GARP places still available for 2010 season

Places still available on GARP 2010 dig - see main web site for info.

http://www.jordan1914-18archaeology.org/

or click below for the prospectus
http://www.jordan1914-18archaeology.org/prospectus

Thanks

Roger

Bulletin 34 - New GWAG project - Investigating Auxiliary Units

We are hoping to launch a new project at a meeting in Bristol on 23 February. It will take an archaeological and anthropological approach to investigating the Auxiliary Units, which were set up in 1940 with the intention of creating guerrilla resistance/sabotage cells that would become active behind German lines in the event of an invasion. The British Government created a network of small, secret, elite Home Guard units and a network of underground bunkers, signal-stations, and store-bases.

 

These remains represent a 'virtual' guerrilla war - a planned guerrilla war that never happened. They offer an opportunity to study an entire guerrilla-war landscape at macro-level, while using individual sites and artefact assemblages to explore how the war would have been waged and experienced by individual participants at micro-level.

 

We have excellent preliminary contacts with people heavily involved in recording these remains for the Defence of Britain Project surveys in the 1990s, and our planned initial study area will be Somerset and perhaps Monmouthshire. However, there is great potential for establishing local projects elsewhere. All those interested in becoming involved are welcome to attend the preliminary meeting:

 

5.00pm, Tuesday 23 February

Department of Archaeology and Anthropology

University of Bristol

43 Woodland Road

Clifton

Bristol

Angie Hibbitt

Bulletin 33 - Lawrence Conference

Current World Archaeology/Great Arab Revolt Project

one-day conference

Lawrence, the Arabs, and the genesis of modern guerrilla warfare

Saturday 15 May 2010

Clore Management Centre

Birkbeck University of London

Bloomsbury

On the 75^th anniversary of T E Lawrence’s death, three leading academic specialists assess his role in the desert war of 1916-1918 and his relevance in understanding the conflicts of the last 90 years. Neil Faulkner and Nick Saunders are joint directors of a pioneering new field project that is investigating the archaeological remains of the conflict along the line of the former Hijaz Railway. Jeremy Wilson, author of Lawrence of Arabia: the authorised biography of T E Lawrence, is widely recognised as the world’s leading authority on his subject. Together, on the basis of radically new evidence and interpretation, they offer a day of illustrated talks and discussion that will reassess Lawrence, his role, and his legacy. And they will draw some stark lessons: about the parallels between the failure of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and unfolding disaster of the ‘war on terror’ today.

Programme

9.30-10.00:       registration (tea and coffee available)

10.00-10.15:     introduction to the day

10.15-11.30:     Jeremy Wilson: A legend on record?
                        Researching the archive of Lawrence’s war

11.30-11.45:     short break

11.45-1.00:       Nick Saunders: Fire on the desert:
                        conflict archaeology of the Great Arab Revolt

1.00-2.15:         lunch (not included)

2.15-3.30:         Neil Faulkner: Lawrence: seminal theorist of modern guerrilla warfare

3.30-4.00:         tea and coffee

4.00-4.30:         Images from Lawrence of Arabia’s war

4.30-5.30:         Plenary

The price of the conference for early bookings is £29 (before 31 March). Standard booking price (after 31 March) is £39. Payment can be by cheque in the post (payable to Current Publishing) or credit/debit card over the phone: Current Publishing, Lamb House, Church Street, London, W4 2PD, 08456 447707 or 0208 819 5580.

(Note - previous GARP team members, i.e. those who have been part of any of the fieldwork seasons in Jordan, are entitled to a discount. Please contact Angie Hibbitt (angie@gwag.org) for information and to register)

Bulletin 32 (September 2009) Sedgefield Aerodrome Course Report

Well, the first season investigating Sedgeford aerodrome was a resounding success. We had nine very enthusiastic students who, together with three supervisors, spent time doing desktop research and three days practical work up at the Aerodrome. Once suitable work locations had been agreed with the landowner we split the students into three teams, each with their own project to work on.

Team A investigated a building that, according to local hearsay, was used as a mortuary during WWI, one is recorded in the post-war sale of site buildings. They spent some time studying the construction methods, materials, and design of the building, before moving on to create a drawn record of all four external elevations and a plan. The structure, which is located in an area that was woodland during WWI, has elements of architectural design that gives it a chapel-like quality. These, along with some of the more utilitarian aspects of its design, such as high windows and air vents, led the team to conclude that it was the mortuary.

