Gruinard Island

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Gruinard Island
Location
Gruinard Island
Gruinard Island shown within Scotland.
OS grid reference:	NG945945
Names
Gaelic name:
Norse name:	Eilean Gruinneart
Meaning of name:	"Shallow firth", from Norse
Area and Summit
Area:	196 ha
Area rank (Scottish islands):	112
Highest elevation:	An Eilid 106 m
Population
Population (2001):	0
Population rank (inhabited Scottish islands):	0 out of 97
Main settlement:	None
Groupings
Island Group:	Inner Hebrides/Islands of Ross and Cromarty
Local Authority:	Highland Council
References:	[1][2][3][4]

Gruinard Island (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Ghruinneard) is a small, oval-shaped Scottish island about 2 kilometres long by 1 km wide, located in Gruinard Bay, about halfway between Gairloch and Ullapool.^[5] The island was made dangerous for all mammals by experiments with the lethal anthrax bacterium until decontaminated in the late twentieth century.

Contents 1 Biological warfare testing 2 Decontamination 3 Operation Dark Harvest 4 Popular culture references 5 External links 6 References

[edit] Biological warfare testing

During World War II in 1942 Gruinard was the site of a highly successful biological warfare test by British military scientists from Porton Down.^[6] At that time there was an investigation by the British government into the feasibility of an attack using anthrax, to test both the vulnerability of Britain against a German attack and the feasibility of attacking Germany.^[7] Given the nature of the weapon which was being developed, it was recognised that successful tests would cause widespread and long-lasting contamination of the immediate area by anthrax spores. In order to contain and limit contamination a remote and uninhabited island was required. After a survey, Gruinard was deemed suitable and was compulsorily purchased from its owners by the British Government.^[8]

The anthrax strain chosen for the Gruinard bioweapons trials was a highly virulent type called "Vollum 14578", named after R.L. Vollum, Professor of Bacteriology at Oxford University, who supplied it.^[9] Eighty sheep were taken to the island, and bombs filled with anthrax spores were exploded close to where selected groups were tethered. The sheep became infected with anthrax and began to die within days of exposure.^[6] Some of the experiments were recorded on 16 mm colour movie film, which has recently been declassified. One sequence shows the actual detonation of an anthrax bomb fixed at the end of a tall pole supported with guy ropes. When the bomb is detonated, a brownish aerosol cloud drifts away towards the target animals. A later sequence shows anthrax-infected sheep carcasses being burned in purpose-made incinerators, following the successful conclusion of the experiment.^{[citation needed]}

After the tests were completed British scientists concluded that a large-scale release of anthrax spores would thoroughly pollute German cities, rendering them uninhabitable for decades afterwards.^[6]

[edit] Decontamination

Decontamination attempts on the island following the biological warfare testing were unsuccessful due to the durability of anthrax spores. As a result Gruinard Island was quarantined for many years afterwards. Visits to the island were strictly prohibited, except by Porton Down personnel checking the level of contamination.

Starting in 1986 a determined effort was made to decontaminate the island, with 280 tonnes of formaldehyde solution diluted in seawater being sprayed over all 520 acres (2 km²) of the island, and the worst-contaminated topsoil around the dispersal site being removed. A flock of sheep was then placed on the island, and remained healthy. On April 24, 1990, after 48 years of quarantine, junior defence minister Michael Neubert visited the island and announced its safety by removing the warning signs.^[6] As of October 2007 there have been no cases of anthrax in the island flock.

[edit] Operation Dark Harvest

In 1981 British newspapers began receiving messages with the heading "Operation Dark Harvest" which demanded that the government decontaminate the island, and reported that a "team of microbiologists from two universities" had landed on the island with the aid of local people and collected 300 lbs of soil. The group threatened to leave samples of the soil "at appropriate points that will ensure the rapid loss of indifference of the government and the equally rapid education of the general public". The same day a sealed package of soil was left outside the military research facility at Porton Down; tests revealed that it contained anthrax bacilli. A few days later another sealed package of soil was left in Blackpool, where the ruling Conservative Party was holding its annual conference. The soil did not contain anthrax, but officials said that the soil was similar to that found on the island.^[10]

[edit] Popular culture references

The island is mentioned in the novels The Enemy, by Desmond Bagley (1977), and The Fist Of God, by Frederick Forsyth (1994).

In issues 187-188 of the comic book Hellblazer, in a story titled 'Bred in the Bone', the protagonist's niece finds herself on Gruinard surrounded by flesh-eating children. The issues were released in 2003 and were written by Mike Carey and illustrated by Doug Alexander Gregory.

An episode of the British wartime TV series Foyle's War entitled "Bad Blood" involved biological testing - a strong reference to the Gruinard testing.

Outlying Islands, a Fringe First winning play by Scottish dramatist David Greig, is a fictionalised account of two British scientists' visit to an island in Scotland where the government plans to test anthrax inspired by the story of Gruinard.

[edit] External links

• Gruinard Island photo
• Article re. Fort Detrick and Vollum strain of Anthrax

Coordinates: 57°53.5′N 5°28′W / 57.8917, -5.467

[edit] References