Digging Market Garden: Wellbeing Impacts on Military Volunteers of Participation in Archaeological Excavations Commemorating the Eightieth Anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem

This article focuses on the social outcomes of archaeological fieldwork. It describes fieldwork conducted as part of Digging Market Garden (DMG), a project exploring the material traces associated with preparations in South Lincolnshire for Operation Market Garden during World War II. The fieldwork took place in 2024 at Fulbeck Manor. Fieldwork volunteers were serving and veteran armed forces personnel and their families. DMG worked closely with two charities that support trauma recovery and mental well-being amongst these groups through archaeology, Wings to the Past and Operation Nightingale, as well as South Kesteven District Council and units of the British Army and Royal Air Force. Quantitative and qualitative data show that participation successfully supported well-being, not through direct therapeutic intervention, but by enabling participants to experience a wide range of conditions with known associations with well-being. Data show that participants were initially attracted by transactional motivations, such as developing skills, gaining knowledge and engaging with heritage; however, once involved, they experienced relational benefits, including social connection, belonging, feeling valued and personal fulfilment. These relational outcomes were less often sought yet highly valued, suggesting that holistic wellbeing gains can be delivered through archaeology “by stealth”, particularly for groups less inclined to seek wellbeing-focused interventions explicitly.