A postcard of Sling Military Camp, Bulford, England, showing a view from an entrance track of the camp. c1919.
The kiwi in the distance was constructed by New Zealand troops at the end of the First World,
in February and March 1919, by the Canterbury and Otago Engineers Battalions awaiting transportation back home.
It was made by taking off the surface of the ground and revealing the white chalk underneath. The kiwi is known as the
"Bulford Kiwi" after the nearby village of Bulford. Some photographs also show the letters "NZ" etched alongside the kiwi,
added at a later date.
Sling Camp and the other WW1 camps don't exist any more, but there are still modern army training camps in the area.
The kiwi is currently maintained by British troops from these nearby camps, as a memorial to the thousands of solders who
trained in the area during World War 1.
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References:
- Reference number: Eph-A-WAR-WI-1919-03. Photographer Fred Wright. Alexander Turnbull Library