The research, which began in April 2025 and concluded in October 2026, was conducted by archaeologists from Monument-Vandekerckhove NV in collaboration with specialists from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the French government, and the German Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge. The impetus for the investigation was the planned expansion of the golf club.
More than 2,000 traces of the former battlefield were mapped, including trenches, shelters, and thousands of objects such as weapons, tools, equipment pieces, and personal belongings of soldiers. Two discoveries stand out: a thirty-meter-long German tunnel with exceptionally well-preserved wooden planks and a transport bucket, and an almost 184-meter-long French trench from 1914, in which the remains of French and British soldiers were found.
In addition to human remains, archaeologists found notable objects including a British bugle, a French officer's saber, and a British kepi. A specialized company also registered 720 munition finds, including shells and grenades.
A selection of the finds, including a part of the German tunnel, will be exhibited at the In Flanders Fields Museum. The research results will be presented on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, during a free exhibition and lecture at the clubhouse of Golfclub De Palingbeek.
