Sunday, 9 May 2010
GARP places still available for 2010 season
Quite a few DDA folk also work on the GARP project in Jordan - so here is a plug on their behalf!
Places still available on GARP 2010 dig - see main web site for info.
Monday, 19 April 2010
DDA SITREP - The Summer 2010 Programme
So now it can be told...
...as this weeks episode of the BBC's "Doctor Who," showed, the Battle of Britain was actually a dastardly attempt by the Daleks to entrap the Doctor and create a new "Master Race," in colour coordinated Art Deco.
Personally, I think it is entirely appropriate that one of the first extended references in the media to this year's 70th Anniversary of that momentous Summer of 1940 is on, what is probably, Britain's best loved family drama. The knowing references to War Films from "Where Eagles Dare" to "Star Wars," the visual referencing of the raising of the Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima and the inclusion of that unmistakable piece of kinetic sculpture, the Spitfire, performing a victory roll as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere, only goes to show how World War Two still pervades our popular culture and consciousness and how, even when people don't necessarily consciously want to remember, they just do.
Our own work this Summer will be slightly less of a romp than this weekends adventure, but I hope in its way it will mark and inform our understanding of how the most intense, sometimes terrible, always remarkable, period in modern British History, is written in the memories of people and in the archaeological record, particularly here in south east London.
We are planning events and activities designed to explore all the principle events of the Summer and Autumn of 1940, from the return of the BEF from Dunkirk and the desperate attempts to put some form of defence together in the face of a probable invasion, through the formation of the LDV/Home Guard in June with its million and a half volunteers within six weeks, to the Battle of Britain and the start of the sustained terror which was the Blitz on London. The moment when the daily fear of invasion began to give way to the more long drawn out fear of bombing.
We will be researching more of London Anti Invasion Stop Line B; looking at Home Guard Training and at the Anti Aircraft and ARP Services. Neither will we be forgetting the personal response by individual families building their own air raid shelters, or heading for the public provision in shops, parks and streets.
As always with "The Digging Dad's Army Project," we will be making a concerted attempt to make the work accessible through Open Days, Living History and Educational Activities involving our colleagues in various local schools and we also want to provide a more direct way of getting involved in the research.
To do that, we are working on a new Project with our colleagues at the "Thames Discovery Programme" and looking forward to November we will once again he helping facilitate the Birkbeck College Archaeological Geophysics Course which is led by our "House" Geophysics Team, Archaeophysica.
We will publish details of these and other events here on the DDA Blog and on the Facebook Group "Digging Dad's Army Project," in due course, but here are this years confirmed courses where you can get down and digging...
...as this weeks episode of the BBC's "Doctor Who," showed, the Battle of Britain was actually a dastardly attempt by the Daleks to entrap the Doctor and create a new "Master Race," in colour coordinated Art Deco.
Personally, I think it is entirely appropriate that one of the first extended references in the media to this year's 70th Anniversary of that momentous Summer of 1940 is on, what is probably, Britain's best loved family drama. The knowing references to War Films from "Where Eagles Dare" to "Star Wars," the visual referencing of the raising of the Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima and the inclusion of that unmistakable piece of kinetic sculpture, the Spitfire, performing a victory roll as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere, only goes to show how World War Two still pervades our popular culture and consciousness and how, even when people don't necessarily consciously want to remember, they just do.
Our own work this Summer will be slightly less of a romp than this weekends adventure, but I hope in its way it will mark and inform our understanding of how the most intense, sometimes terrible, always remarkable, period in modern British History, is written in the memories of people and in the archaeological record, particularly here in south east London.
We are planning events and activities designed to explore all the principle events of the Summer and Autumn of 1940, from the return of the BEF from Dunkirk and the desperate attempts to put some form of defence together in the face of a probable invasion, through the formation of the LDV/Home Guard in June with its million and a half volunteers within six weeks, to the Battle of Britain and the start of the sustained terror which was the Blitz on London. The moment when the daily fear of invasion began to give way to the more long drawn out fear of bombing.
We will be researching more of London Anti Invasion Stop Line B; looking at Home Guard Training and at the Anti Aircraft and ARP Services. Neither will we be forgetting the personal response by individual families building their own air raid shelters, or heading for the public provision in shops, parks and streets.
As always with "The Digging Dad's Army Project," we will be making a concerted attempt to make the work accessible through Open Days, Living History and Educational Activities involving our colleagues in various local schools and we also want to provide a more direct way of getting involved in the research.
To do that, we are working on a new Project with our colleagues at the "Thames Discovery Programme" and looking forward to November we will once again he helping facilitate the Birkbeck College Archaeological Geophysics Course which is led by our "House" Geophysics Team, Archaeophysica.
