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Archaeology of Recent Conflict

Conservation/Heritage Management; Theory and Practice; Medieval and Historical Archaeology; Archaeology of Conflict

Other researchers:

  • Wayne Cocroft (English Heritage)
  • Roger J C Thomas (English Heritage)

The archaeology of recent conflict has its origins in the enthusiasm and commitment of amateur archaeologists in the 1960s and 70s, only becoming the subject of professional and academic interest much more recently. In my previous role at English Heritage I had the task of co-ordinating much of the work we undertook, the bulk of it covering sites and monument types of the Second World War and Cold War periods. The broad scope of these projects is summarised at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/military. Specific interests of mine have been military aircraft crash sites, military wall art, and the archaeology of protest and opposition, notably at Greenham Common and Nevada. I am also interested in the role field archaeology plays in understanding these sites, sites that are admittedly well documented in official records and archives.

My recent book Aftermath includes a diverse set of writings on this topic. Other books include: Modern Military Matters (being a research framework for recent military archaeology in Britain), War Art, Combat Ar< chaeology and A Fearsome Heritage: Diverse Legacies of the Cold War.

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