Informal group portrait of RAAF members standing on the wing of a DAP Beaufort bomber aircraft at ...

Informal group portrait of RAAF members standing on the wing of a DAP Beaufort bomber aircraft at an unknown airfield, possibly Cairns. The aircraft was used for testing the safety of flying a mustard gas contaminated plane and how much protective clothing and equipment was required by the crew. Identified from left to right, standing on the wing: unidentified; Warrant Officer Wells; possibly NX84085 Lieutenant Ronald Geoffrey Wells); Captain Ron Andrews, Royal Australian Artillery; 104057 Flight Officer (Flt Off) Moira Lenore Shelton, (head of the team); unidentified seated on mid upper gun turret. In front of Flt Off Shelton, is Flight Lieutenant Parker. Capt Andrews assisted Shelton with in- flight chemical sampling. The trial involved the crew flying a heavily contaminated aircraft, at the concentration of 30 grams per square metre, flying for two hours over the sea. Although the plane's brakes corroded from the gas, the plane was landed safely without them. These experiments were carried out by the Australian Chemical Warfare Research and Experimental section, later to be known as the 1st Field Trials Company, Royal Australian Engineers (RAE).