Veterans have begun building a replica of a Bronze Age roundhouse found near Tidworth in a bid to learn more about the building techniques of our ancestors 3000 years ago.

The former servicemen and women have been reconstructing the building, excavated at Dunch Hill last year, at Butser Ancient Farm in order to find out more about the methods used by prehistoric man to assemble buildings. As well as construction, the veterans have also been learning about aspects of Bronze Age life from making pottery to spears.

Jacqui Hutchins, a former member of the RAF, said the project had provided a “fascinating” insight into the past.

The 65-year-old said: “When we did the pottery we fired it in a hole in the ground, built a bonfire in the top, but when those pots emerged it was so ridiculously exciting, this was a misshapen pot but we had made it and we had made it in the way our ancestors had, it was exciting.

“Once you’ve been in the forces and you leave, there’s a gap, there’s a hole in your life a bit, so to be able to speak to like-minded people is brilliant, there aren’t so many boundaries,

“It’s been a great release from everyday life, particularly with the Covid situation at the moment.”

The project is a part of Operation Nightingale, launched by the Ministry of Defence 10 years ago. It aims to assist the recovery of wounded and sick military personnel and veterans by involving them in archaeological investigations such as this.

The project also has a great deal of academic potential, as archaeologist Claire Walton explains: “This project aims to discover more about what houses in the Bronze Age may have looked like, using recent archaeological evidence to produce a full scale experimental construction.

“From the posts in the ground, to the thatch on the roof, archaeological accuracy is key to a successful outcome and indeed many months of academic discussion and research preceded the build.

“This project aims to explore the construction of the walls holding up the roof – no small task when several tons of thatch will eventually be overhead.

“Archaeological evidence from famous sites like Danebury Hill Fort has suggested that some pre-historic roundhouses may have had banked earth walls retained by wattle internal panels.

“But it is not just the participants of the project who are committed to finding out whether the technique represents a likely scenario – the academic community is particularly excited to document the ‘mass’ earth walling technique being applied here.

“And in carrying out this project, not only have Operation Nightingale enjoyed creating a truly unique visitor attraction, but they have also made a valuable contribution to the ongoing academic debate about how homes in the past were built, and what they looked like.”