Digging Dad's Army Project 20 June 2009: Eaglesfield Park, Shooters Hill

[Andy Brockman]

Dear Members and Friends

 

 

20 June 2009: Eaglesfield Park, Shooters Hill 13.00-16.00hrs

Digging Dad's Army Project/Friends of Eaglesfield Park Open Day.

 

Pre 1945 Military Vehicles and Pre 1960 Civilian Vehicles.

 

The Digging Dad's Army Project is a new research project designed to bring together archaeologists, historians, living history and preservation groups and the local population, to tell the story of 20th Century Conflict in South East and East London.

 

This June we have our first excavation at Eaglesfield Park, Shooters Hill; a location which you might remember from the Time Team programme, "Blitzkrieg on Shooters Hill," and the recent article in Current Archaeology.

 

Eaglesfield Park is a Park on the east side of Shooters Hill with fantastic views out actross the Kent. In WW 1 it was an AAA Site, one of the earliest in London, while in WW2 it was the site of a Barrage Balloon site belonging to E Flight of 901 County of London BB Sqd and also stood on Anti Invasion Stop Line Central.

 

Next to the Park is Shooters Hill Golf Club, site of the local HG Batt HQ and Shooters Hill ZAA Battery. In addition much open ground in the area was turned over to "Dig for Victory" allotments some of which survive.

 

This June the Digging Dad's Army Project are planning to survey and excavate and record these features and local memories, as the first part of a programme which will eventually cover the region from Eltham to Wanstead Flats.

 

Public access to the work is really important to us so on Saturday 20 June the Digging Dad's Army Project will combine with the Friends Of Eaglesfield Park to hold an Open Day, supported by the London Borough of Greenwich, to show off the Park and its history to the local community and promote its use.

 

As part of this I am organising an exhibition relating to the site's history and archaeology coupled with guided time walks and it would be fantastic to be able to get some period vehicles onto the site to mark its different uses and which local people would have seen passing by.

 

Ideally we are talking about military and civilian vehicles pre 1945, preferably connected with its use by the military, Army and Navy Gunners in WW1 and RAF/Army /Home Guard in WW2 [although post war 1945-1960 civilian would be OK, as this was the hey day of the park for local sport and a Sunday afternoon stroll in the gardens].

 

This is a new, very friendly local event although as such it has no budget- it is payment in kind by tea and cake.If you can make it please PM me.

 

Even if you cannot bring a vehicle please come anyway. This is a great opportunity to find out how archaeologists tackle a modern military site and even to have a go yourself. We will be having a public trench where visitors can get down and dirty with the archaeological team.

 

If you want any further information please PM me.

 

You can find out about the Digging Dad's Army Project [including about our training courses] on the website of our sister project the Great War Archaeology Group http://www.gwag.org/ProjectsDDA.htm

... and our own website, www.diggingdasarmy.org.uk should be live by week ending 14 June.

 

Hope to see you at Eaglesfield.

 

Best wishes

 

Andy Brockman

 

pp The Digging Dad's Army Project Team

[Tony B]

Welcome back stranger!

[Andy Brockman]

Hi All,

 

Yes as Tony points out I haven't posted for a while. However a glimmer of Summer sun brings archaeologists out of their academic fox holes and blinking into the light of the real world and the excavation season.

 

Actually I have been following the threads and debates in the archaeology section and I am continually impressed by the level of interest and knowledge.

 

The project I am working on currently, Digging Dads Army is deliberately designed to harness that commitment and interest and get us all working in partnership on a subject we all care about. Hence the invitation to drop by Eaglesfield Park on Shooters Hill when we are there from 15-19th June and particualrly on the 20th for the Open Day.

 

In spite of the fantastic views I know it is not quite Normandy- the Cheese and Wine aren't as good for a start [although there is some good stuff at the Blackheath Farmers Market], but as I will be reminding our visitors, 65 years ago, while the Allied Expeditionary Force was fighting its way through the Bocage, the Home Guard Gunners at the Shooters Hill Z BAttery and the civilian population of Woolwich, were about to undergo their own baptism of fire with the launch of the V Weapons campaign.

 

We will be posting live up-dates on a Project Web Site which is about to go "Live," and via a Blog, but it would be great to see members at the Dig/Open day and once again put faces to the user names and hear what people think.

 

Best wishes

 

Andy B