10 June 2008
Anyone visiting the Salisbury Plains area of England can stop to see a very Kiwi reminder of New Zealand’s involvement in World War One.
According to information received by the Army Museum at Waiouru, the 127 metre high Kiwi carved out of the solid chalk hillside can be traced to New Zealand troops stationed in the area during WWI.
The design of the Chalk Kiwi, also called the “Bulford Kiwi” or the “Sling Camp Kiwi”, was executed by Sergeant-Major Percy Cecil Blenkarne of the Education Staff – from a sketch he had drawn of a specimen held in the British Museum, London. The site was surveyed and the design extended on to the site by Sergeant-Major V.T. Low, NZE of the Education Staff.
A quick look at its dimensions reveal why a survey was required: The body of the Kiwi covers an area of one-and-a-half acres. The length of the bill is 45 metres; and “N.Z.”, is written underneath in letters 20 metres high.
A letter titled "Kiwi Emblem at Sling Camp", and stamped with “Headquarters ‘A’ Group Sling Camp Salisbury Plain 17 August 1919” gives some insight into the complexity of its construction:
“The ‘Kiwi’ is cut out of the solid chalk, and stands out in sharp contrast from the surrounding green of the hill-side. The design was made considerably difficult by the various slopes of the hill, there being no one plain slope or even grade sufficiently large for the design. Owing to the receding higher slopes, it was necessary to distort the outline in order to obtain the proper perspective from the cross roads at the centre of the camp. With a little attention from time to time, the emblem should last for all time.”
For many years the Kiwi Polish Company of Australia maintained the ‘Kiwi’ through their offices in London. It had little, if any, advertising value to the company, rather their real interest was in its upkeep as a memorial to the New Zealand troops who were stationed at Sling Camp during the 1914-18 war.
During World War Two the Military Police camouflaged the Kiwi with a mould – concerned that German bombers would use the Kiwi as a navigation marker during their raids over Britain.
In the early 1950s the British Army agreed to maintain the Kiwi. In 1980, 249 Sig Sqn (AMF(L)) made a major effort to restore the Kiwi to its former glory. With the disbandment of 249 Sig Sqn in 2003, the responsibility for maintaining it passed to 1 Mech Bde HQ, and then to 3 (UK) Div HQ and Sig Regt.
Ends