the radio transmitter found in Wales IIRC but this was Cold War and not British.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units
Unfortunately even if he discussed it with my Mum she isn't able to remember much, bless her.
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera interviewed staff at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
His programme reveals that a Soviet radio transmitter was found near Aberystwyth in the 1960s. .....
"This is a simple but robust radio transmitter discovered early in the 1960s in a field near Aberystwyth by a farmer who was ploughing his land," said GCHQ's historian, referred to as Tony during the programme.
"It had obviously been cached there by someone who was working for the Soviets. "Nobody has a clue who this belonged to, who it was serving, or even which bit of the GRU he was working for."
His programme reveals that a Soviet radio transmitter was found near Aberystwyth in the 1960s. .....
"This is a simple but robust radio transmitter discovered early in the 1960s in a field near Aberystwyth by a farmer who was ploughing his land," said GCHQ's historian, referred to as Tony during the programme.
"It had obviously been cached there by someone who was working for the Soviets. "Nobody has a clue who this belonged to, who it was serving, or even which bit of the GRU he was working for."
BBC - Who was the Soviets' man in Aber?
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They would class a Chemical incident as a 'major incident' almost regardless of the size because of the possible outcomes.
A two car collision could potentially produce fourteen patients arriving at ED together, but as with chemical incidents a quick look first to see what's what is the way to do it.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
SlowBiker, I never said Risley Woods but Closterworth south of Grantham.
Try as I might I could not find a reference. It was early on during the creation of the new slip road so I would guess 2007-2009.
Try as I might I could not find a reference. It was early on during the creation of the new slip road so I would guess 2007-2009.
Last edited by Pontius Navigator; 4th Oct 2017 at 21:41.
Not quite. A major incident is defined as an incident dictating that the local hospitals would be receiving patients beyond the level that is normal for them. There are dozens of chemical incidents across the UK everyday that are unreported and that are not declared as majors. Nothing more than press spin.
A two car collision could potentially produce fourteen patients arriving at ED together, but as with chemical incidents a quick look first to see what's what is the way to do it.
A two car collision could potentially produce fourteen patients arriving at ED together, but as with chemical incidents a quick look first to see what's what is the way to do it.
Not quite. A major incident is defined as an incident dictating that the local hospitals would be receiving patients beyond the level that is normal for them. There are dozens of chemical incidents across the UK everyday that are unreported and that are not declared as majors. Nothing more than press spin.
A two car collision could potentially produce fourteen patients arriving at ED together, but as with chemical incidents a quick look first to see what's what is the way to do it.
A two car collision could potentially produce fourteen patients arriving at ED together, but as with chemical incidents a quick look first to see what's what is the way to do it.
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I was actually in Woodhall Spa last month. I reckoned I could smell/feel the bleach cleaning agent that someone in the cafe was using. Makes you wonder? But I think the dates don't match up.
Its beautiful village and the Petwood Hotel and still has a lot of photographs and diagrams from when it was the officers mess.
The Bluebell Inn (on the road between Coningsby and Woodhall Spa) has an interesting collection of signatures on its ceiling.
Every year Woodhall Spa also has a huge 1940's weekend, that's quite spectacular to see.
Even has a pub named 617 next to the Lancaster Hotel.
Its beautiful village and the Petwood Hotel and still has a lot of photographs and diagrams from when it was the officers mess.
The Bluebell Inn (on the road between Coningsby and Woodhall Spa) has an interesting collection of signatures on its ceiling.
Every year Woodhall Spa also has a huge 1940's weekend, that's quite spectacular to see.
Even has a pub named 617 next to the Lancaster Hotel.