Dig 1940 BBC1 - Final Transmission Details

Well done Paul

 

I just made it home in time to catch it , the journey to hell and back .... another story.

Yes , very much enjoyed it , well done Aunty , with a more than a little help from Paul R.

 

thanks Paul

 

Excellent and a lot covered in that half an hour.

 

Bugger, missed it.

 

My eldest now wants to go to Dunkirk in the summer and has gone to read up on it. First time he's shown any interest.

Jules.

 

Just one point. During my first visit to Utah Beach in 1997, I noted someone with a metal detector on the beach doing a bit of searching and digging. I was aware (I think) that the beaches in Normandy were considered Wargraves and as such digging was forbidden. Is this the case at the dunes at Dunkirk or have I missed the point? I did wonder after the programme how many people would visit the beaches of Dunkirk with their metal detectors and maybe take away valuable artefacts from the area?

I thought the programme was brilliant and well put together. A lot covered in the half hour and advert free to boot!

Roll on the next installment!!!

 

Thanks for your post.

The beaches of Normandy, or indeed any beaches, are not considered wargraves. Metal detecting on beaches in France, however, is prohibited. If anyone is foolish enough to try it after seeing the programme they won't get much sympathy from the local authorities.

The group you saw have permission to do it, work for the Dunkirk War Museum and are amateur archaeologists, not simply a bunch of blokes with detectors. Unfortunately in the 30 minutes we had we couldn't explain all that.

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

This is some of them at work during the shoot.



Some of the items found for the museum on previous digs.



Which includes this Bren gun covered in encrustations!

 

Really enjoyed the programme. I felt that there was a lot crammed into the 30 minutes available but each item was well explained, well presented and well filmed. As stated the programme was aimed at the post-One Show audience and my wife, with not much prior interest in the subject, watched and enjoyed it so it hit the target audience.

To have a battlefield archaeology programme aired at peak time on BBC1 is a miracle in itself. I'm really looking forward beyond the remaining shows to the BBC2 series which hopefully will spend longer at each site, be more in depth and show more of the actual techniques of archaeology.

Good stuff.

 

Just a reminder Episode 2 is on BBC1 at 7.30pm on Wednesday. Preview below.

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

 

Paul

I missed the start of the programme as I was putting my daughter to bed. Was the Hurricane crash site recovery of the plane flown by John Cock? I have read elsewhere that this aircraft had been recovered in the 1980's? Judging by the amount of wreckage recovered then obviously not. As for recovering the control column...what a find!

Looking forward to the show becoming available on iplayer.

Jonathan

 

Yes, it was the John Cock plane.

It's amazing how things mesh, though. Here's some research which I and others did on the Rhodes-Moorhouse family in a completely different context - Raymond Soubiran & William Rhodes-Moorhouse - The AUTOSPORT Bulletin Board

(And for those who know their motoring writers, it is the real Doug Nye and the real Simon Taylor!)

 

They dont have pack a lot into half an hour. Just watched tonights on iplayer. Interesting one. Have contacted Spidge cos one of my friends has the same surname as the Australian Ace that the episode mentions. Will have to see if its a long lost relative!
Last weeks was very aircraft orientated too though they did go look at one of the forts on the Maginot Line..
Looking forward to next weeks. Pity its not on for longer.

 

Paul

I missed the start of the programme as I was putting my daughter to bed. Was the Hurricane crash site recovery of the plane flown by John Cock? I have read elsewhere that this aircraft had been recovered in the 1980's? Judging by the amount of wreckage recovered then obviously not. As for recovering the control column...what a find!

Looking forward to the show becoming available on iplayer.

Jonathan
Jonathan you can go look at it now. It came up real quick thank goodness cos I got a phone call in the middle (really frustrating eh!)

 

Watched and thoroughly enjoyed it. For me one of the most enjoyable aspects of any archaelogical themed show such as Time Team, Two Men in a Trench, Trench Detectives and now Dig 1940 is seeing the pure pleasure on the faces of those present in front of the camera when an artefact sees the light of day for the first time in anything from 70 to a 1000+ years.

I'm very, very envious!

Great stuff

 

Well done Paul - Some great research in tonights episode. My only complaint - You left France quicker than the BEF

 

This is the bit that got me.

Me, too. The Rhodes-Moorhouse photo album was an amazing piece of family and social history.

Steve W.

 

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And of course, I've missed it all, except for the last one. Typical!