The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Injured veterans take to the Angus trenches
Operation sees ex-servicemen dig in to uncover secrets at Barry Buddon site
Injured armed forces personnel turned treasure hunters are helping to uncover trenches from the First World War in Angus.
The veterans, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, are working alongside archaeologists to help identify the locations of trenches and uncover artefacts at the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Barry Buddon training centre, near Carnoustie.
Ten ex-servicemen have been recruited through Operation Nightingale, a project which sees wounded, injured and sick UK forces personnel and veterans take part in excavations across the defence estate.
The training trenches were used by soldiers to prepare for their construction and maintenance on the Western Front.
The two-week dig is a collaboration between Wessex Archaeology and the MoD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).
Alex Sotheran, from the DIO, said: “The project has been on the boil for about a year so it has taken a while to get it off the ground.
“It is the first dig in Scotland but hopefully it will be the first of many as we hope to get more things going for veterans who can’t get down south to MoD areas such as Salisbury Plains.
“What we want to do is find out if the trenches should be maintained for their historic and cultural value.
“We don’t yet know when they were dug or whether the trenches are all part of the same training exercises in the same period in history.
“There are no photos available of any trench training taking place here around the period of the First World War, so we just don’t know what we are going to uncover.”
Operation Nightingale has won a British Archaeological Award in recognition of its innovative use of archaeological work to boost the recovery and career prospects of injured military personnel.
Dunfermline man Andy Boil, who was once in the Royal Navy and has struggled with mental health issues, said: “I have always had a bit of passion for history ever since I was at school.
“I have suffered from depression and to get the opportunity to do this is like therapy. I hope to get back to work eventually.”
What we want to do is find out if the trenches should be maintained for their historic and cultural value. ALEX SOTHERAN