Who fancies digging into the colourful history of the British First Airborne – on the very site that was the 1944 billet for their commander Maj Gen Roy Urquhart before he left for Arnhem in September 1944?

If that appeals, join our archaeological dig at Fulbeck Manor in Lincolnshire for a three-day delve into the past.

The dig is scheduled for August 15 – 17 on two sites within the Manor grounds.

You will be in good company, with the dig supervised by top archaeologists Tim Clack from Oxford University and Carenza Lewis from the University of Lincoln in conjunction with Wings to the Past, our hosts the Fane family and the local authority South Kesteven District Council (SKDC). It’s part of SKDC’s Airborne Forces Heritage Trail, illustrating the presence locally of Allied paratroopers pre-Arnhem – specifically British First Airborne on this site.

We see it as ‘proof of concept’, a possible springboard into more archaeological exploration across an exciting landscape of district airborne forces-related sites.

Saturday will be a Public Day, with the Village Hall staging military memorabilia displays, re-enactors etc.

We are fortunate to be joined at Fulbeck for some community art input from Doug Farthing, ex-2 Para Warrant Officer, who was the Project Artist on the Falklands War Mapping Project with Tim - https://www.falklandswarmappingproject.uk