1962: GRUINARD - Mysterious Island of DEATH | Tonight | Voice of the People | BBC Archive

Fyfe Robertson visits Gruinard, Britain's most mysterious island. Gruinard was the site of Government experiments during World War II and remains shrouded in secrecy.
Local crofters and fishermen know better than to land on Gruinard. Just what do they think happened there all those years ago?
Originally broadcast 17 Ocotober, 1962.
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[@jdm65]

It was anthrax contamination - the island was decontaminated in 1990. Could listen forever to Fyfe and his glorious vowel sounds and gentle probing.

[@UnmistakableSoundOf]

I've stayed a couple of times in a caravan at Gruinard Bay. Haven't been out to the the island but I can't imagine there's much call for it, though it's all decontaminated now of course. Spectacular part of the world...

[@captainianr]

Starting in 1986 a determined effort was made to decontaminate the island: 280 tonnes of formaldehyde solution diluted in sea water was sprayed over all 485 acres (196 hectares) of the island and the worst-contaminated topsoil around the dispersal site was removed. A flock of sheep was then placed on the island and remained healthy. On 24 April 1990, after 48 years of quarantine and four years after the solution was applied, junior defence minister Michael Neubert visited the island and announced its safety by removing the warning signs.[9] On 1 May 1990, the island was repurchased by the heirs of the original owner for the original sale price of £500.[11] There was some confusion in which members of the public did not know it was only being resold to the original owners and people from around the world sent letters to the British government asking to purchase the island for £500.[17]

[@barryj388]

The way he said "and who should know better what is good for us, than a government department?" Things never change.

[@oldschoollondoner4674]

One farmer interviewee actually says Anthrax, (4 mins.40 secs) but cloth ears Robertson missed it.

[@Ras6200]

So he does! Thank you.

[@alexmarshall4331]

WELL SPOTTED!!!

[@LINDA-oi4mt]

How very very interesting 60 years later and knowing what we know now. Thank you.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Fyfe Robertson and Jack Hargreaves were my ‘TV grandfathers’ as a child in the seventies.

[@TopOfThePopsFan]

More Fyffe please!

[@andydixon2980]

What arrogance from the government to assume 'it wouldn't be in the public interest to disclose the facts'. Nothing has changed.

[@davidrenton]

actually it made perfect sense and by all acounts the people where treated very fairly, they brought the island, the Island was brought by the Goverment for £500 in 1946 and as promised sold back to the descendants of the owners in 1990 for £500, which is quite a good deal considering inflation

[@Seminal_Ideas]

I could do an excellent Fyfe Robertson impression saying "they really are lovely, lovely biscuits". My dearly missed mum used to laugh her head off.

[@ritacobb3063]

That was a great programme that Fyfe Robertson was a part. Was it Nationwide? Geoffrey Johnson Smith, Alan Whicker, Cy Grant, two more the little stories. Alan Whicker went down a street where the numbers were mixed up and he made it fascinating

[@UnmistakableSoundOf]

The locals' fight to get the island decontaminated took decades, just being palmed off and ignored by officials brushing it under the carpet. The way I heard the story, some locals eventually snuck onto the island, dug up a bag of soil, traveled all the way to London and dumped it on a desk at the Ministry of Defence! It's incredibly dangerous and irresponsible to do that of course, but I'm sure they were very keen to decontaminate it once it was in their own office! 🤣

[@BetterLifeAhead35]

What's the source on that? What I read said that threats were made, not followed through on

[@UnmistakableSoundOf]

@@BetterLifeAhead35 Like I said, it was a story I heard, so accuracy might not be 100%. I've just found this Tom Scott video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaakdJKGebVmic0 . At 2.00, Tom mentions an incident which sounds like what I mentioned but I've obviously got the details wrong; apparently it wasn't a desk at MoD, but there was anonymously dumped soil outside an english government research lab. It sounds like the threats were carried through...

[@alexmarshall4331]

PLEASE BE TRUE!!!

[@M-Is-For-Margaret]

There's a movie in here. 👍

[@M-Is-For-Margaret]

@@UnmistakableSoundOf I still think that this could be made into a movie. 🙂

[@Daracdor]

Loved " Robbies " documentary's

[@JC-il6ps]

Must have been Anthrax surely?

[@AtheistOrphan]

Yes, now well-documented.

[@davidrenton]

4:40 the Farmer called it

[@andrewrobinson2565]

....but is it REALLY decontaminated? (orchestra strings tremelo...).

[@onlyme219]

Hoots man

[@electrolytics]

Every country has a couple of islands they don't want to talk about. Every gov't has the equivalent of those two weird brothers that live down the street and like to concoct all kinds of potions and mayhem. Gotta have it. That's what makes the world go round.

[@daleva187goligo]

it's the plum island of the uk

[@MrSimonmcc]

Boffin is a word that's not used enough nowadays.

[@DaraM73]

….Because anthrax is a biological spore.

[@TurfShifter]

Lovely accents in this. Anthrax was the now known issue as they were experimenting with it.

[@Ras6200]

I go up there on holiday every year and I feel that lovely accent is now somewhat diluted.

[@Sadd109]

Enthusiastic designer 75

[@MrMann0123]

Is this where they were going to put Hannibal Lecter?

[@AtheistOrphan]

‘Anthrax Island, sounds charming’

[@user-wt5yh1vu8k]

Wondering soldier 27

[@KRYPTOS_K5]

Antrax in the soil

[@zgoo5329]

Easy beast 33

[@garryleeks4848]

Island of death 😬😬😬🙄🙄

[@user-ey4lo9xx5x]

Crazy snow 26