Thankfully it was only for training and was orchestrated by the Department of Defence’s Georgia Derham with Milsearch Special Projects Manager Dave Humphreys and his men in charge of the training of the emergency services.

The decontamination came when it was publicly confirmed for the first time what had been whispered about since the end of the war that the role of the Marrangaroo Army Depot was a top secret chemical warfare operation during World War II.

At that time it was disclosed that no one was really sure what lurked beneath the paddocks at the camp, a legacy from the war days that spanned from 1940-45.

The Defence Department made it clear it was anxious to make amends for the military misdemeanors from that era.

It was disclosed that after investigation several sites around the south western corner of the Marrangaroo base contained ammunition that had been buried and including the chemical warfare items.

Trial excavations uncovered a number of mustard gas shells and phosgene cylinders, all were so far found to have been emptied.

The investigation led to public information days where Marrangaroo residents were advised of decontamination programs to be undertaken.

The Department has now announced that a full scale excavation will start on Monday with intensive safety and security precautions in place.

The decontamination will involve all local emergency services including medical resources with a specialist company, Milsearch, contracted to carry out the operation.

A familiarisation and training took place yesterday for what will be a challenging project.

Mr Humphrey’s said: “The excavations begin on Monday and if all goes according to schedule, the project should be completed some time in May.”