Archaeologists uncover shallow world war training trenches at wood in Scottish village

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Woodland trenches recreated sense of ‘going over the top’ at training base for First and Second World Wars

Archaeologists working on Ministry of Defence land used by soldiers in Scotland say a set of camouflaged trenches would have originally been used during the First World War.

Servicemen in the ancient village of Dreghorn, in North Ayrshire, carried out battlefield drills in Covenanters Wood, where five shallow trenches extend a metre into the earth.

“The depth of the trenches would have simply been too shallow to protect their occupants,” says Tom Lovekin, of AOC Archaeology.

“In many cases the ramparts which extended along the sides of the trenches would have increased the protection.

“These ramparts were created using the spoil generated during the excavation of the trenches. The sides of the trenches sloped inwards slightly so as to aid the troops ‘going over the top’.

“Although finds from the trenches were comparatively limited, this actually gives us some insight into how they were used. It suggests that the Army kept the trenches clean and the troops did not camp out in them overnight.

“We did recover a single bullet casing from the fill of one of the trenches, which we believe is from Lee-Enfield rifle.

“This was the standard British infantry weapon from 1895 until 1957, which indicates that the trenches could have been used for training in preparation for both the First and Second World Wars.”

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation and the City of Edinburgh Council provided specialists as part of excavations accompanying a nearby housing development.

“Roofing material within the dugout was painted with camouflage paint intended to obscure the dugout from aircraft, which again also points to use during the Second World War,” says Lovekin.

“One of the visitors to the site reported that his father had trained in the Dreghorn trenches during his National Service, so we believe the army utilised the trenches for training for a considerable period beyond the [1918] Armistice.”

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Three museums telling stories of Scotland's military history

National Museum of Flight Scotland, East Fortune
East Fortune played an important role as an airfield during the wars, and the National Museum of Flight hangars are packed with aircraft that reveal how flight developed, from the Wright brothers to Concorde.

Museum of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, Edinburgh
This display tells the story of The Royal Regiment of Scotland since its formation in 2006 and focuses on two main themes; an operational theme which uses the strapline 'Courage under Fire' and a second theme that concentrates on 'A Soldier's Life'.

National War Museum Scotland, Edinburgh
Explore more than 400 years of the Scottish military experience within the magnificent setting of Edinburgh Castle.

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art534146-archaeologists-uncover-shallow-world-war-training-trenches-wood-scottish-village