Canada part of Hanford effort

It is not generally known that the atom bomb’s manufacture involved Canada as well as the United States. There were a number of places in North America where parts and chemicals were manufactured, and none knew of the others, what they were making or the purpose of their production. The only ones who knew the whole picture were a small number of scientists in Illinois and New Mexico.

During some of the war years, my mother worked at Warfield, Trail, British Columbia, as a secretary to a scientist. Warfield was located near the CM&S smelter (Consolidated Mining and Smelting, “Elephant Brand,” now known as Teck). Each day my grandfather would drive my mother up the hill to work. It was all very secret and nothing could be discussed about it. I wanted to know where my mother went, and one day grandpa took me along. My mother was dropped off at a guardhouse, and the whole place was strongly secured with wire fencing. Many years later my mother told me that heavy water, H3O+, was being manufactured there and sent to Washington for use in bomb-making.

Pamela Small

Spokane