Graffiti in Figheldean, Wiltshire

[Moonraker]

 "Under A Spreading Chestnut Tree: a study of the First World War Graffiti in Figheldean, Wiltshire" by Dan Miles and Tony Hack, was published in the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 2018 (I need to check this year.)

Yesterday I managed to download another article, "Under a Spreading Chestnut Tree," from the Wiltshire Museum website, but today I hit a problem in trying again. But here's a YouTube video.

Some of the graffiti were made by ANZAC soldiers based at Bulford and Lark Hill.

 

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Moonraker said:

 "Under A Spreading Chestnut Tree: a study of the First World War Graffiti in Figheldean, Wiltshire" by Dan Miles and Tony Hack, was published in the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 2018 (I need to check this year.)

Yesterday I managed to download another article, "Under a Spreading Chestnut Tree," from the Wiltshire Museum website, but today I hit a problem in trying again. But here's a YouTube video.

Some of the graffiti were made by ANZAC soldiers based at Bulford and Lark Hill.

 

I always remember some deeply inscribed graffiti left by the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada on the outer edge of a little brick bridge on the back road between Netheravon and Upavon.  It bridged a stream feeding the Avon and was between Netheravon/Fittleton and Haxton.  Do you know of it Moonraker?  I did try to go back and find it, but to no avail. 

Edited 17 January , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Moonraker]

No, I haven't come across that one, though until the other day I was oblivious to all the graffiti in Figheldean and to the smithy's imagined link to Longfellow.

The 72nd Seaforth Highlanders formed part of the First Canadian Contingent on Salisbury Plain in 1914-15 and possibly the inscriber was a patient at Netheravon Cavalry School that was briefly a hospital in the winter of 1914-15 - though other Canadian units, such as Lord Strathcona's Horse, had previously trained there.

The study I mentioned above has prompted me to plan a return visit to the locality in the summer and I'll try to locate the bridge that you mention.

[FROGSMILE]

18 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

No, I haven't come across that one, though until the other day I was oblivious to all the graffiti in Figheldean and to the smithy's imagined link to Longfellow.

The 72nd Seaforth Highlanders formed part of the First Canadian Contingent on Salisbury Plain in 1914-15 and possibly the inscriber was a patient at Netheravon Cavalry School that was briefly a hospital in the winter of 1914-15 - though other Canadian units, such as Lord Strathcona's Horse, had previously trained there.

The study I mentioned above has prompted me to plan a return visit to the locality in the summer and I'll try to locate the bridge that you mention.

Yes I think that you’re very likely right about the link between the 72nd (which I recall clearly was inscribed) and the nearby hospital (the cellar of the one time hunting lodge was used as the mortuary and years later allegedly haunted).  When I saw it I imagined that there were perhaps organised marches as part of the convalescence, but it might just as easily have been a day-pass (leave of absence) to enjoy the local area.

[WhiteStarLine]

1 hour ago, Moonraker said:

But here's a YouTube video.

I just finished watching this and thanks for posting it.

A most interesting presentation and particularly relevant to me as my grandfather was an Australian soldier training there in 1917. The photographs in Clue 2. Personal photographs at 5:54 were taken by him [and scraped from the GWF I suspect!].  We still have his album and camera.

@Moonraker's book was very helpful as were many of the GWF members in researching locations.  I took large printouts there in 2012 and a local pointed out some of the lost locations and later we were able to put a few names against soldiers thanks to a Larkhill postcard. The church at 5:54 looks local but is actually Old Warden, taken when he transferred from Artillery to Signals and trained at Bedford.

Incidentally, quite a few Third Division (Australian) infantry companies recorded conducting live fire attacks (rifles and grenades) on Stonehenge in their unit war diaries. This was seen as a culmination before shipping to France.

[Moonraker]

8 minutes ago, WhiteStarLine said:

... Incidentally, quite a few Third Division (Australian) infantry companies recorded conducting live fire attacks (rifles and grenades) on Stonehenge in their unit war diaries. This was seen as a culmination before shipping to France.

At the risk of my taking my own thread off-topic, could you steer me to one or two of these, please? Certainly the Stonehenge complex, including the Cursus,was threatened by military activities during WWI that led to concern from archaeologists and complaints to the military authorities.

(No need for anyone - apart from me - to repeat the story that the RFC wanted the monument destroyed because it impeded flights from the nearby aerodrome. No evidence of this has been discovered, though no doubt some pilots might have complained that the stones were a blinking - or other adjectives - nuisance.)

[Moonraker]

Excellent illustrations of the graffiti

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

We still do

Here a visit in 1990

stoneh.pdf

[Moonraker]

On 17/01/2022 at 10:57, FROGSMILE said:

I always remember some deeply inscribed graffiti left by the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada on the outer edge of a little brick bridge on the back road between Netheravon and Upavon.  It bridged a stream feeding the Avon and was between Netheravon/Fittleton and Haxton.  Do you know of it Moonraker?  I did try to go back and find it, but to no avail. 

Very belated reply, as only today did I visit Figheldean and Netheravon. I think that the bridge in question was replaced in 2011, plaque on the new one saying that the previous structure had been built in 1910,  replacing an earlier one. I was there very early, so the church wasn't open so I could look for graffiti.

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, Moonraker said:

Very belated reply, as only today did I visit Figheldean and Netheravon. I think that the bridge in question was replaced in 2011, plaque on the new one saying that the previous structure had been built in 1910,  replacing an earlier one. I was there very early, so the church wasn't open so I could look for graffiti.

Thank you for taking the trouble to look and reply.  You definitely have the right bridge I think.  How sad that the inscription hasn’t survived, I always imagined the Canadians resting there and undoubtedly either, refreshing during a route march practice, or perhaps attending a bathing parade.  It was clearly done carefully in the wet concrete.

Edited 21 May , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Moonraker]

Or perhaps the Seaforth Highlander was a patient at Netheravon Cavalry School or Figheldean House, both of which were turned into hospitals for Canadians during the winter of 1914-15. And Ablington House provided accommodation for 21 convalescing Canadians.

[FROGSMILE]

52 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

Or perhaps the Seaforth Highlander was a patient at Netheravon Cavalry School or Figheldean House, both of which were turned into hospitals for Canadians during the winter of 1914-15. And Ablington House provided accommodation for 21 convalescing Canadians.

Yes I know what you mean.  Netheravon has a secure and everlasting place in my heart, I met my late wife there in 1979, and subsequently lived with her at SWW (old cavalry school) in quarters for 8-years.  After her premature passing, and by some queer fate of fortune, I was sent back in another guise entirely, but that time to Airfield Camp and spent a further 3-years, a decade later.  Sadly the SWW had closed and that whole place seemed full of ghosts, with the quarters all sold off, but it was nice to be in the area again and it gave me plenty of time to explore the history of both camps.  

Edited 21 May , 2023 by FROGSMILE