AMONG the first finds to be revealed at the archaeological dig on the site of a German First World War prison camp was a trench whistle.

The small tin object, which was found by a metal detector in the field at Raikeswood in Skipton, was likely to have been used in combat on the Western Front in France to signal troops to attack.

Also unearthed was an unusual hook marked A&S and emblazoned with the Prussian Crown, which could have been a device from which to hang an ammunition pouch.

Phil Ball, the site finds' processor, said: "The whistle is particularly evocative and we were very excited to find it.

"It's a signal whistle and just think, it could have been used in battle by an officer to signal for troops to advance out of the trenches."

Other finds, including ceramic pottery, believed to have been part of the latrines, went on show to the public on Thursday in an open day at the site, during which people were urged to see the work in progress for themselves.

Visitors were also invited to speak to Scott Knowles, of the Great War Society, who was dressed as a 1916 Bradford Pal of the 1/6 West Yorkshire Regiment. The troops fought at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916.

Before the site became a prisoner of war camp in 1918 for German officers, it was the training ground for the Bradford Pals.

Archaeologists, aided by youngsters from local schools, worked all week on the site and, eventually, the finds will go on display in the Craven Museum in Skipton. The project is funded by a £10,000 heritage grant.

Most of the location of the camp was built upon in the 1930s and became the Raikeswood estate, but the far north-west corner, where the dig took place, was left as pasture.