Although Wollaton Hall is renowned as being one of the finest surviving Elizabethan Houses in England, a relatively unknown part of the Hall’s more recent history is that it was the base of the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment (the Red Devils) of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division during 1944.
Prior to the D-Day landings, the 508th trained at Wollaton before being parachuted into Normandy on 6 June 1944. There it suffered heavy casualties and was awarded the Distinguished Unit Badge in recognition of its gallantry and combat action during the first three days of fighting. After returning to Wollaton in July, the regiment then went on to take part in Operation Market Garden, immortalised in the film A Bridge Too Far, and fought in the Battle of Bulge in early 1945.
During their time in England, a close relationship developed between the 82nd Airborne and the people of Nottingham, which culminated in General Eisenhower announcing the establishment of the Roosevelt Scholarships at the City’s Council House on 26 October 1945. The Nottinghamshire Roosevelt Travelling Scholarship continues to this day and offers young men and women aged between 21 and 30 engaged in trade, commerce or the professions the opportunity to visit the US for a period of up to four months.
The aim of The Wollaton Project is to conduct an archaeological excavation of the site of the former 508th camp in the grounds of Wollaton Hall to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Over the summer, Trent and Peak Archaeology will carry out a controlled excavation of the site to recover artefacts that will then be put on permanent display at the Hall. It is also intended to produce a television documentary of the excavation that will be screened in both the US and UK.
The Wollaton Project will have considerable tourism benefits for Nottingham, diversifying Wollaton Hall’s visitor offer and placing it on the battlefield tourism trail, while it will also strengthen the existing links between Nottingham and the US and attract increased numbers of overseas visitors to the City.
In order carry out the excavation, the GNP will provide Trent and Peak Archaeology with over £25,000 of Single Programme funding.
