Several years ago I posted a message just like this one, and got a very negative reply. Back then I thought that my interest in the Great War was just a passing phase, like many of my earlier obessessions. How wrong I was! How exciting must it be to be involved in a dig on the battlefields. The joy of being the person who holds a spade that first scratches duck boards! I'd settle for being the person who holds the flask for the person who cleans the spades. Fellow Somme addicts out there must know what I mean. I'm a school teacher, which means that my holidays are very inflexible, but it also means that I get 6 weeks every summer to do what I want. I can speak basic French and don't mind sleeping in a tent. Surely someone must want an extra pair of hands. Any suggestions about how I might get involved would be greatly appreciated.

Gary,

There are very few Great War Archaeology groups currently working in France and Belgium so it is not a field with many opportunities. In some cases the numbers of people for any given dig is limited due to many reasons and as such the current group members are given priority for the digs, in many cases in order of importance/type of position (professional trained archaeologists/forensic experts/bomb/gas disposal, etc.) This is not to mean one person is more important than another it is simply a matter of what disciplines are required at what sites.

As such I do not believe you will be able to join in a dig in the forseeable future. There is also the issue of insurance for the members, permission by the local authorities, land owners, etc. In any case I wish you the best of luck in tryng to locate such a position, you never know what might change from one year to the next.

Ralph

Gary
Try these links and have a go at contacting them.

Great War Archaeology Group

No Man's Land Group

Forumite Martin Brown is part of the No man's Land group (and is an MOD archaeologist) and you have probably seen him on some of the programmes on First World War Archaeology.

Cheers
Dominic

Gary

In Belgium, I know of two local groups.

First is De Diggers whom are working around Ieper. At least one of their members, Frans, is a member here.

There is also a group in the French speaking area near Ploegsteert but I'm afraid I don't have any direct contact details. Someone wil have. They've have good recent success in recovering bodies that have been able to be indentified (try a Forum "search" for Private Lancaster - who is to be buried in a few weeks)

John

Hi Gary

I would love to be a member of the De-Diggers or any other group, like you I'd settle for being the person who holds the flask for the person who cleans the spades.

Annette

Gary, as Ralph points out we often have limited time and therefore have to prioritise. Therefore only trained archaeologists (that's not to say all 'professional') are given that priority as there is generally with little time to train a newcomer, however enthusiastic they may be. I would suggest joining a local group in the UK (or wherever) to gain some experience before moving 'to the front'.
Julian

Gary,

i understand your plight, I and two mates volunteered our services (even to hold a flask or be a general dogsbody) completly free of charge (albeit only a week) to a dig on the Somme and sadly I did not even get a reply saying thanks but no thanks!

Still do not be disheartened hopefully you will get your chance if you persevere,

Regards,
Scottie.

Hello All

While we do take new folk on No Man's Land projects it does help if they know what to do on site first and so Julian's suggestion is a good one. If folk are interested in helping you can contact us via our website (see below). Let us have a brief idea of what you can bring to the party.

I hope folk won't feel we're being exclusive but we do get quite a few requests to come and dig. We do try to accomodate people where we can but like De Diggers we are very much aware of the number of people who want to join in. However our major project in Thiepval Wood is community dig with folk from Northern Ireland joining us on site to excavate and rebuild the trenches for public view.

Gary, if it was us who ignored you please accept my apologies.

On the subject ofdigs, NML has recently had a project design agreed for an excavation in the Ploegsteert sector later in the year. There are no places available on the team but you will be able to follow our blog and we hope to offer site tours. I will be making a formal announcement about the project on this Forum in due course.

Also on this subject can I recommend Nick Saunders new book "Killing Time" to you.

All good wishes

Martin

I really appreciate all the feedback to this post. Thankyou very much to everyone. I shall definately look up the book recommended by Martin Brown.

I have written to The Somme Association, but unfortunately they can't accommodate me. However they did suggest I contact Mr Kenyon at NML, which I have just done via e-mail, and will gladly pursue any other contacts that people can suggest.

I share the ambition but lack the time until my retirement in about four years. I quite appreciate the point about experience, and it might be worth while Gary to have a look at links to archeology sites in the UK. there are sometimes requests for unskilled help through the Time Team website. I spent a couple of Saturdays scraping away at a 16th century midden in West Sussex after lurking there for a while.

You are far more likely to gain experience as a volunteer on minor excavations, but if they are properly conducted the experience should make you far more welcome to NML or other groups in the future. Its also interesting. I have had to back off for the moment, but plan to try again next year, and will maybe pick up enough skills to be of interest to one of the WW! groups once I have the time.

Keith is right, I'm afraid. We have lots of people who want to join us on site but by and large it helps if they now a little about archaeology and getting out with a local group or doing an evening class is the best way. It also shows us/me that you have a degree of commitment - there's nothing worse than a bored member of the team who suddenly realises it isn't like Time Team/Indiana Jones etc when it's too late and they're signed on for 3 weeks trowelling neolithic gravel surfaces or cleaning rusty corned beef tins.

Having said that there are sometimes opportunities to join in a community project for people with no experience and I am hoping to be able to announce just one such on here in a few weeks (once I've got this summer's Belgian dig sorted).

Martin.

The Belgian project at Factory Farm near Ploegsteert has now closed for the 2007 season but we hope to return next summer. Anyone interested in reading more should go to:

http://plugstreet.blogspot.com

Thanks

martin

this is a very timely thread - I too would love to be involved in the repatriation of remains and archeological digs on WWI battlefields in general. I watched with great enthusiasm the recent TV series on this very subject and immediately thought that I could do that.