Other Opportunities to Volunteer

Following the success of the community archaeology project to uncover the Model of Messines on Cannock Chase, we have been asked if there are any other opportunities to volunteer.

In addition to the process of protecting the model and reinstating the heathland, we hope to be able to undertake further Great War related excavations in the future, please watch this blog for further updates.


We can also tell you about a new archaeology club being organised to look at the wider history of the Chase, please contact The Friends of Cannock Chase for more information.

The Landor (Local History) Society are another local group whose interests include the Great War Camps on the Chase. Their website also has links to other local groups which may be of interest.


The Wartime Memories Project is seeking volunteers to help online with historical research, writing and editing articles for the website and also for their HLF funded Great War Centenary project "Life on the Home Front".

As the centenary of the Great War approaches, there will be a huge number of local and national projects taking place, http://www.1914.org/ has a list of many events and projects. 

Our Project in the Media

In addition to the TV coverage on BBC1, Midlands Today and News 24, our project has been mentioned in a number of newspapers and on radio, here in Britain and in New Zealand:

Dig begins on Cannock Chase to uncover unique wartime model

New Zealand Lieutenant Colonel Mike Beale visits WW1 Messines model in England

WW1 terrain model of Messines in Belgium built by ANZAC troops in England is excavated

WW1 Messines model excavation in England

 Dolores Ho of the National Army Museum in Wouiaru interview NZ radio programme

The model will also feature on Inside Out, West Midlands, as yet we don't have a confirmed date for broadcast and on Countryfile on BB1 on the 11th of November.

The filming of Countryfile has delayed the finalising of our project and we now expect to begin the process of covering the model on Monday 14th October 2013, if any of our volunteers would like to assist or any new volunteers would like to help it would be much appreciated. Please email Jo on cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com to let us know which day(s) you can help. If you haven't volunteered on site during the excavation,  please contact Jo  to register before arriving on site.

The final day (almost).

Firstly a massive thank you to all our volunteers,  members of No Man's Land, Staffordshire County Council, Natural England, Jaguar Landrover, our administrator Jo for running the volunteer registration, Richard and Lee for their historical research, Angela for updating the blog, our aerial photographers, all our visitors, locals who have helped in various ways and last but my no means least Kirsty Nichol for all her hard work in organising the project and for leading the field work along with Martin Brown.  This has been a wonderful unique project and its sucess is down to all those who took part with such enthusiasm. 

Although today was the last day of excavation,  members of our team and some volunteers will be on site for the next two days completing record photography and preparing the model for the 3D scanning team who will take over on Wednesday. 

We expect to begin the process of covering the model on Monday 14th October 2013, (this has been delayed due to the filming schedule of BB1's Countryfile who want to feature the model in their Remembrance Sunday programme). If any of our volunteers would like to assist or any new volunteers would like to help it would be much appreciated. Please email Jo  on cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com to let us know which day(s) you can help.

If you haven't volunteered on site during the excavation,  please contact Jo on cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com to register before arriving on site.

Once again thanks everyone for your help in making this project so successful. 

Successful Saturday

Today has been a great day on site with lots of volunteers including a group from the young archaeologists club, organised by the Friends of Cannock Chase. 

We have also had a huge number of visitors throughout the day.

This afternoon the last turf was lifted from the model and, despite some incorrect reports in local newspapers,  the project is on schedule and the model will be ready for the 3D scanning team next week.

Site photography is now under way to record the archaeology and will also be used to create a texture for the digital recreation of the model. Though we hope the weather forecast for tomorrow is wrong as bright sunshine makes photography more difficult and slows progress was we have to use a shade screen to create flat areas of shadow.

The Last Days

The excavation of the model of Messines on Cannock Chase are almost complete. We have a small area left to uncover and then the cleaning of the model needs to be finalised as the 3D scanning team will begin their work on Wednesday.

Over the weekend and early part of next week our team and volunteers and will be very busy. As well as finishing the last few metres of the model,  we also need to photograph it to record it and to provide images to be used as a texture for the digital model.

Family History and the Great War

Today the scale of the Great War is difficult to comprehend, the lives of every family in every town across the whole world was affected by the conflict. Almost every family had someone serving in the armed forces or the munitions and war effort factories.

Do you know what your family were doing 100 years ago?

