N ARCHAEOLOGY enthusiast and army veteran is set to dust off her boots and join 25 other veterans to excavate land where the Battle of Waterloo was fought in 1815.

Moira Watson from Manningford Abbotts spent over 18 years serving in the Women’s Royal Army Corps, the Army Catering Corps and the Royal Logistics Corps, attaining the rank of Major.

After spending 18 years in the military, Moira now works as a project manager at a defence company.

She originally trained in ancient history and worked on digs in the North East of England discovering Roman military.

Now she is preparing to spend two weeks in Belgium rubbing shoulders with archaeologists from Waterloo Uncovered, a charity that brings personnel, many of whom have suffered post traumatic stress disorder, to dig.

Ms Watson said: “It is an ideal combination of my archaeology and military background. I feel privileged to be picked.

“That’s the thrill of archaeology, you know that with any battlefield find you’re the first person that has seen or handled it since the day it was lost, fired or buried.

“This will be the largest dig I have been involved with if we are all digging together and there are two quite exciting parts, so there could be some brilliant finds.

“I have always done my own research while posted in other countries like Germany, where there is a rich history, and the Falkland Islands, which was harder.”

Professionals joining the group include Prof Tony Pollard of the University of Glasgow and Phil Harding of Channel 4’s Time Team.

A team of archaeology experts will accompany veterans and serving personnel from across the country to Belgium to excavate historic items from military past on land at Hougoumont Chateau.