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]
>
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