Well, it was found through the detective work
of two local historians – Richard Pursehouse and Lee Dent, members of the Chase
Project military history group – and involved a host of volunteers, several
archaeological units, Staffordshire County Council and researchers from across
the globe. Plus, of course, a dog.
In 1920 the process of winding down the military
camps of Cannock Chase was well underway, with reusable materials being
salvaged and anything of value sent for auction. Remarkably, the Messines model
didn’t seem to be considered important by the authorities, and it was ignored
but luckily not destroyed. With grass and tree roots starting to encroach over
the following months, local Cubs and Scouts tried to clean the model up, but
when the huts surrounding it were torn down, it was completely exposed to the
elements and began to deteriorate.
The future of the model seemed a little
brighter come the 1930s, when Ernest Groucott, an ex-Grenadier Guardsman, undertook
some renovation work. As an army driver he had been active in the area during
the war and had seen the model being constructed. By 1932 he was giving guided
tours of the model for a small fee and a restoration fund had been set up.
But this memento of the First War could only
decline further as Britain faced the Second, and while local children played on
it in the 1940s and 50s, by the 1960s it had almost completely disappeared from
view.
And so it
remained until 2007, when Richard Pursehouse picked up what he thought was a
stick to throw for his dog – and discovered it was in fact concrete. Richard and Lee had been researching the
model since discussing it on a trip to the Somme Battlefields the previous
year, and had tried to find the site. However, seeing the overgrown condition
of the area, with not a glimpse of the model to be seen, they had more or less
decided (like the Council) that it had gone. But now, a little scraping
revealed patches of concrete around the gorse bushes … how much of the model
remained?
In December
2007 Staffordshire County Council commissioned Birmingham Archaeology to assess
the area identified by the Chase Project. With the help of Dolores Ho of the National
Army Museum in New Zealand, Richard and Lee continued to research the model,
establishing the existence of the viewing area on three sides and that it had
been built ‘under instructions from Lieutenant Colonel J.G. Roache for the use
of the Regimental School to instruct officers and NCOs in Topography’. The
Chase Project was able to gather an extensive dataset of maps, photographs and
diaries to help archaeologists in their task.
Finally, in
2013, a full excavation of the model took place, with the site being declared
to be of international as well as national significance. The model was freed of scrub and dirt and a
laser scan carried out so that an exact 3D replica can be built.
Unfortunately,
although largely made of concrete the model is actually very fragile, and it
was decided that it had to be re-covered to protect it from the elements and damage
from burrowing animals. It was therefore covered with a breathable membrane, followed
by a layer of sand, rabbit-proof netting and finally specially selected soil.
In this way the Messines model has been made
safe for future generations as they contemplate some of the most momentous
events in British history.
The model under construction.
Photo courtesy of the National Army Museum New Zealand
.JPG)
Detail of German strongpoint north-east of Messines.
Photo courtesy of the Chase Project
Site of the model cleared prior to excavation.
Photo courtesy of the Chase Project
Anyone
with any information on the model can contact the Chase Project at thechaseproject@gmail.com.
The group is
now also researching the Staffordshire Tank Banks of the First World War.