We will publish details of these and other events here on the DDA Blog and on the Facebook Group "Digging Dad's Army Project," in due course, but here are this years confirmed courses where you can get down and digging...
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 June 2010
Digging Dad’s Army- Zeppelin’s, Anderson’s and Ack Ack
- an introduction to the theory and techniques of the Conflict Archaeology of the 20th Century.
10.00am – 5.00pm
Based in Shooters Hill, this groundbreaking series of talks and practical sessions is designed to bring together Archaeologists, Historians, Teachers, Museum Curators, and Living History Practitioners, in fact, anyone who has an interest in researching the archaeology of 20th Century Conflicts in Britain and presenting that research to the public.
Day 1 is a series of talks and discussions designed as an introduction to Conflict Archaeology and the Digging Dads Army Project.
Subjects to be covered include-
- Is Conflict Archaeology, Archaeology?
- Why bother with a load of old Concrete? Conflict Archaeology, planning and preservation.
- Landscapes of Memory and Living Memory- the role of the eye witness.
- Living Archaeology, Living History- presenting Conflict Archaeology to the public.
Confirmed Speakers include Andy Brockman, Local Consultant on the Time Team programme, “Blitzkrieg on Shooters Hill,” Dr Neil Faulkner of the “Great War Archaeology Group,” and Features Editor of Current Archaeology who excavated the crash site of Zeppelin L48 in Essex and Rod Scott of the No Mans Land Project.
Day 2 is designed to follow up the theory with practical examples of fieldwork and the presentation of data and artifacts to the public.
· The morning session consists of a guided field trip to look at the surviving military archaeology of the Shooters Hill area and Anti Invasion Stop Line Central, the subject of the Time Team programme, Blitzkrieg on Shooters Hill.
· Day 2 concludes with a visit to Firepower- the Royal Artillery Museum, where there will be a chance to discuss how Conflict Archaeology is presented to the public.
This is a unique chance to see what is going on in the fascinating discipline of Conflict Archaeology, to discover where to find out more and how to get involved in research and presentation.
The workshop costs just £70 including Tea and Coffee and entry to Firepower.
[£40 concessions].
NB: If you wish you can book for Day 1 the Talks Programme only;
or Day 2 the visits to Shooters Hill and Firepower only, at a cost of £35 [£20 Concessions].
Monday 14 June 2009- Friday 18 June 2010
Digging Dad’s Army-
An Archaeological Fieldwork School at Shooters Hill.
The Shooters Hill Field School will be a chance to learn or practice the skills required in archaeological fieldwork, while applying them on sites known to have features dating from World Wars One and Two which we are studying as part of the Digging Dad’s Army Research Programme.
This course is suitable for both beginners and those with some excavation experience who might wish to practice their skills or learn new ones.
The week will consist of an introduction to the site and the story behind the excavation,
followed by the survey and excavation of specifically targeted areas of Shooters Hill.
In particular we hope to un-cover sites connected with the Invasion Threat and Blitz of 1940.
This area is known to be rich in archaeology and there may also be features from other periods.
The Field Course is designed to be “Hands On,” and skills you will have the chance to learn or practice include…
- Excavation Planning and Project Designs.
- Health and Safety on Archaeological Sites.
- Basic Levelling and Surveying.
- Excavation Techniques.
- Archaeological Recording- Plans, Sections, photography and Specialised Recording for Masonry etc.
- Finds Identification, analysis and basic conservation.
The excavation is being directed by Neil Faulkner and Andy Brockman, but all participants will be encouraged to discuss the excavation and finds and contribute their own thoughts and interpretations.
The Fieldwork Course costs just £160 including Tea and Coffee.
[£100 concessions].
Saturday 19 June 2009-Sunday 20 June 2010
Digging Dad’s Army- Blast Shelters and the The Bagnold Bunker
An Introduction to Standing Buildings Recording.
Tutor: Kirsty Nicol of Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit and “No Mans Land.”
Many World War Two Pill Boxes and similar sites have their location recorded but relatively few have been subject to full photographic and three dimensional recording.
This weekend workshop is designed to study a series of apparent Air Raid Shelters in the Oxleas Wood area of Shooters Hill and record them for publication and inclusion on the local Historic Environment Record.
Participants will have the opportunity to plan and record the sites using standard recording techniques which are applicable to standing buildings of any period.
These include…
Recording Standards- how much detail do you need to record?
Setting up a grid.
Locating structures using Ordnance Survey Bench Marks and GPS.
What to photograph and how.
On Site and Off Site Drawing.
Paper based recording systems.
Electronic recording using a Total Station Theodolite.
The workshop costs just £70 including Tea and Coffee
[£40 concessions].
Details of all three courses and a booking form are available from me, Andy Brockman, at DDA Admin
Telephone: 07958 543518
As we say on DDA, "See you on site" and in the meantime, as Churchill said KBO...
