Filming with Time Team and Operation Nightingale took place in the sleepy village of Aldbourne, Wiltshire. This is where in 1944, hundreds of US paratroopers were based. It was temporary home to the second battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, better known as ‘Easy Company’, who were made famous by the hit book and TV series ‘Band Of Brothers’.
Aldbourne and Operation Nightingale
In advance of D-Day, a camp of nissan huts was hastily erected on the edge of the Aldbourne for the US troops. This site is where a team from Operation Nightingale are currently based, joined by the crew from Time Team. The aim? The excavation of those nissan huts to find out more about the fascinating Band Of Brothers.
Operation Nightingale involves injured and sick military personnel and veterans in archaeology in order to aid recovery. They first began their excavation in Aldbourne in 2019. However that excavation paused for several years due to Covid 19 and has recently resumed.
Filming with Time Team from the (Archeological) Trenches
When we arrived on day one of the dig, we were on hand to assist in the production of daily updates. Firstly, the plan was to film the dig as it unfolded. This footage was then edited and the the daily round up was broadcast on Patreon, a channel where fans can get exclusive access to Time Team content.
Before filming and post-production started, Soundview’s Gareth Allen and Chris Dewar set up the edit suite. Based in the community hub, the nearby location meant that as soon as the footage came in, we edited it. These 10 – 15 minutes shows went out that evening. By day 8 we’d produced close to 90 minutes of content – with rave reviews from Time Team viewers as they watched.
link to day one promo here: https://youtu.be/YypITu0chuQ
Of course, reading the viewers’ live comments was a real treat. It was also great to see regular faces from Time Team, including presenter Tony Robinson and archaeologist Carenza Lewis who dropped in to the dig and presented from the location. We’ve met some incredible people over the week. And without do a doubt, it was a huge privilege to be invited to be involved in the project in the first place. An invitation to document the amazing work of Operation Nightingale and Time Team does not happen every day. Finally, the highlight of the week was an evening around the camp fire under the stars at the dig site. After a day’s busy production, sharing fire-side stories with the team from Operation Nightingale, what could be better?
Find out more about Time Teams Patreon channel here: https://www.patreon.com/TimeTeamOfficial
