Programme Leader of Archaeology and Military History explores the impact of the countryside on armed forces personnel during WW2

In December 2024, Derwin Gregory, Programme Leader of Archaeology and Military History at BGU, had his article A ‘good walk makes one feel good when he just takes his time’: The East Anglian Countryside (UK) and USAAF Personnel during the Second World War, accepted into the journal entitled Landscapes.

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The article is a result of Derwin’s research into the United States Army Air Service (USAAF) in East Anglia during the Second World War.

Derwin comments on the origin of his article: “When reading the letters of USAAF personnel held by the American Library in Norwich, I became interested in references to the East Anglian countryside.

“In particular, how some of the Americans would go for walks, birdwatch, or write poetry, to make them feel better.

The article explores the idea that engagement with nature has been used for a long time to promote and support mental and physical health.

Derwin continues: “For some USAAF personnel, the East Anglian countryside was a source of mental wellbeing, a place they could temporarily escape from the stress, anxiety, and fear of the war.”

In conclusion, the findings of the article explain that judging from the letters of a small number of individuals serving in the USAAF 2nd Air Division during the Second World War in East Anglia, engagement and proximity to nature played a role, arguably a large role for some, in supporting their wellbeing.

Derwin concludes: “Although the article is the result of a small study, it is hoped that the work will encourage scholars to explore ways that deployed troops created coping strategies.”

To find out more and read the article in full, please click here.

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