And there it is, in what must be a record this week- a blog and not one word about the UK Election.
Perhaps one thought though. However imperfect the UK system is, one of the reasons for confronting Nazi Germany in 1940 was to retain the right to vote for whichever party you favour to form a government, or to the right to keep on complaining about the one you do get without fear of the 2am knock on the door. To that end people, including many who would have been too young to vote in 1940 when the voting age was 21, willingly or not, gave up their lives.
Whoever you choose to vote for, perhaps going out to vote on May 6th is another way of remembering what might have been had things taken a different turn seventy years ago, particularly when we have political parties on the Ballot whose Leadership think the wrong side won.
Andy B
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Introduction
Hi to all on this Blog. Just to introduce myself to unfamiliar members Im called Jules. My principal interests are metal detecting, and historical research. I am a published author of several books in the War Torn Skies series mainly about aviation archaeology. I contribute to other works such as Steve Darlow`s "Fighting High" Volumes 1 and 2 and also to the most recent "Spitfire Hunters" book by Simon Parry all about the televised archaeological excavations of aircraft in the last decade. In addition I write for several American magazines and two in Britain "Treasure Hunting" and "the brilliant "Britain at War". For those interested in aviation archaeology please keep an eye out in the latter as several epic excavations are due to appear in there very shortly. Im always keen to assist or be part of any primarily Second World War research and fully support all those involved in such projects...such as The Great War Archaeology Group and The Great Arab Revolt Project of which I am a member.
Cheers all Jules
Cheers all Jules
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Modern Conflict Archaeology
Foll0wing the success of the 2009 event a Modern Conflict Archaeology conference is being held at Bristol University on Saturday October 23rd 2010.
Further details can be found here
To subscribe to the conference email list click here to generate an email for you to send that will add you to the list.
You will receive a welcome message when this has been carried out. Unsubscibe information is included in all messages.
Further details can be found here
To subscribe to the conference email list click here to generate an email for you to send that will add you to the list.
You will receive a welcome message when this has been carried out. Unsubscibe information is included in all messages.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Mighty FROGs from little tadpoles grow
Last Saturday saw a healthy turnout of DDA members at the first day of the latest Thames Discovery Programme (TDP) Foreshore Recording and Observation Group (FROG) training course at UCL in central London. A second, practical day will follow in late March.
TDP aims to utilise the FROG to observe and record archaeological remains on the Thames foreshore from Teddington to Bexley. The result will be a longitudinal study that it is hoped will survive the funded TDP (due to end in September 2011).
Saturday saw the eager attendees given a sound grounding in the work of the TDP and the practical aspects of FROG's activities.
After Nathalie Cohen gave an overview of the TDP and FROG, she explained the health and safety aspects of the work we were volunteering to be involved in. From rat-borne Weil's disease to blister inducing Giant Hog Weed to discarded syringes, the list felt endless. On a lighter note, the topic of debate suggested by Elliot Wragg was "Wellies or Boots?". Both having pros and cons when working on a muddy foreshore, it was easy to see why the considered opinion is evenly divided.
Lorna Richardson explained the role and importance of digital media in the project. From the usual social network suspects (Facebook, Twitter) through to imagery (Flickr, Vimeo) on to contributor based 'pedia (Riverpedia) and finally interactive spatial information database systems. All have a role to play. All the talk of citizen involvement in this session was of key interest to our technical guru, Roger. One of the results is this very blog entry!
In the final session of the morning, TDP Project Director Gus Milne gave an overview of the key zones and sites that will form the basis of 2010 season activity. Plenty of lively anecdotes and examples of the destruction caused by tidal wear and tear made this a fascinating session that many a lay person would have appreciated.
The afternoon saw attendees form four groups each of which attended three practical sessions:
1. timber analysis and recording (timber being defined as 'worked wood', I am now able to differentiate between work done by an axe and an adze - I even now know what an adze is!)
2. site recording (Chris, Roger and I - together with interloper Glenn Calderwood - cornered Guy in to being our leader for this session as we explored in fine detail the floor of the UCL south cloisters)
3. finds recognition (this helped attendees to make sense of all the priceless artefacts found when wandering the foreshore; a bonus was that the session's findings are equally applicable on dry land!)
A key point is that the aim of the FROG is to observe and record structures over time - certainly not to dig up and remove them so losing context and possible further discovery as the tide does its work. The finds recognition session explained how understanding what (and where) objects are found on the foreshore can help understand where structures may lie and what they may have been used for.
Aside from a full and informative TDP folder, we were each presented with a free, promotional TDP mug. A practical freebie that is different from the usual pen (although Chris would have appreciated the latter on Saturday!).
The session spawned (sorry!) a raft of educated and enthused tadpoles that after the practical day will become fully certified FROGs.
