Archaeologists and Veterans to Explore Waterloo Battlefield 200 Years on

LONDON, February 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

• Veterans, some wounded in recent campaigns, will work alongside top archaeologists on the project to learn life and vocational skills, and to assist in their rehabilitation from wounds

Waterloo Uncovered, a landmark archaeological project to explore the battlefield of Waterloo, was launched today. Uniquely, the team will include British veterans, some wounded in recent campaigns, who will work alongside leading battlefield archaeologists and military historians. Together they hope to answer questions that remain unanswered 200 years after the battle.

While the battle has been studied by generations of historians, little is known about the archaeological remains that exist under the surface of the battlefield. There were tens of thousands of casualties in the battle and the locations of mass graves have never been identified and marked. This will be the first time that the battlefield has been the subject of a large-scale archaeological survey using the latest technology and practices developed by conflict archaeologists.

Dr Tony Pollard, Director of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, said:  

"History tells us who won the battle but understanding what happened has until now relied on first-hand accounts and reports of the battle that in some cases are either confusing or biased. We hope archaeology can provide answers to many of the questions about Waterloo that remain unanswered."       

The project will also partner Operation Nightingale, an award-winning, MoD-backed initiative to rehabilitate veterans and provide life and vocational skills through archaeology.

Mark Evans, Project Co-ordinator of Waterloo Uncovered, said: 

"Having left the army through PTSD, and subsequently been taken as a veteran on Nightingale digs, I have experienced first-hand the benefits of archaeology and what it can do for the recovery process."

DONATIONS: Waterloo Uncovered is a not-for-profit organisation and is looking for donations to help meet the project's operating costs.

Cheques should be made payable to Waterloo Uncovered and sent to:

Project Director, Waterloo Uncovered, c/o Regimental Headquarters Coldstream Guards, Wellington Barracks, London SW1E 6HQ

http://www.waterloouncovered.com

Notes for Editors

Waterloo Uncovered is a groundbreaking archaeological project to investigate the battlefield of Waterloo. In April 2015, the battle's bicentenary year, a team of top European archaeologists and British military veterans will begin survey work around the area of Hougoumont Farm.