I have worked on several airfields in Hawaii and the "parking areas among
the trees" that you describe are called "revetments".  Some are clearly
visible from the air, even 60 years after WWII.  Don't know about WWI, but
these were constructed  in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor to disguise the
location of aircraft in the event of future attacks, and can still be seen
on islands all over the pacific.  Of course, they were covered with
different varieties of camouflage netting.  During WWI, the barracks
consisted of rows of wood-framed canvas tents, called a "tent city".  While
motorized vehicles were in use, there were still mule-drawn covered wagons
frequently used in place of trucks at Schofield Barracks.

Pam Asbury-Smith
SRI
Tucson

----- Original Message -----
From: "John R Hyett" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 3:40 AM
Subject: Re: WW I air service


> I can't help with WW1 airfields but some 40 years ago (long before I ever
> thought of becoming an Archaeologist) I worked on fencing the airport in
> Cooktown in far north Queensland, Australia. This airfield was used, I
> believe, by Australian and American forces in the Pacific War. Some of the
> features I noted were
> 1) Parking areas for planes set off among the trees and accessed by roads
of
> the main runway
> 2) Piles of shell cases discarded from the planes machine guns (evidently
> fired while on the ground)
> 3) Foxholes? Machine gun nests? Hollows set in the ground with earthern
> banks and some evidence of roofing, with spaces for the gunners to fire
> through
> 4) Garden beds and paths lined with empty beer bottles buried neck first
> into the ground (well it is hot in the tropics and I suppose you have to
get
> rid of the empties somehow)
> Hope this is of some use
> John
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "McAlexander, William" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 2:04 AM
> Subject: WW I air service
>
>
> > After spending some of the weekend pestering people at the South Central
> > Historical Archeology Conference 6, I was copping names and e-addresses
> > down, when a thought occurred to me.  Why not pester the Histarc list?
> >
> > I hope to soon contact the landowner(s) to ask for permission to
> investigate
> > a WW I air field here in Arkansas.  Before doing so, I would like to
know
> if
> > anyone has done so previously, or could point me in the direction of
> someone
> > who has or is conducting research along those lines.
> >
> > Before going out, I'd like to have an idea of what possible features
could
> > look like.  I suspect they'd be similar to normal early 20th Cent.
> military
> > deposits, but I feel its best to get as thurough a background as
possible,
> > before causing problems.
> >
> > Simple minded me, I believe that it would be a good idea to have a list
of
> > possible scenarios of what could happen or not to better explain to
> > landowner(s) what and why I 'd like to go out poking around.
> >
> > I'd appreciate any help given.  If any do not wish to post to the list,
> here
> > is how I can be reached elsewhere.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > William McAlexander
> > Arkansas State Hwy. and Trans. Dept.
> > 10324 I-30 P.O. box 2261
> > Little Rock, Arkansas 72203
> > (501) 569-2078
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> > Home:
> > [log in to unmask]
>