Editorial

Abstract

This issue of the Journal of Conflict Archaeology is slightly different to previous issues in having a single theme and only two papers. The theme of the issue is the Battle of Waterloo and the work being undertaken there by the organization Waterloo Uncovered. This organization is a charity established in 2015 by two Coldstream Guards officers, one former and one serving, Mark Evans and Charlie Foinette. They had an interest in Waterloo as soldiers, and particularly in Hougoumont Farm as Coldstream Guards given the regiment’s role during the battle; they also were aware of the potential of archaeological fieldwork for recovery and rehabilitation of service personnel after combat tours. Waterloo Uncovered is building on the success of groups such as the excellent Operation Nightingale, which has been running since 2011 through the Ministry of Defence and Wessex Archaeology; the value of the work for the veterans was recognized in January 2022 when the MoD archaeologist Richard Osgood was awarded an MBE for his work with Operation Nightingale. In the United States, American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR) is an offshoot of Operation Nightingale which involves experts of the calibre of Doug Scott, who is undoubtedly the most celebrated conflict archaeologist of us all. Waterloo Uncovered, like the other organizations, has a central mission to include service personnel (both serving and former), who have been marked by their combat experience. Archaeology has been shown to help both physical and mental rehabilitation for veterans, which is reason enough for these organizations to exist. However, the fact is that they all have excellent records in producing first class archaeological results. These organizations are collaborations between service personnel and archaeologists, and the humanitarian mission in no way has compromised the quality of the archaeology being undertaken. Nor is this activity the result of Archaeology saviours swooping in to rescue the poor service personnel; Operation Nightingale relies heavily on two veterans’ organizations, Breaking Ground Heritage and Defence Archaeology Group (DAG), who also run archaeological projects but provide a lot of the volunteers for Operation Nightingale. Veterans are fully involved in the projects at all levels and contribute hugely to the success of these organizations. Waterloo Uncovered is the initiative of veterans and it remains a veteran-focused operation. The Waterloo Uncovered project has provided the first opportunity to undertake substantial archaeological investigation of the battlefield and its environs. It is reliant on grant funding and public donations, but that has so far meant that the project has been undertaken on a large scale, using cutting edge technology, and expanding the scope of what an archaeological project might include. Along with veterans, professional archaeologists, and students, the project has brought in professional photographers, artists, and poets to give their take on the battlefield and the project. It has been very collaborative, with the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Battlefield Archaeology (now JOURNAL OF CONFLICT ARCHAEOLOGY 2021, VOL. 16, NO. 2, 65–68 https://doi.org/10.1080/15740773.2021.2052010