EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND—Archaeologists are excavating the Dreghorn trenches, which were dug by local soldiers as part of their training for battle. The training trenches were shallower than expected, but the dirt from them had been used to build ramparts, which would have provided extra protection. Sloping sides would have helped the troops “going over the top.” According to Tom Lovekin of AOC Archaeology, the trenches have provided some insight into how they were used. The evidence suggests that the Army kept the trenches clean and the troops did not camp out in them overnight. “We did recover a single bullet casing from the fill of one of the trenches, which we believe is from a Lee-Enfield rifle. This was the standard British infantry weapon from 1895 until 1957, which indicates that the trenches cold have been used for training in preparation for both the First and Second World Wars,” Lovekin said in a press release. For more on the archaeology of WWI, go to "Anzac's Next Chapter."
