Ernest Greenfield was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. He served with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. During war service he became friends with Philip Rahtz who persuaded Greenfield to take up professional archaeology. His excavations included the Great Witcombe Roman Villa,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

(1960–1973), and

Chew Valley Lake Chew Valley Lake () is a reservoir in Chew Stoke, Chew Valley, Somerset, England. It is the fifth-largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom, with an area of . The lake, created in the early 1950s, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. ...

, north

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

(1953). Greenfield grew up in Sidcup, Kent and was a schoolboy when he set out single-handedly to excavate a Roman site at Horwood's Pit, St. Pauls Cray, whilst gravel extraction operations were being carried out in the 1930s. He was not popular with the gravel company, and subsequently contacted A. H. A. Hogg for help in the investigations. Hogg later drew up a plan of the site, and sought further help for Greenfield from Norman Cook at Maidstone Museum. In a letter to Cook, preserved at the museum, Hogg stated that Greenfield 'had the right ideas, but was discouraged 'after having lost his finds and site notes off the back of his motorbike!' Later Greenfield set up a local archaeological group which discovered many new sites including the famous Lullingstone Villa.

Bibliography

* * Unpublished letter from A. H. A. Hogg to N. Cook concerning Greenfield's early career (held in Maidstone Museum) * Greenfield, E., 'Notes on the Archaeological Sites in the Cray Valley', ''The Transactions of the Dartford Antiquaries Society'', 6 (1936) British archaeologists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-archaeologist-stub