Battlefield archaeology conference

**Adrian Stevenson** · 02-07-2012, 10:05 PM

Hi Rob, "Two men in a trench" is the series who's name eluded you. I enjoyed it, bar the gaffs! With Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver.

Cheers, Ade.

**davejb** · 02-07-2012, 10:19 PM

by Steve T

All I'm saying is I will also be bringing a large tube of KY, an elbow length rubber glove and the squirty cream.

I know you've got a thing about the KY , but those poor cows in the field could do without the glove and the cream, its not exactly your field of expertise unless you've changed your name to Herriot

**JERSEY 34** · 02-07-2012, 10:34 PM

Robertshaw I seem to recall came over to Jersey for a Time Team dig on the site of a 88 gun Batterie. No one except the experts was allowed to dig...the experts all had trowels of there own!!! Us local collectors would not know how to dig up anything as we had not had the proper training. When a friend and I found a 88 shell case that Time Teams mini digger had run over and quashed as it came through a hedge, we reported it to the "Experts", who were none too pleased as the shell case had not been found within the marked trench they were digging. Robertshaw declared the case safe/inert/dead. As we had been the ones to pick it up and it had been some time from when we found it to when they ...the experts, came to look at it, I noticed there seemed to be a change to the base of the shell in the primer area...there was no primer but the primer hole had indeed had some sort of re-action to having been uncovered. I pointed this out to Robertshaw and he basically said i didn't know what i was talking about. So me being me, I called our local bomb disposal man, he was soon on the seen and inspected the shell case and then gave Robertshaw a lesson in the make up of shell cases.... after the primer there is whats called a gaine, and this is what actually sets off the shell. The gaine in this case was still live and therefore somewhat dangerous as it was "going off" since it had been uncovered. It was taken down to the beach and set off with a small charge.... yes it certainly did blow up. I thought the attitude of the so called experts was totally disgusting, they overlooked anything that the local collectors had to tell them...as they knew it all. And when the programme was aired out came all the mistakes. I am no longer able to watch Time Team, as if they conduct themselves as they did on the Jersey dig on all the other digs they do then the programme is a complete farce. All finds are dug up at least half a dozen times for the camera, and on the Friday evening before the filming they handed out a script..... a script of how the programme was to go. How can you script a dig? Its just not possible...unless the whole thing is a farce.
D.

**jayh** · 02-07-2012, 10:40 PM

Shall I take it that we are all going then lol

**Datrus** · 02-07-2012, 10:41 PM

by davejb

I know you've got a thing about the KY , but those poor cows in the field could do without the glove and the cream, its not exactly your field of expertise unless you've changed your name to Herriot

Does this have any connection to "When the boat comes in"?

**Paul D** · 02-07-2012, 11:05 PM

by JERSEY 34

Robertshaw I seem to recall came over to Jersey for a Time Team dig on the site of a 88 gun Batterie. No one except the experts was allowed to dig...the experts all had trowels of there own!!! Us local collectors would not know how to dig up anything as we had not had the proper training. When a friend and I found a 88 shell case that Time Teams mini digger had run over and quashed as it came through a hedge, we reported it to the "Experts", who were none too pleased as the shell case had not been found within the marked trench they were digging. Robertshaw declared the case safe/inert/dead. As we had been the ones to pick it up and it had been some time from when we found it to when they ...the experts, came to look at it, I noticed there seemed to be a change to the base of the shell in the primer area...there was no primer but the primer hole had indeed had some sort of re-action to having been uncovered. I pointed this out to Robertshaw and he basically said i didn't know what i was talking about. So me being me, I called our local bomb disposal man, he was soon on the seen and inspected the shell case and then gave Robertshaw a lesson in the make up of shell cases.... after the primer there is whats called a gaine, and this is what actually sets off the shell. The gaine in this case was still live and therefore somewhat dangerous as it was "going off" since it had been uncovered. It was taken down to the beach and set off with a small charge.... yes it certainly did blow up. I thought the attitude of the so called experts was totally disgusting, they overlooked anything that the local collectors had to tell them...as they knew it all. And when the programme was aired out came all the mistakes. I am no longer able to watch Time Team, as if they conduct themselves as they did on the Jersey dig on all the other digs they do then the programme is a complete farce. All finds are dug up at least half a dozen times for the camera, and on the Friday evening before the filming they handed out a script..... a script of how the programme was to go. How can you script a dig? Its just not possible...unless the whole thing is a farce.
D.

Pretty much sums up the attitude of these experts Damien !!!

**napalm** · 02-07-2012, 11:21 PM

And over here we have uncovered a series of small walls ( hooray ) , although they are Victorian and from an old coal bunker ( groans ) , Nevertheless, on day 2 we hope to open up another trench over by the Mill, ( Cue day 2 ) GeoFizz seen walking a field, Tony on the radio looking miserable in the rain, Tony running breathlessly across a field to find Phil with sweaty cap band with a little plastic bag with a fragment of pottery ( cue animation of rebuilding of pot )...

**Steve T** · 02-07-2012, 11:31 PM

by Datrus

Does this have any connection to "When the boat comes in"?

Don't listen to Dave Datrus.........he gets it on him when he's not had a beer/fag/the wife or any combination of these. He's just jealous because all those cows in that field love me and run a mile when they see him coming.

As for the Jersey dig and the 88, what a shame it didn't go off on camera, just after the numpty declared it safe.

I kinda figured TT was scripted, and that they reburied stuff so they could get a good shot of it coming out the ground. In my latest video of the USAAF base, I do admit to covering the bomb pistol over again when I realised what it was, just so I could film it being 'uncovered'. I hadn't removed it from the ground so it isn't really the same I suppose. Us film directors/producers have to do these things sometimes to capture the thrill of the dig.

My aim for the Saturday RRPG dig is to get a vid of Dave falling in a hole. I want it unscripted though so don't tell him !

Steve T

PS Do you reckon if we all complain at the guys total lack of knowledge they might drop him from a great height ?

**napalm** · 02-07-2012, 11:37 PM

Sure why not expose these clowns for what they are, it might actually save a life sometime, imagine if he told a kid that the 88 shell case was fine, kid brings it home, mother thinks it would look very nice beside the fireplace and polishs it everyday, Booommm

**Battery Command Post** · 02-07-2012, 11:44 PM

by Adrian Stevenson

Hi Rob, "Two men in a trench" is the series who's name eluded you. I enjoyed it, bar the gaffs! With Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver.

Cheers, Ade.

That's it, thanks

I liked the show too actually, and have nothing against Pollard or Oliver. It was just the first time i noticed Robertshaw's characteristic sloppiness which seems to be a trademark in everything I've seen him do.

Rob