Remains of WW1 battlefield discovered in Gosport

The remains of an entire practice battlefield, the size of nearly seventeen football pitches has been found on heathland in Gosport. It was used for training troops before they were sent to the frontline in the First World War.

The discovery marks the start of Home Front Legacy 1914-18, a project on which English Heritage and the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) are working together to record the physical remains of the war on home territory.

Dan Snow, President of the Council for British Archaeology, is calling for volunteers to help find and record vulnerable sites,– camps, drill halls, factories and observation posts for example, before they and the stories they bear witness to are lost forever.

MP for Gosport Caroline Dinenage said, “If confirmed through research, this remarkable discovery will further entrench the hugely important role that Gosport played in supporting Britain’s Armed Forces throughout World War One.

I have always been proud of Gosport’s historic ties to the military and it is hugely exciting to hear that our area has inspired the launch of a nationwide hunt for First World War sites.”