RAF Bowes Moor
RAF Bowes Moor was a Royal Air Force site in what is now County Durham, England. It was used during the Second World War to store chemical warfare agents. The site sits on Bowes Moor, north of the village of Bowes, and opened in December 1941. It covered about 564 acres (228 hectares) and could store around 17,000 tonnes of ordnance.
At first, weapons were left outside under tarpaulins, but sheep damaged the covers, so hard standing areas and buildings were built. About 250-pound bombs were kept outside behind fencing, and workers had access to special gas-proof shelters.
The only RAF unit officially based there was No. 81 Maintenance Unit (1941–1947), which was part of No. 42 Group. The Army Air Forces also used the site during the war.
Mustard gas, phosgene, and lewisite were stored at Bowes Moor. Most of the weapons were burned on site to dispose of them, but this could produce large clouds of smoke and sometimes contaminated the ground. As the war ended, more chemical weapons were sent to Bowes Moor, and in 1946 some disposal work used burning with tracer rounds and, in many cases, disposal at sea under Operation Sandcastle. In January 1946, scientists from Porton Down visited the site to study cattle that had grazed there.
The site closed in 1947. In 1974, the Bowes Moor area was moved into County Durham for administrative purposes, although the Ministry of Defence still groups it with North Yorkshire.
In 1997, mustard gas stocks that should have been destroyed earlier were found. In 2007, the Ministry of Defence started Project Cleansweep to check 14 sites for evidence of chemical weapons use, with Bowes Moor identified as one of four in northern England. The study found that while there were traces of chemicals such as arsenic in the soil, levels were not high enough to harm people. Some redundant buildings were crushed, and the remaining material was used for landfill and road-building.
Today the site is derelict and has a history of soil contamination. Access is limited, and the Pennine Way’s Bowes Loop passes through the area.
This page was last edited on 29 January 2026, at 08:18 (CET).