Internment archaeology: Gerhard and Maria Bersu’s collaborative efforts to live and research on wartime Isle of Man

Abstract

Gerhard Bersu, together with his wife Maria, were invited to carry out excavations at Little Woodbury to set new standards for British settlement archaeology and apply Continental excavation and recording methods for the first time in Britain. Gerhard
was familiar with British archaeology and archaeologists through meetings at conferences, but his Wiltshire fieldwork in 1938 and 1939 also heavily influenced the young generation of British archaeologists. The Bersus’ internment on the Isle of Man for almost the whole the duration of World War II was extremely unusual, as most refugees were rapidly found roles in the war effort. Archaeology on the Isle of Man benefitted from a series of long-term excavations, the first of any scale conducted there according to scientific principles, and thereby created narratives for the Manx Iron Age and Viking periods. Here, the context of the Bersus’ internment on the Isle of Man is considered, and their lives under internment explored, with the role of women – including Maria – highlighted for the first time. The methodologies and logistics of the wartime excavation campaign are also reviewed, together with the communications which sustained the Bersus’ morale, advised Gerhard on the excavation results, and then prepared the Bersus for their immediate post-war travels and fieldwork. Around a third of Gerhard’s career as a major European archaeologist of the mid-20th century was based on the Isle of Man, and he is still the single largest contributor to excavated archaeology on the Island.