CEMEXUK
CEMEX sand buries the town of Messines
Archaeologists have begun the careful reburial of a unique model of the town of Messines, Belguim, covering an area of over 1400 sq metres, which commemorated a famous victory in the Great War and helped to train troops for future battles.
A team of archaeologists working on Cannock Chase, on behalf of Staffordshire County Council and funded by Natural England, uncovered the historic treasure after a painstaking dig. The scaled terrain model was built by German Prisoners of War at Brocton Camp in 1918 under the supervision of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade.
Due to the scale and fragility of the model it is believed that it could be lost in just six months if left uncovered or exposed and reburial is the only way to preserve the model.
Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “The excavation of the Messines has been an amazing project, and the team has done a wonderful job in bringing the model to life. But once uncovered it would have been lost to the elements if we don’t recover it.
“Around 120 tonnes of CEMEX sand is needed and in the coming days the site will poignantly disappear, however, the memories that it has evoked and the story that the excavation has told will undoubtedly live on.”
CEMEX sand buries the town of Messines
Archaeologists have begun the careful reburial of a unique model of the town of Messines, Belguim, covering an area of over 1400 sq metres, which commemorated a famous victory in the Great War and helped to train troops for future battles.
A team of archaeologists working on Cannock Chase, on behalf of Staffordshire County Council and funded by Natural England, uncovered the historic treasure after a painstaking dig. The scaled terrain model was built by German Prisoners of War at Brocton Camp in 1918 under the supervision of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade.
Due to the scale and fragility of the model it is believed that it could be lost in just six months if left uncovered or exposed and reburial is the only way to preserve the model.
Philip Atkins, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “The excavation of the Messines has been an amazing project, and the team has done a wonderful job in bringing the model to life. But once uncovered it would have been lost to the elements if we don’t recover it.
“Around 120 tonnes of CEMEX sand is needed and in the coming days the site will poignantly disappear, however, the memories that it has evoked and the story that the excavation has told will undoubtedly live on.”