[Are there health and safety restrictions placed on such digs to govern the max depth, width or other dimensions. I guess the ground conditions in Kent being clay, chalk or Thanet sand and gravel provide a stable strata within which to dig, but those shots with the 2 diggers together make me wonder whether such a depth is permitted today without shoring the sides.[/QUOTE]

I don’t think I can remember a dig where we seriously ‘shored up the sides’.(only if your dig was on telly in the middle of London)
Digging for ‘gold’ can be bl..dy dangerous, a bit like rock climbing!! But when there is a scent of a good dig, the adrenalin rises, and nothing is too dangerous.
I look back today and realise that 40ft down the hole, on a ramped in digger bucket, with water seeping through the clay walls and the sides visably moving in (Kowsloski & Buckner)…well, a tad squeaky…but that’s what it was all about. The rewards were always worth it.
Today, however, with our mamby pamby health and safety jobsworthy brigade around…well…I’m glad I’ve done my digs..not many left over here anyways. No one was ever killed, hurt or whatever, but to be PC I must warn newcomers that digging wartime aircraft must be lawfull, and treated with the utmost care for the safety of all concerned, especially when finding big old heavy 500 pounders.

Steve Vizrard excavated a very deep 109 on the Isle of Wight –

Here are some pics of the Isle of Wight ‘109’ dig with Steve Vizard, Andy S, myself and others. The 109 had hit plumb centre, an old well and supposedly buried itself down the small 4ft shaft. We found a 20m cannon buried vertically alongside the shaft, which proved the position of the engine/fusalage…we thought!
So down we went, and over a period of about 6/7 weekends, we dug downwards and then ramped in from the side.
God knows what it finally cost, but you can see the two machines in use, and on reaching probably near 60ft, we found….nothing..I mean nothing… except a small piece of molten aluminium, and lots of old leaves and broken tree branches….
Some you win and some you l……..!!!!!!!!

Found this today outside Wetherspoons in Wigan

Down our way, it’s ‘Buy one get one free’………….

Thank you, Bananasplits!

You are quite right. A closer look reveals it is indeed 8005.

Thanks for the i/d on the second one, too!

Cor blimey mate!!!!! good job is was an 8 Andy, or your journey might have been in vain, especially with a pupil’s stick for second place…..

Any old Bedford parts goin’ cheap? Could help you identify a few old chassis numbers…especially if they need ‘tweaking’.

EN 830, pm me about ejector seat(s). I may be able to help.

Lasham today. I like the ‘Handle with care’ pic. Should have been on the Drover !!!!! (I hear that she could be bought…???)