Lost first world war training battlefield discovered in Hampshire

Elaborate trench network was identified from old aerial photographs on land that is still owned by Ministry of DefenceA few suspiciously straight lines in a corner of a 1951 aerial photograph showing acres of featureless scrubby heath have led archaeologists to a lost first world war landscape.The mock battlefield, used for training soldiers before they were shipped across the Channel to confront the real thing, is complete with zig-zags of frontline, communication and reserve trenches, the enemy's front line, terrifyingly visible less than 200 yards away – and, a little further on, a holiday camp in Gosport, Hampshire.Browndown is still owned by the Ministry of Defence, but well used by local dog walkers, who knew there were humps, bumps and hollows into which a dog could annoyingly vanish – but had no idea what they were.Rob Harper, conservation officer at Gosport council, was originally studying the photograph looking for second world war pillboxes, and had to wait several weeks after he spotted the telltale marks – until the head-high bracken and gorse died back – before he could investigate the site.He thought it was likely the earthworks had been destroyed since the photograph was taken, since Google Earth just showed a confusing jumble of tracks. But when he finally put on his boots and scrambled around the land, he found himself in a perfectly preserved complex covering acres of land.The front trench was jagged so that even if the Germans broke through, they d...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: The Guardian World news First world war Archaeology UK news Ministry of Defence Source Type: news