ANZACS war graves in Codford, Wiltshire

ANZACS in Codford

The New Zealand Command Depot was established at Codford in June 1916 and the No 3 New Zealand General Hospital followed in July. The New Churchyard was established by deed of gift as the "Military Burial Ground," with a small part reserved for future burials from the parish. The war graves plot contains 98 burials, mostly of New Zealand and Australian forces. There is only one burial of the Second World War in the New Churchyard.

During World War One, the Wylye valley became the centre of large training and transfer camps for tens of thousands of troops waiting to move to France. The Lamb Down Chalk badge and the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) War Cemetery are the only reminders of a period troops from Britain Australia and New Zealand were stationed in and around the village.

Lamb Down Chalk Badge

The Lamb Down Chalk Badge dates back to approximately 1917. The Australian Brigade Commander of the nearby garrison wanted to leave a visible Australian mark on the English countryside. Gazing out from the reading room of his headquarters at Stockton House he came up with the idea of carving out a Rising Sun badge in nthe chalk hillside opposite known as Lamb Down. The initial work on the badge was started by the 13th Training Battalion, Australian Imperial Force (AIF). The badge was then embedded with green, brown and clear beer bottles to make it shine bronze like the badge worn on the Australian uniform. Maintaining the badge became the focus of punishment parades and a result the spur on which it is carved was 'affectionately' known as Misery Hill by Australian troops. The badge remained untouched until WW2 when it was covered over to prevent aircraft using it as a navigation aid. After the war it was uncoverfed. However, most of the glass had either washed away or sunk into the chalk below. The outline of the badge remains to this day.
Proudly worn in two World Wars, the Rising Sun, officially known as the General Service Badge of the Australian Imperial Forces, became one of the best recognised and honoured insignia of the allied armies and an integral part of thze Digger tradition. It's distinctive shape, worn on the upturn brim of a slouch hat is readily identified with the spirit of ANZAC.

ANZAC War Graves
In 1916 Codford was selected as the New Zealand Command Depot for men who had been evacuated from the front line and were not yet fit to return to the front. The camp hospital in Codford was taken over by the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital. The War Grave Cemetery, which is the second largest in the United Kingdom, contains one World War Two grave and 97 ANZAC troops from World War One. 66 are New Zealanders and 31 are Australian. The men died between 1916 and 1919.
Of the 1,866 War Graves in Wiltshire, 636 contain members of the Australian Imperial Force. The War Grave Cemetery in Codford was established by deed of gift as a military graveyard.

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