Penclawdd: The Welsh Town Secretly Bombed With Anthrax

While Gruinard Island became famous, few have heard of the WWII anthrax testing at Penclawdd

Penclawdd © Lesbardd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

During the Second World War, the British government conducted a series of secret experiments at Gruinard Island, Scotland. The aim was to create an experimental biological weapon using anthrax. The result: the island was left contaminated for more than 45 years.¹

Operation Dark Harvest — The story of Scotland’s ‘Anthrax Island’

Gruinard was eventually decontaminated after bioterrorists stole anthrax-laced earth from the island. When the so-called “Dark Harvest Commandos” made the headlines, more claims came to light. Some said that similar experiments had been carried out at almost the opposite end of Great Britain. The people of Penclawdd were convinced that the army had bombed their tiny village with anthrax.

The history of Penclawdd

In 2011, Penclawdd had a population of just over 3600 people.² A small village on the Gower Peninsula just outside Swansea, Penclawdd is best known for its cockle industry. Its…