Stonehenge is one of the world’s most well-known heritage sites, and dates back thousands of years, but builders recently discovered some more recent history nearby.
A construction force tasked with building new military homes at Larkhill in Wiltshire uncovered a vast system of tunnels and trenches which were used during the First World War for training soldiers before they headed to the Western Front. Over 200 grenades have been found at the site (of which around half were still live!) along other items such as mess tins, and cigarettes.
The site was then investigated by Wessex Archaeology, who had the honour of becoming the first group in the world to examine such a vast WWI training area. Of course, with the hazards posed by live ordnance, they had to work alongside the Ministry of Defence. The archaeologists believe the trenches came first and the tunnels were added in 1915.
Poignant graffiti was also found in the trenches, including two brothers by the name of Halls, who had scratched their names into the wall, along with the Latin phrase “Semper Fidelis” – always faithful.
According to research, training at Larkhill would have been no walk in the park – the soldiers spent weeks on end in these tunnels through the brutal winter of 1916/17 – foodstuffs were also found in the tunnels, including toffee tins, condensed milk and a jar of Canadian cheese.
Alongside the WWI training area, the archaeologists also found a vast amount of prehistoric material, including an enclosure older than Stonehenge and some Iron Age huts that date back to the time of the Roman Invasion of Britain.
Unfortunately, the construction of 400 military homes will continue, and the tunnels will be sealed and pumped full of concrete – lost forever.
Filling The Void 