Fascinating, Gordon, thanks for sharing. The site is not more than an hours drive from where I live so I'll add it to my places to visit list. The article mentions the Runcorn factory which my grandfather worked on constructing when he was a lad, it was refered to as the 'hush hush'. He has often spoke about it...he's 96 years old this Thursday and still owns and drives his own car! He is an amazing person who is still spritley and also has a mind as sharp as a pin.
It seems actually there was a huge investment to Mustard Gas weapons. Several new plants were built: 1. Plant at Randle, near Runcorn March 1937. 2. Rhydymwyn Valley Site. Finished in 1940, since 1943 2,200 people working there. The factory cost £3.2m. 3. Mustard plant in Springfields early 1942. Most were operated by ICI and there were three new factories for making "intermediates", chemicals used for making the poison gas, all in the north-west. The chemical warfare plants as a whole cost nearly £20m. From Britain´s war machine by David Edgerton
Thanks for the info, Kai. After further research on the net I found this article about the Randle Works in Runcorn, Cheshire. Runcorn Memories: 'Hush Hush' works revisted - Chester Chronicle - Cheshire Memories I visited the former mustard gas production facility at Mold, Wales last year but it was unfortunately closed on the particular day I was there.
!!!! Gordon, there IS one! There's a pamphlet published in the 1970s I think - I came across full scans of it three years or so ago online when looking for details of British war gas production in the Spring of 1940 for a thread on AHF! I didn't keep the urls or reference the book as it didn't contain the exact detail I was looking for....but it IS out there!!!
Cheers! That must be the one which After the Battle based their article on. Must have a thorough search at some point
IIRC it was an ICI publication - the sort of quality, mid-range guidebook produced for souvenir kiosks etc. at historical sites. A lot of good, period aerial photos in B&W, and a quite detailed text. These might be the people to ask... http://ryhdymwynvalleyhistory.co.uk/
But in the meantime - THIS might also cover your requirements! The X Site: Britain's Most Mysterious Government Facility - Tim Jones - Google Books
An ideal area for the stuff....Runcorn etc..Ellesmere port...All the chemical, oil and related industry plant in that area up the North Wales coast and your into Dee estuary...Liverpool first on the right if you can get through the silt... But evidence of the anti aircraft orginisation, and not just for protecting Liverpool...abounds even thru to cold war days when all suddenly abandoned overnight with missile aa introduction...Frodsham...Helsby....A strong history of AA defence to protect chemical and petrolium industry of the North west peninsular of Wirral and ranging out to Queensferry, Flint and North Wales etc..Also had Hooton aerodrome...Sealand etc...Hawarden at Chester...And if you go up the coast a little....Find Talacre...Not much there now...but place my old man would always slink off to when we went to Rhyl or Prestatyn on holiday...to remember his Navy days...Apparantly a large DUKW practice and training area...Where he was once based...Runcorn today is still one big chimney.
I checked the sources for the mentioned book and one was a site SB: RSG: Sites: Rhydymwyn the other a book: Hornby: Factories and plant
