Operation Nightingale has been busy excavating the Avon Campsite, a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon burial ground outside Figheldean in the Salisbury Plains Training Area (SPTA) which was discovered was discovered after a proposed building project that has since been cancelled.

Operation Nightingale is a programme encouraging veterans and military service leaders to participate in amateur archaeology.

The programme works with multiple archaeological companies and is cooperating with Wessex Archaeology for the Figheldean dig, which is set to conclude on Friday, July 21.

The dig has uncovered multiple interesting artefacts, including ancient blades, combs and shears buried alongside the interred. One grave contained three individuals.

Salisbury Journal: A triple burial uncovered at the Avon Camp excavation site.A triple burial uncovered at the Avon Camp excavation site. (Image: Jo Ramsay Horbury)

Bridie Baines, 31, who left the Royal Military Police last year, first began participating with Operation Nightingale in 2021 when she joined the project that uncovered skeletons on Burrow Island in Portsmouth Harbour.

She said: “We were all watching Time Team. It was just our generation; going outside and digging up the garden wall, getting told off by my mum, so I’ve always been interested in history, but more physically, like I love going over to HMS Victory and being able to touch the ships, and that brings you close to it.

“So I think with this, again it’s that hands-on, sort of really being there, especially since we’re uncovering things from scratch and they’re guaranteed burials here and seeing how they’re all laid out.”

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Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, RT Hon Andrew Murrison, said: “The excavations have yielded some fantastic artefacts of historical importance, and as we move into the final dig at this site, I would like to thank all the personnel, veterans and teams that have taken part in the archaeological digs on the Defence estate.”

The two previous digs at the 7th-century burial area, which took place in 2021 and 2022, yielded some incredible artefacts including Roman coins, bronze and silver discs and a necklace made of glass beads.

These earlier digs uncovered around 26 burials in 22 graves and this final excavation has helped to add some more pieces to the puzzle.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Richard Osgood said: “We are excited to be back at Avon Camp for this third and final time, this site has provided some incredible archaeology and allowed us to gain a real understanding of what life was like for people living on this land in the 7th century.

“As well as allowing us to capture this historically important information from a site that is listed on the Heritage at Risk Register, we can provide information that supports the stewardship of the estate, which helps us to balance preservation with the needs of what is also a military training area."