The Wartime Memories Project are developing a Guide to tracing your Family in the Great War which you may find helpful, their website is also a huge resource for sharing stories of the conflict, with links to many other useful websites.

A Busy Day

Sunday was a very busy day at the Messines Model with a lot of visitors from near and far, quite a few also had personal connections to Brocton Camp or the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and it was great to hear their stories as we worked. For part of the day we also had musical accompaniment from Robert Owen, who played tunes from the Great War and New Zealand. In the afternoon we had an aerial visit from Peter Martin who kindly agreed to take some air photos for us. We were also visited by a birthday party group of youngsters who enjoyed Martin's explaination of the Battle of Messines and the model.

Progress on the excavation is going well, with some key points in the geography of the battle being revealed.

 

This part of the model shows the trenches at what is now the New Zealand Memorial.

Charlie keeping watch.

Another good day on site.

Today has been another good day on site, with a good number of volunteers and a lot of visitors.  Including one who brought along his father's war record detailing an injury sustained on the 7th of June 1917 at the Battle of Messines whilst serving with the Cheshire Regiment, who were part of the Anzac Division. We were able to show him the model of the area his father's battalion had attacked. The British units of the Anzac Corps are often overlooked and it was a pleasure to hear the story of one of the local men who had taken part. 

Over all we are making excellent progress, and after a few frustrating days are once again uncovering areas  of the model which are in very good condition. 

Let's hope tomorrow is another great day.

Photographs and archaeology at the Messines Model

One of the more well known tales of the Model of Messines on Cannock Chase is the story of its use as a tourist attraction between the wars, when the custodian had a tin hut at one corner of the model and would give tours for a charge of six pence. In fact earlier in the week we had a visit from a gentleman who had taken the tour with his father in the 1930's and a relative of the custodian has made several visits to observe our progress.

Our amateur historians, Lee and Richard have been studying the photographs of the hut and working out where it was situated, by comparison to the existing landscape and the remains of the model as our team uncover them. Careful study of these small images has revealed vital elements of the history of the terrain model.

In one corner we have uncovered a very solid concrete construction and in the top soil close to the banking a small collection of debris including a bucket handle, bottle tops and broken glass, contemporary with the period the hut was in use. There are also traces of what could be the remains of the floor of the hut. Were these concrete blocks added to support the small hut? They are very solid and the presence of two post notches suggest that they may have been reused in situ rather than built for the hut. Perhaps part of a viewing platform for the troops? We know from photographs of the terrain models in Flanders, that they included a raised wooden platform for troops to view the model from above, was a similar arrangement in place here? We hope the archaeology will reveal the answer as we continue to excavate.

If anyone can help answer this question, please get in touch.

For a closer look at the 1930's photos please see http://www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/exhibit/chasecamps/archaeology.htm

Soggy Sunday

With the weather forecast predicting rain, rain, wind and more rain, members of No Man's Land and a small number of volunteers arrived on site at 9am, under grey skies we all expected the worst. However, the tarpaulins had remained in placeover night and after a session of bailing and careful water management, we were able to uncover part of our working area and cautiously begin work.

Archaeology and wet weather are not a good mix, as it is all too easy to make a mess and potentially miss small features in the mud. The model of Messines was constructed using fragments of brick, pebbles and poor quality mortar, 40 plus years of exposure to the elements and almost another half century burried beneath a thin layer of top soil, has left the model in a fragile condition. When wet, the crumbling structures of the model are soft and even more easily damaged, so extra care had to be taken.

Despite the conditions we managed to extend our excavation by a few meters and just to the south of the town of Messines we began to uncover an area of the model which depicts the scene of one of the most famous incidents of the attack on the 7th of June 1917. Pte Samuel Frickleton of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade took out two enemy machine gun posts, allowing the men of his company to advance and capture part of the town, for this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

After much discussion, consulting of historic documents, trench maps and additional information provided by our contacts in New Zealand, including a copy of Sam Frickleton's own hand drawn map, our team narrowed down the possible points of this action and discovered a small feature in the model, which may pinpoint the location of one of the two machine gun posts.

The plaque next to Messines Church commemorating Frickleton's VC, it states

his action was  "Close to this place" have we now pinpointed the exact spot?

