I was 10 once I went on my first archaeological dig. I’d been exploring a clay pit close to Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, the place I grew up, and located the fossilised jawbone of a small ichthyosaurus, full with tiny enamel. I took it to a native geologist – he was amazed at what I’d discovered and put me in contact with an archaeologist in Buckinghamshire, who took me to a dig web site. I discovered a bucket stuffed with historic gadgets in a spoil heap. From then on, I went to dig websites each weekend.
I prefer to work with my arms, so pursued a profession as a brick- and stonemason; I even taught the commerce in a university for 3 years. In 1984, I was working as a builder when a former scholar invited me to attempt scuba diving. It was thrilling having the ability to see underwater. Over the following two years, I skilled for a diving qualification and grew to become shut with some guys in a scuba membership.
In 1991, a gaggle of 13 of us based the South West Archaeology Group (Swag). We started on the lookout for wrecks off the coast of Devon. After we discovered treasure, we despatched it to the British Museum. They politely recommended we modify our title, as “Swag” wasn’t in step with their ethos, so we added “Maritime” within the center to develop into SWMAG, which is much less catchy.
Our first main discover was a set of 44 tin ingots within the Erme estuary, east of Plymouth. I discovered 15 on the primary day and had three analysed in Oxford. The ingots dated to the bronze age – we couldn’t consider it. We received a Duke of Edinburgh award for our work, and went to Buckingham Palace to fulfill Prince Philip.
Then, one weekend in 1994, the workforce went diving close to Salcombe to a wreck web site the place an outdated cannon had been discovered just a few years earlier. I wasn’t with them, however they discovered gold cash buried within the seabed. I couldn’t wait to be part of them the next weekend.
With metallic detectors and kitted out in scuba gear, we swam down and started sweeping. As I swam alongside the underside of the ocean, I’d see fish in my peripheral imaginative and prescient. They’d have a look at you as if to say: maintain digging.
On that first dive, I discovered just a few gold items, however the actually thrilling discover was a sounding weight, an historic maritime navigation instrument. It was fabricated from lead and formed like a fish. The push you get from holding historical past in your arms by no means will get outdated.
We went again to that wreck web site each weekend for years. As soon as I used to be 20 metres (65ft) underwater when the detector went off. I waved my hand in a determine of eight over the seabed. The sand swirled, and cleared. A flash of gold appeared and my coronary heart leapt. You’ve acquired to maintain respiration commonly in scuba gear, but it surely was exhausting to remain calm. I waved my hand once more to discover a bar of gold shining within the sand. You wouldn’t consider the load of it. We referred to as it the gold Mars bar.
One other time, I swam additional out to a kelp forest. I went down right into a gully and had a success on the metallic detector. I swirled my hand above the sand, and it shifted to disclose a inexperienced edge. It was a bronze age sword. I swam again as much as the floor with it, informed my pals to convey out a digital camera, and held it above my head like Excalibur.
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We dived all the way down to the Salcombe Cannon wreck practically each month for 23 years. In addition to the bronze age artefacts, there have been 400 cash courting again to the seventeenth century. A set of gold ingots have been discovered. It’s believed they have been for buying and selling, which can clarify why the ship was there within the first place.
We despatched every thing we discovered to the British Museum. I’ve seen a few of our finds exhibited – it’s an actual thrill.
The group disbanded after the pandemic, and solely one among us nonetheless dives. I’ve taken to metallic detecting on land – I nonetheless get the identical rush, and there’s no must regulate the oxygen. My greatest discover just lately was a hoard of 17 axe heads from 1850BC.
I’ll be 68 subsequent 12 months, and don’t plan to cease any time quickly. There’s nothing like this passion. To see one thing in a museum with my title on the label; to have discovered historic gadgets which have modified how we see historical past, it’s been unimaginable. And to assume it began with discovering that little ichthyosaurus jawbone in Bletchley.
As informed to Millie Jackson
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