Event/Activity EPM302 - Exercise Magwitch, Rat Island 2019

In March 2019 excavations were carried out on Burrow Island (also known as 'Rat Island') in Portsmouth Harbour to recover human remains that had been exposed by erosion between spring 2017 and spring 2019. This was a continuation of work that had taken place in 2014 and 2017 to recover remains at immediate risk due to erosion. In addition to recovery, the work in 2019 also aimed to try and establish the depth of the burials (i.e. whether multiple burials had been stacked one on top of another) and add to the information known about the individuals buried on the island. Burrow Island is part of the Ministry of Defence Estate. The team undertaking the fieldwork included archaeologists from the Ministry of Defence, specialists from Cranfield Forensics Institute and military personnel on Operation Nightingale. The recovery programme also drew upon the skills of the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (SIB) as part of a module in body recovery training and was codenamed Exercise Redcap Recovery. The work was funded through Conservation Stewardship Funding of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Ministry of Defence). Due to weather conditions and a collapsing cliff it was not possible to draw sections or plans of the graves. Photographs were taken of the recovery and location of the remains and the remains were given unique numbers to enable assessment and geolocation at a later stage. The locations of graves previously recorded in 2014 and 2017 were also re-examined during the work. The remains of at least seven adults and one infant were recovered. The location of the burials showed that the burial ground extended further north than had been previously thought. The work also suggested that the burial ground may be larger than originally thought as burials were shown to have been stacked deeper within both the beach shingle and laminated layers above. Analysis of the remains took place at a later date together with those remains recovered from previous years. It was not possible to examine all of the graves that had been exposed by erosion during the time available and it was therefore recommended that further excavation was urgently required in late 2019 or early 2020. It was suggested that there may also be burials within the western, northern and central parts of the island. These areas were not investigated as they were not at risk from erosion.