The other day we mentioned this stunt, someone contacting a forum and asking detectorists to “field walk” their land where a plane crashed in the war. It has now taken place and was "a very nice day out". Someone died in the crash but even if their body was recovered and it isn't a war grave that doesn't give you the right to go hoiking without first obtaining a license: click on "Protection of Aircraft" in the Contents here.
Perhaps those doing this might claim they "did not know" (nor did they think to check). But readers will remember that the PAS, taxpayer-funded archaeological outreach scheme to the British public (which includes artefact hunters) had a case like this some time ago, in Newark ('Newark Torc questions', Wednesday, 10 December 2008; 'Newark Aircraft Crash Site Questions', Saturday, 28 March 2009), more than four years ago. I wrote then what seemed to be the obvious conclusion at the time, instead of - apparently - trying to keep part of a story out of the newspapers:
"Maybe in the light of this publication of a fresh story, the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the British Museum's Treasure Department might like to issue a statement about "responsible metal detecting" of WW2 crash sites"You can have a look at their website and see for yourselves how well they are coping with fulfilling their responsibilities when it comes to objective and meaningful "outreach".
UPDATE 12.8.13
On a metal detecting forum near you, there are some photos of a display of the bits of crashed WW2 military aeroplane the "fieldwalkers" recovered.
Re: Looking for some one to walk my field
by GrannieAnnie » Mon Aug 12, 2013 7:41 pm
This was the largest piece of aluminium found on the day by Pierre.
A table full of the bits that we found.
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