The impetus for this special issue of the International Journal of Historical Archaeology lie in the three seasons of excavation that took place at the forced labour camp of Lager Wick in Jersey between 2014 and 2016. The excavation was directed by Gilly Carr, funded by the British Academy in a joint project involving Gilly Carr and Marek E. Jasinski, and also involved the two guest co-editors, who were invited to dig in different years (Marek E. Jasinski in 2014, Claudia Theune in 2015, and paper contributor Ivar Schute in 2016). In addition the three guest editors of this special issue cooperated closely during excavations, surveys and workshops at the Falstad Camp site in Norway led by Marek E. Jasinski in 2010, 2014 and 2015. This special issue was provoked by the many conversations on both sites regarding, initially, the rules, guidelines and expectations produced by the many different regions and countries in Europe which dictate what is excavated and kept, and what is redeposited and carefully returned to the ground. This variation clearly had the ability to affect what was retained for study from camps in different countries, with a resulting knock-on effect upon what was published and / or included in exhibitions.