MUSTARD GAS EXPERIMENTS
TOWNSVILLE AREA
visits since 4 December 1998 |
Top-secret chemical warfare research was conducted in Australia during World War 2. This was carried out under a secret Anglo-American chemical warfare policy. The Japanese had used chemical weapons against the Chinese in Manchuria and it was thought that they would use it again.
In 1942 Australian servicemen started to be involved in field trials using mustard gas. An experimental station was established in the Townsville area in north Queensland by the Chemical Warfare Liaison Mission from the War Office in London. North Queensland was chosen because of its tropical rainforests which were similar to the conditions in the New Guinea theatre of war. The Americans had considerable stocks of gas weapons in Australia and this unit in north Queensland would liaise with the American forces to assist with their research.
Major Fred Gorrill was head of the Research Unit. The experiments were carried out on recruits from Australian troops on leave in rest camps on the Atherton Tablelands. They were told they were required for Top Secret war work. They were asked to sign "Secrecy" agreements. Over a period of time, approximately 1,000 men, usually wearing minimal protection, were either exposed to mustard gas in a large stainless steel chamber, or were exposed by gas mortar shells being fired into open paddocks, or were exposed by tramping through jungle heavily bombed with mustard gas. Tests were also carried out to see how long it would take for a soldier involved in an arduous assault course to become unfit for duty when exposed to mustard gas.
The Mustard Gas tests in Townsville were carried out in a portable Gas Chamber that Fred Gorrill bought with him from Melbourne. These tests were carried out in Mango Avenue in Townsville. Can anyone help to pinpoint where this occurred in Mango Avenue?
They generally suffered shocking burns to their armpits, groin and neck areas where sweat was present. These tests were also carried out in the Innisfail and Proserpine areas. Some bombing tests were also carried out in early 1944 on Brook Island by American Liberator bombers. "Volunteers" were then dropped onto the island after the intensive bombing missions
Subject: Mustard Gas Experiments
Date: Sun, 09 Apr
2000 13:30:58 EST
From: "Lucy Buchanan" <lucybuch@hotmail.com>
Hello
I am a grade 10 student at Townsville Grammar School. In history we are doing Feature Articles on Australia at war. I choose to look at chemical warfare, when I stumbled upon your interesting article about Mustard Gas experiments in the Townsville Area. Would you have any moree information on this topic (especially any relevant quotes) or know of any other sources that might help me? I would be very grateful if you could help me out, unfortunately I did not discover your site until recently, so I am running out of time.
Would it be possible for you to send any more information your have about chemical weapons in the Townsville region, as soon as possible.
Thank you very much.
Lucy Buchanan
Subject: Mustard Gas Experiments
Date: Tue, 11
Apr 2000 19:42:48 EST
From: "Lucy Buchanan" <lucybuch@hotmail.com>
Hello
Thank you very much. I did find some more information on Brook Island in "60 Minutes The Book". It has vetures that they have produced in written form.
The chapter is called Mustard Gas Heroes.
Thank you once again.
Lucy Buchanan
REFERENCE MATERIAL:-
BOOK
"Keen as Mustard"
by Gordon Goodwin
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
The Australian, 4/5 April 1998
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This page first produced 4 December 1998
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