The UK island once known as one of the world’s most dangerous
- UK Hidden Gems
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
The island was once used by the government to test deadly biological weapons during World War II.
The UK has between 4,400 and 6,000 islands. They come in all shapes and sizes, and not all of them have people living on them. The biggest island is Great Britain, which includes England, Scotland and Wales.
Most of these islands don’t have anyone living there. Only 188 have people living on them all year round. Scotland has more islands than anywhere else in the UK.
Some of the islands near Scotland include the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland groups. A report in 2023 said that 93 Scottish islands had people living on them, including well-known ones like Skye, Mull and Lewis and Harris.
But many other islands are far away and empty. One of them was so dangerous that the public wasn’t allowed near it for many years.
Gruinard Island, often called “Anthrax Island”, is off the north-west coast of Scotland. It was used by the government in World War II to test dangerous germs, and people weren’t allowed to go there for a long time afterwards.
Back then, Winston Churchill, who was in charge during the war, wanted the UK to make biological weapons. He worried that Nazi Germany had already made some. So he told scientists to figure out how to turn anthrax into a weapon.
Anthrax is a very deadly type of bacteria, especially if you breathe it in. It can kill even if doctors try to treat it. The scientists secretly tested it on animals on the island, while people nearby had no idea what was happening.
More than 50 years later, a video made by the Ministry of Defence was finally shared with the public. In the film, a small explosion creates a cloud of anthrax that moves towards a group of 80 sheep.
The sheep breathed in the anthrax and all died within a few days. The test was seen as a success, and the scientists left the island. But the anthrax stayed behind.
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Litter tends to spread, so if you see any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the hidden gem, it will help keep the area tidy.
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