Team B spent most of its fieldwork time investigating a rubbish dump area. A large assemblage of material culture was collected from the trench, mostly found within the topsoil, and included glass bottles and jars, pieces of domestic china, leather boots, a couple of rubber bicycle pedals and a single .303 blank cartridge case (dated to WWI). Initial research undertaken on a small selection of items by the team during their course show that the artefacts span at least a 40 year period. However, the finds were jumbled up together within the area investigated which led the team to conclude that it was not a purpose made dump, but instead a result of continual activity, in particular site clearance and re-use post WWII.

Team C studied an air raid shelter believed to date from the First World War. Constructed of house bricks, it has an internal corrugated iron ceiling overlaid with a thick slap of concrete. A wooden door at the bottom of the steps leads into the one-room shelter, which has brick piers for wooden benches along both walls. A window, crudely hacked out of the south wall, was cut through at a later date, possibly when the shelter was used as a store. Just above ground level a brick capping layer, around the stairwell, suggests that the brick courses above this were a later addition to the structure. A wooden door post at the entrance to the stairwell tells us an outer door was added at the same time. When and for what purpose these later alterations were made is still a mystery. Were they made during its time as a military installation or are they associated with the site’s later life?

The week was finished off with Dave and Angie Hibbitt running a workshop on geophysics, whilst two local detectorists provided the students with an opportunity to try out the technique for themselves. An afternoon presentation on their findings to a group of SHARP volunteers and interested locals rounded off the course for the students.        Anna Gow

Bulletin 31 (September 2009)The First Tank Project Update

A Geophysical Survey was carried out in Lincoln recently as part of the First Tank Project, in conjunction with the Friends of the Lincoln Tank.

 
Lincoln, along with over 250 other towns and cities around the country had received a Presentation Tank after the Great War, in recognition of monies raised for National Savings.   After due ceremony, that tank was sited in Wickham Gardens, next to the Water Tower, and there it remained until it was removed for scrap several years later.  Incredible as it may seem, it has not been possible to locate any photographs of the tank in situ, and only recently has it been confirmed that the tank was displayed on the south side of the tower, in a small garden area.

 
It was decided, therefore to carry out an earth resistance survey to try and ascertain if would be possible to find any evidence of a plinth or railings under the garden.
The survey was duly carried out on 12 September by Dave and Angie Hibbitt, (Grid Nine Geophysics) closely watched by members of the Friends of the Lincoln Tank.
Following interpretation of the results, a full report will be available.

Bulletin 30 (September 2009) Conflict Archaeology News

Many of you may already be in possession of the latest edition of Current Archaeology - for those that haven't been able to cast their eyes over it - our very own Dr Nick Saunders is featured - launching the new discipline of modern conflict archaeology. Don't forget that details of his new MA in 20th Century Conflict can be found at www. bristol.ac.uk/archanth or www.conflictarchaeology.com

Also, another of our number, Jim Lewis has 2 more books in the Lea Valley series released at the end of September , making a total of five.

And finally.........for any of you that are, or could be in the vicinity of Lincoln tomorrow evening, there are still just a few tickets left for Andrew Robertshaw's talk on 'Digging the Trenches'

Kind regards to you all

Angie Hibbitt
Great War Archaeology Group

Bulletin 29 (August 2009) Forthcoming GWAG Events

Thought you might like to know about a couple of forthcoming events....

First - Bristol University are hosting a conference on 24 October 2009 - Conflict Archaeology of the Modern Era - please find further details via the link below. The day will be introduced by our own John Winterburn and the list of speakers and subjects certainly whets the appetite! Contact details are also in the pdf file via the link.

Conflict Archaeology Conference at Bristol link

Secondly - The Friends of the Lincoln Tank are welcoming Andrew Robertshaw to speak in Lincoln on 16 September - his subject being 'Digging the Trenches' - The Archaeology of the Western Front. Click on the poster for a larger view.



The short course at Sedgeford Airfield in July went extremely well, with some excellent archaeology and, I understand, an enormous number of artifacts for examination and investigation! Dave and I spent a morning there, giving a short geophysics workshop and all involved seemed to be having a marvellous time. We would certainly have loved to have spent more time there.... Watch the website - there will be a short resume on the course posted soon.

Also, don't forget it will soon be the 4th Jordan season - the 2009 prospectus is on the GARP website.

Kind regards

Angie Hibbitt
Great War ARchaeology Group.

www.gwag.org
www.jordan1914-18archaeology.org