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| HER Number | MWB22621 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Zig-zag trenches, AWE Aldermaston |
|---|
Summary
Evidence of possible Second World War zig-zag trenches for anti-glider defence, found in 2010
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
In May 2010, Oxford Archaeology carried out an evaluation of land within the B Area of AWE Aldermaston ahead of the area's redevelopment <1>. Within Trench 6a, two ditches were identified, 610 and 618.
Ditch 610 was aligned south-west to north-east, and was 2m long, 0.56m wide and 0.1m deep. It had a rounded-edge squared terminus at its south-west end. In section it had near-vertical sides with a gentle break into a concave base. Ditch 610 was cut by Ditch 618 at its north-eastern end.
Ditch 618 was also on a north-east to south-west alignment, but turned at a 55 degree angle to run south-east to north-west. It was 6m long, 0.62-0.64m wide and 0.06-0.08m deep. It had a round-edged terminus at its north-west end and near-vertical sides with a gentle break into a slightly concave base. It contained a strip of folded lead with white paint on that was suggested to be flushing from a modern building.
From the angle of Ditch 618 and the similar profile of Ditch 610, it was suggested that both ditches may have been defensive zig-zag trenches, such as glider traps, commonly found at airfields built in the 1940s. They had probably been heavily truncated when bunkers were built nearby in 1950-59.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Oxford Archaeology. 2010. Project Scorpius, AWE Aldermaston, West Berkshire: Archaeological Evaluation Report. 4723. 2021 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB149896] |
Related Monuments
| MWB15864 | Aldermaston Airfield (Monument) |
| MWB16503 | Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB1801 | Project Scorpius, AWE Aldermaston: Archaeological Evaluation (Ref: ALSCRP10) |
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