Hayling Island veteran set to go on archaeological excavation at of Waterloo Battlefield at Mont-Saint-Jean in Belgium

Lisa Randall, 55, who served 11 years in the Royal Navy as a Surgeon Lieutenant Commander, is going to be a part of the excavation team, leaving for Belgium on July 2 for a fortnight.

Lisa works in central Portsmouth as a GP for military patients and began her archaeological journey during Covid when she became part of Battlefields Uncovered, an online project, in 2021.

She said: ‘I think this is going to be a chance of a lifetime.

‘I have always been interested and I was hoping to go on an excavation but with Covid that was not possible.’

In 2019, the charity unearthed three amputated legs at the Mont-Saint-Jean farm in Belgium, which was the allied field hospital during the battle.

The discovery of human remains is an incredibly rare find in a Napoleonic battlefield and they were sent to Brussels for analysis.

It is believed that up to 500 limbs were amputated by surgeons at the farm during the battle, meaning the project in 2019 may have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg, and that the July team could unearth more.

For the first time in the charity’s seven year history, they have been given permission to commence excavation in the village of Plancenoit, which will shed light on the Prussian impact on the battle.

Professor Tony Pollard, one of the project’s archaeological directors, said: ‘The team are particularly excited to shed light on the often-forgotten Prussian contribution through their discoveries. We hope we will be able to provide a more accurate, vivid picture of what happened at this vitally important site on the battlefield.’

The charity is also going to conduct the first ever large-scale geophysical survey of the battlefield and the veterans will play an integral role in the archaeological excavation process.

Lisa said: ‘There is something very special about the mutual understanding and camaraderie that the veterans have through shared experiences and using this to help each other.

‘I love the idea that archaeology is being used as rehabilitation.’