As we paused for lunch the clouds began to close in and the advancing waves of rain brought an end to our site work in mid afternoon, we retreated to the shelter of the tea room and continued to follow the paper trail of maps and documents to confirm our theories on the location of Frickleton's heroic action and chased tales of other individuals on the 7th of June 1917 and the landscape we hope to reveal tomorrow.

In Saturday's Sunshine

One week on from the launch of the excavation of the model of Messines on Cannock Chase and work is progressing well. Today we had a good number of volunteers and additional members of No Man's Land have arrived for the weekend.

We have also had an increase in visitors coming along to see the model and Lee has been on site to give short talks and an explanation of progress.

 

In places the model is incomplete and we have had tales relayed of buildings being removed and used as garden ornaments after the model had become overgrown in the 1960's. Some of the buildings have been given to the Chase rangers in more recent times. If you know of the location of any buildings taken from the model, we would love to hear from you. Likewise if you have any old photos of the model or any of the buildings in use as rockery features,  we would love to see a copy, they would be a great aid to our research. 

Exploring Messines

Friday morning and our team have already stripped the turf from the southern end of the model town of Messines, close to the site of the church.

Messines Church today.

Here we should find the depiction of the Institution Royale which was built as a monastery and later used as an orphanage and in the early 1900's as a school. After the capture of Messines in 1914, the substantial buildings and their extensive cellars were fortified by the Germans to provide protection from Allied artillery and infantry advances.

A prewar post card of the Institution Royale in Messines.

German Concrete fortifications on the hill at Messines, possibly built inside the 

Institution Royale, this image is from the collection of the Australian War Memorial.

Memories and Family History

Today we have had some interesting local visitors to the site, including two brothers whose father came to the area from Leicestershire as one of the civilians brought in to construct the camps on the Chase. The elder brother has vague childhood memories of visiting the Messines model between the wars.

Another visitor brought a photograph of his grandfather as a prisoner of war, he relayed fond memories of his time in the camp and revealed that his grandfather developed a liking for tea and continued to drink English tea even after returning to his native country.

We also had a visit from a Kiwi, now living locally whose father had been part of the NZEF and spent time at Brocton Camp. He also has some photos which may have been taken at the camp.

If you have any personal connections to Brocton Camp, any photos, stories or documents, we would love to hear from you. Please

email cannockwwiexcavations@gmail.com

If you would like to join us we are looking for more volunteers to help with the excavation, if you can pledge any time over the next two and a half weeks, please get in touch by email.

 

Interesting aspects

At the northern edge of the model our volunteers have just uncovered a very interesting area. Close to a trench system is what we first thought was going to be another section of road, but as the top soil was peeled back, inscribed lines were revealed between the pebbles. 

What is? We're not sure yet, but hopefully all will be revealed.

We will let you know as soon as we know.

All ready to start

Another day on site, welcome to our new volunteers. 

After spending yesterday working with the media we are looking forward to a quiet day cracking on with the archaeology. 

If you'd like to join us there are volunteer places available.

TV Tuesday

Today, Tuesday 10th, BBC Midlands will be broadcasting live from the site on breakfast news bulletins.

There will also be a live broadcast on the evening news on Midlands Today. 

If you are outside the Midlands area you can catch it on iplayer or via the BBC Midlands website.

Later today another crew from the BBC will be arriving onsite to provide live updates throughout the day on News24 and features on the BBC1 News at 1pm, 6pm and 10pm.

A clip from the broadcast.

Monday at Messines in Miniature

Firstly a special thank you to our volunteers and to Jaguar Landrover for supporting Operation Kiwi as part of their community initiative, today a were joined by several of their employees who swapped the tools on the Discovery line for a line trowels on our site. They all had an enjoyable day expanding their skillset to include archaeology under instruction from Jon, who moved up to the main trench as it continued to expand.

We look forward to working with them again tomorrow and with their colleagues later in the week.


We are also grateful for the support of Spring Slade Lodge on Camp Road, Cannock Chase for the use of their facilities. If you are on the Chase their tea room is an excellent place to take a break. www.springsladelodge.co.uk

Today the BBC have been on site, filming a report for Midlands Today, they will be broadcasting live from the site during the evening bulletin tomorrow, 10th Sept.

Work on the excavation is progressing well, today we uncovered more of the town of Messines, including a large pond to the west of the main street and part of the second line of defences to the north of the town.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered with us today, we had quite a few visitors offering their time, but there are still spaces available of you would like to join us.