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In this special episode of Trench Talk, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Belgian archaeologist Simon Verdegem and talking about his career specializing in the excavation of WW1 sites. 

We talk about his introduction to archaeology and the poignant discovery of the remains of a New Zealand soldier in excavations in Messines.  We look at the hugely successful Dig Hill 80 project at Wytschaete, and some of the incredible archaeological finds that came out of the project., including a rare signallers lamp and a harmonica.

Simon talks about the problems of identifying the dead, and why, despite the small percentage of soldiers whose mortal remains are finally identified, he remains as enthusiastic today about recovering the dead as he was when he began his career. We reminisce on the top finds of his archaeology career and consider what next for the battlefields of Flanders.