U.S.-Issued Provisions Uncovered on Salisbury Plain

How did you celebrate Independence Day this past weekend? The researchers at Wessex Archaeology, based in the Salisbury Plain area of southern England, marked the occasion by releasing images and information about American World War II finds.

The Wiltshire plain had been the site of a U.S. training camp as troops prepared to invade mainland Europe during WWII. In recent years, archeologists in the area have uncovered various remains from war-time mess kitchens. "The military has been on Salisbury Plain for decades so it's not been ploughed up or disturbed by developers," Wessex Archaeology spokesman Matt Leivers told the BBC, allowing many of the artifacts to be unearthed in remarkable condition.

Among the plates and utensils found were also tins of cooking oil, bottles of sauce, and 16 tins of "cream sunburn preventive" with the contents still intact.

Although army personnel had left the trove of sunscreen—labeled for use in "hot or cold climates"—relatively untouched, other items were abandoned after being emptied.

"Sadly, there were no contents left in the tins of sliced bacon," a spokesperson said.

[h/t BBC]