The Royal Australian Air Force realised they would need a specialist unit to handle the chemical weapons. A specialist group of armourers was raised, they were responsible for the unloading, transportation, maintenance and disposal of CW stocks during and after the war.
"A full appreciation of the work and dedication of the RAAF Armourers (and all the other CW personnel) is best gleaned from the following commendation from Group Captain T. Lightfoot, dated 13 June 1945.
It is desired to record officially the outstanding services rendered by the RAAF during the recent war years, and since the war ended, by all Chemical Warfare personnel. Further it is considered that some of the personnel concerned are deserving of special mention and a list is, therefore, appended for your consideration with a view to arranging for some appropriate recognition of their devoted duty.
In general specially trained CW personnel within the RAAF were, due to their particular duties not afforded the opportunity for overseas service, but were retained on the mainland for;
(a) the intake of CW stocks from the United Kingdom
(b) the transportation of such stocks to the appropriate storage sites
(c) the maintenance of stocks at the storage sites until disposal action was taken after the war
Set out in cold type, the paragraph above does not, perhaps indicate the magnitude of the work involved, but the officers in charge (from time to time) of the various storage depots know just how much effort was expended by the personnel under them in the execution of their arduous and at all times, dangerous duties.
The intake of CW stocks from the UK involved much hazardous work in the off-loading from ships of bombs and bulk containers, the destruction or decanting of ‘leakers’ and the decontamination of ships holds.
Later the CW personnel played an important part in the work of the RAAF Chemical Research Unit at Bowen (Queensland) and at the Australian Field Experimental Station Proserpine (Queensland).
From November 1945 to April 1946, inclusive, CW personnel have been engaged in the destruction of mustard gas stocks by burning in bulk and also by drowning at sea. Phosgene has been destroyed by release into the atmosphere in selected areas, and also by drowning at sea.
It is fair statement that the disposal of these gas stocks rank with the more difficult and dangerous tasks undertaken by RAAF ground staff personnel.
In the Queensland and Darwin areas, large quantities of weapons containers charged with the various grades of mustard gas were burned under tropical conditions, where scientific trials have proved that mustard gas is more dangerous and persistent than in temperate conditions.
In the same Northern areas, personnel have worked for long periods in respirators, pouring the residue from thousands of bombs charged phosgene, after the initial release. During this type of operation, the men have at times literally paddled in liquid phosgene on the ground, the concentration given off being such that service respirators broke down and the personnel had to be temporarily relieved.
The same personnel have successfully completed the burning in forest country of NSW approximately 20,000 bulk containers filled with mustard gas, the containers varying in capacity up to 80 gallons. This operation, probably the most difficult of the series because of the mountainous, timbered country, resulted in nearly all personnel engaged becoming casualties at some stage and in varying degrees, because such concentrations of mustard gas were encountered that no service protective equipment was adequate to counter them.
The completion of the disposal of CW stocks in NSW involved the transport of certain heavier type stocks to the waterfront, loading onto lighters, taking these lighters to Rose Bay (Sydney Harbour) and transfer of the Stocks to ship for ultimate sinking off the continental shelf.
The foregoing disposal details have been broadly stated, but a true idea of responsibilities of the personnel engaged in the work can only be fully appreciated by those officers who are actually participated in the disposal operations and were in charge of the personnel".