Waterloo Uncovered Impact Report 2019

Abstract: Waterloo Uncovered (WU*) combines world-class archaeology on the battlefield of Waterloo with a programme of care, recovery and transition into civilian life for veterans and serving military personnel (VSMP) suffering from some of the physical and mental impacts of their service. Since 2015, WU has been bringing together an international team of archaeologists, military personnel, welfare professionals, academics, students and experts in a number of fields; they have made over 6,000 finds and important new discoveries both about the course of the battle and about the impact of war on individuals. WU operates year-round, building towards an annual 2-week excavation and then following up with research, public engagement and continued support for veterans and serving military personnel beneficiaries. This year’s excavation took place from 6-20 July. In total, 121 people from 9 different countries took part. This included 48 VSMP, of whom 40 came from the UK and 8 from the Netherlands. We’ve seen our programme have a positive impact on all those who take part, from the veteran and serving personnel beneficiaries to the archaeologists and students. Why archaeology is so effective in bringing about positive change is something we are continuing to explore, but we can see that support for individuals over a longer period of time and a personalised approach is a key component. This year, WU piloted an ambitious 9-month Veteran and Serving Military Personnel Support programme - offering benefits and support over an extended period of time, with the excavation as a core event in the programme timeline. This has paved the way for a 12-month programme, launching in 2020. Equally, 2019’s archaeological discoveries and research have been the most varied and successful to date, and public engagement with the charity’s work has evolved and grown globally.