Sutton Hoo, 1939

After exploring smaller mounds at the now-famous Suffolk site of Sutton Hoo the year before, in May 1939 local archaeologist Basil Brown turned his attention to the largest: Mound 1. As excavation continued, now under Charles Phillips from Cambridge, the Anglo-Saxon ship burial yielded a series of spectacular objects, among them a sword with a jewelled hilt and glittering golden shoulder clasps inlaid with garnet and glass. The eye-catching finds were taken to the British Museum in London, but the site itself continued to attract attention.Two schoolteachers, who were holidaying in the area, made visits to the dig between 8 and 25 August. Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff were keen amateur ph