THE ARMY Basing Project is responsible for the construction of new service accommodation required as the result of the withdrawal of British military units from Germany. In order to meet this demand, over 400 new houses are being built at the garrisons situated at Larkhill, Perham Down, Bulford and Tidworth in Wiltshire. The work has uncovered some remarkable First World War archaeological finds reports Mark Khan.
A requirement before any construction takes place is for investigations to ascertain if any significant archaeological features exist at construction sites and the areas where this construction is scheduled was recognised as having potential for significant archaeological remains. This was largely due to the existence of known Neolithic archaeology. At the Larkhill site, however, along with more traditional archeological features, the significant remains of a previously unknown set of First World War training trenches complete with a deep military tunnel system were discovered.
This unexpected find required the area to be subjected to thorough investigation from an archeological perspective before development could take place.
In all, at the Larkhill site, some 8km of trenches were uncovered…