Richard, Theresa, Roger, Chris, Odette and I would like to thank Nathalie and her team (including our own Guy) for an extremely informative and interesting day.
More information of the activities of the TDP and FROG can be found at: http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
DDA Blog embraces web 2.0
Have you something to contribute?
Over the next few days and weeks this blog will take on a new shape, with contributions expanded to include other members of the team and interested folk who are working in related fields. If you have been involved in any of the activities of DDA, or are doing something that is in a similar field and would like to use this blog to publicise it, please let me know and I will invite yo to be a contributing author.
These are exciting times for the web and for the free, public dissemination of academic, research and historical material. Please do let me know if you would like to be involved.
Thanks
Roger
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
9 February 2010 Canterbury Museums in Danger from Canterbury Council
A few days ago we blogged an example of how broad based community activism on the part of people who cared about their environment and the heritage of their community, saved the Steeton Pill Boxes. Now there is another aspect of our Heritage which is in danger from what might be seen as cultural ignorance and political short termism which you might be able to help save.
In addition to its main site Canterbury City Council operates two unique small museums, The Roman Museum, a third century Roman Town House, complete with tessellated pavements, discovered as part of Sheppard Freere's pioneering campaign of urban archaeology in the late 1940's and the West Gate Towers, Canterbury's last remaining City Gate and containing a small museum of the defence of Canterbury and one of the earliest examples of ports for firearms in the UK dating to around 1380. Both are much loved by the local people and the "Roman Pavement," in particular has operated as a terrific educational resource allowing children, including mine, hands on contact with genuine Roman artifacts and the sense of actually walking around a real Roman House and street.
Now Canterbury City Council, who are, lets remember, custodians of a UNESCO Listed World Heritage Site [WHS], are showing how much respect they have for that privileged status by threatening to close both museums with no prospect or guarantee they will ever re-open; as well as making the Herne Bay Museum only available for Educational Groups [presumably because people only want to visit museums when they are taken along on organised trips, so tough on Mum and Dad when the kids want to show them what they did at school].
Here is what Paul Bennett of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust has to say about the proposal...
Now Canterbury City Council, who are, lets remember, custodians of a UNESCO Listed World Heritage Site [WHS], are showing how much respect they have for that privileged status by threatening to close both museums with no prospect or guarantee they will ever re-open; as well as making the Herne Bay Museum only available for Educational Groups [presumably because people only want to visit museums when they are taken along on organised trips, so tough on Mum and Dad when the kids want to show them what they did at school].
Here is what Paul Bennett of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust has to say about the proposal...
"We are justifiably proud of the Canterbury World Heritage sites. The city and its archaeological assets, most specifically its museums, form part of the WHS ‘buffer’ zone and therefore the loss or erosion of such assets, close to the Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church, will reflect badly on Canterbury.
It is the very combination of museums in different locations that with greater engagement ought to provide added value to the Canterbury experience. We should be exploiting Canterbury’s heritage assets more fully at this difficult time, not considering closure of the best of them for potential re-use as a retail outlet. Canterbury is not just a provincial town, its name is known all over the World for its heritage and it is therefore irrational, even in difficult times, to chip away at what is the main basis upon which visitors come to the city in the numbers they do."
Paul Bennett
Director, Canterbury Archaeological Trust
Not surpisingly, there is a growing campaign to protest at this proposal. An on line petition already has nearly 2500 e-signatures, but more support is needed to show the Council that this move will be both a huge PR Blunder and cost them votes.
You can find information about the campaign at...
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/
You can find information about the campaign at...
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/
...and on the SAVE CANTERBURY'S MUSEUMS own campaign website...
The on line petition plan is at...
...and there is a public protest on Saturday 13 February meeting at Noon outside the Roman Museum in Butchery Lane, Canterbury. If you are within striking distance of Canterbury do try to go. Details here...
On a personal note I cannot believe I am having to write this. I grew up just outside of Canterbury and I was bitten by the archaeology bug in Canterbury, in part because I was able to visit a real Roman House and hold a real musket in the West Gate Towers. This is a City which sells itself on its 2000 years of Heritage and to threaten to wilfully toss aside two of what should be its prize assets and deny today's young people and visitors those experiences beggars belief.
Unfortunately, although most museums could be kept open for the price of a small percentage of Fred the Shred's pension, they are often seen as a soft target when Councils are under political or ideological pressure to make cuts, particularly as they do not form a statutory provision and most are under promoted. This appears to be what is going on in Canterbury.
In the end if these Museums are lost to visitors and more importantly the future generation of young archaeologists and historians, it will be that much easier for the next short sighted Council looking to save a few quid and the Museum to close might be yours.
As for Canterbury there is much time left to try and turn this around. The decision to close has already been made by the Council Executive and goes to a Full Council Meeting on February 18th.
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