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Castletown Airfield

Decontamination Building (20th Century)

Site Name Castletown Airfield

Classification Decontamination Building (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Thurdistoft

Canmore ID 202462

Site Number ND26NW 36.04

NGR ND 21170 67668

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/202462

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Highland
  • Parish Olrig
  • Former Region Highland
  • Former District Caithness
  • Former County Caithness

Archaeology Notes

NS26NW 36.04 21170 67668

A WW II gas decontamination centre is situated in a field about 170m E of Thurdistoft farmsteading (ND26NW 43).

Constructed of brick and concrete with a flat roof with two chimneys/ventilation shafts and consists of a series of chambers to allow the decontamination from gas attack of service personnel.

The double entrance was at the SE end allowing for wounded and unwounded personnel through an air-lock to the first chamber which was for stripping contaminated clothing. Still discernable is a painted notice in this room stating ' Dirty Side' and another, 'Clean Side'. Slots in each side of the building allowed contaminated clothing to be disposed of to the outside.

The remainder of the building leads through corridors each side to a showering chamber, followed by a 'dressing area' which contained clean clothes to then lead to a waiting area and exit through an airlock. At the NW end are the remains of an air filtration unit.

The building is to a standard design and can be found on several other airfields thorughout the country and would appear to be a late expansion period type Type J, 1097/40.

Visited by RCAHMS (DE), 14 August 2000

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