Bulford Kiwi restored to former glory
Historic Salisbury Plain chalk monument refreshed
It's taken around 100 tons of chalk to restore the Bulford Kiwi it to its former splendour.
The 130m-tall chalk bird was carved into Beacon Hill in 1919 by New Zealand soldiers stationed there waiting to return home at the end of the First World War.
In 1917 the Kiwi soldiers played a key role in Belgium in the Battle of Messines. They created the chalk 'Kiwi' to commemorate their achievements in battle.
The Bulford Kiwi is a scheduled monument. That means it's recognised as a nationally important archaeological site and it is now protected from destruction or change.
Today 249 Gurkha Signal Squadron are custodians of the monument. They organised a one-day event, along with Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to de-weed, re-edge and re-chalk the Kiwi and restore it to its original shape. The team of workers was entertained by a traditional khukuri dance before they started work.
The Kiwi restoration work took place under the guidance of Richard Osgood, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s senior archaeologist:
"Once the chalk had been ‘placed’ on the Kiwi a team of volunteers including people from the DIO, 3rd (United Kingdom) Division Signal Regiment, Landmarc Support Services, Operation Nightingale and other local and conservation groups helped to spread it. It was definitely an ‘all hands-on deck’ experience! Fortunately, the weather was on our side on the day, so the task of chalk spreading was an enjoyable one."
"This is perhaps one of the most unusual First World War monuments on Salisbury Plain and restoring the monument helps us remember those who served over 100 years ago. The Kiwi is a much-loved monument locally, nationally and internationally."
The last restoration of the Bulford Kiwi took place in June 2018.