Waterloo Uncovered, the groundbreaking charity that combines archaeology with veteran care and recovery, visited the Falkland Islands in March 2022 to conduct the first intensive archaeological survey of its battlefields. What made this trip especially poignant is that our team of expert archaeologists was accompanied by two veterans who fought there.

Using their personal experiences, these veterans helped to provide valuable, firsthand insight to inform our understanding of the events that took place. Most importantly, the project helped them process their own personal experiences, and formed a key stepping stone in their ongoing journey to recovery.

Run in collaboration with the University of Oxford, University of Glasgow and the Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust, this project assessed the character, location and condition of individual artefacts and structural features related to the conflict through foot and drone survey and recording of finds and features through the capture of GPS data, photogrammetry, and drawing.

Although Waterloo Uncovered has been taking veterans to the site of the Battle of Waterloo since 2015, this is the first time that we have taken veterans back to the site of the battlefield on which they fought. Supporting the veteran's mental health and wellbeing was paramount, and experienced members of our Wellbeing and Support team accompanied them throughout.

This was a brand new venture for Waterloo Uncovered; one that gave us a chance to support even more veterans as they recover from the traumas of war, whilst carrying out important recording of at-risk archaeology.

We would be so grateful if you could make a donation to support this exciting project that benefited veterans in a meaningful and innovative way.