RAF Long Newnton, Wiltshire, Decontamination Building

At the end of WW1 the British Military took a gas attack very seriously. A whole camp and army range in Wiltshire called Porton Down was turned over to find ways of combating a gas attack not only for the humble soldier, sailor or airmen, but also civilians. I have found decontamination centres in army and RAF camps. I do believe the navy had decontamination of ships pre war. In the 1930's when designing aerodromes, a full decontamination building was always added next to the sick quarters and often attached to it via a covered passage way. When the war started, these expensive huge constructions had to be toned down for the massive wartime expansion. They started by producing several different types, Some what I would call 'Four Bay', 'Two Bay', then combined decontamination and ablutions block.

'Four Bay' four entrance.

'Two Bay' twin entrance.

Picture:
A civilian decontamination centre.

The decontamination building at RAF Long Newnton is situated in the Communal site. It is now sealed off and a home for Bats. So please do not try and get inside. We visited on the 19 February 2006 when it was open and NO Bats were inside.

Communal Site 102 Gas Decontamination Centre. Type 'KM' - P.B. - 13843/41.

Situated by the entrance of the Communal site where everybody on the station would pass it everyday and know exactly where it was in an emergency. The two entrances were directly onto the road.

102 Gas Decontamination Centre. Type 'KM' - P.B. - 13843/41. 'KM' designates that it was a 13.5inch solid brick walls with a Siegwart pre-cast hollow concrete beam slab roof (PF).

You would walk in through the wounded or unwounded entrance on the right and undress. All cloths would be passed through a letter type box to bins outside, to be disposed of later. If wounded, you would be treated and then pass through a shower and be scrubbed with hard wooden broom like brushes to wash out the contamination. A bleach agent could also be used as a treatment. Then you would dry off and get dressed with clean cloths and exit via the top air lock. Hopefully in one piece.

The two entrances, there would have been hand rails to help you find the entrances if your eyes are contaminated.

The small chimney from the coal/coke heating plant fire and the long one 22.5ft high above the building is the air-conditioning intake.

This is the airlock exit for finished cases. Note the door is quite a heavy wooden type and it would have had a rubber seal around it to keep up the higher air pressure inside. This is to stop the ingress of any gas that may be around. The ladder looks to be an original that would have allowed access to the flat roof and the large water tank. A lot of water would be used, so a large tank was needed.

The hot water tank and lagged in asbestos. With a very good door thrown down beside it. Here hot water would have been distributed around the building.

Ventilation plant, base supports.