GLENBROOK RAILWAY TUNNEL, NSW
USED FOR CW STORAGE
DURING WW2

The Glenbrook railway tunnel in the Blue Mountains near Penrith in New South Wales was closed to rail traffic in 1913. It was then used as a mushroom growing tunnel. The railway lines were still in the tunnel. 

During WW2 the RAAF installed a concrete grid floor in the tunnel and installed a telephone system for security purposes. It was apparently initially used by the RAAF to store 500lbs bombs. 

The British then operated a CW munitions storage depot at the Glenbrook disused railway tunnel. It was used for the storage of Mustard Gas munitions. The Mustard Gas munitions were stored in the cleared area in the open cut area at one end of the tunnel and in the camping area at the other end of the tunnel.

Geoff Burns and Arthur Lewis were two of the RAAF armourers who had worked at Glenbrook looking after the chemical weapons. Geoff Burns (83 years old) and Arthur Lewis (83 years old) both made an emotional visit to the old railway tunnel in January 2008. They had both joined the RAAF wanting to become air gunners but were put in a secret RAAF chemical warfare unit.

Photo:- Helen Nezdropa - Sun-Herald 20 January 2008

Geoff Burn and Arthur Lewis outside the Glenbrook tunnel in January 2008

After the war, the Glenbrook Tunnel was returned to its former use as a mushroom growing tunnel.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Graham Clayton for his assistance with this web page.

REFERENCES

Sun-Herald Newspaper 20 January 2008
Article "Tunnel's secret out - Deadly chemicals hidden in war cache"
by Frank Walker

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 3 June 2002

This page last updated 23 January 2008