Publication:Navy Annual 2005/A Glimpse of LONG LOOK

A Glimpse of LONG LOOK BY CHAPLAIN GARY LOCKE, RAN

The local Church displays an Australian Rising Sun Badge below a stained glass window, a sign of how much Australians and New Zealanders mean to the local community.

Exercise LONG LOOK participants from the Navy, Army and Air Force, Codford villagers and foreign armies joined forces together again for the 16th annual restoration of the Australian Rising Sun Badge, at Codford, in Wiltshire, England.

The Australian rising sun Badge was the idea of an Australian Brigade Commander of a nearby garrison. The Brigade Commander wanted to leave a visible mark on the local English countryside. the badge measuring 175ft x 150ft (58m x 30m) had been originally carved in chalk into Misery Hill in 1917 by the 13th training Battalion, Australian imperial Forces. The hill in which the badge was carved became affectionately known as "Misery Hill" by the Australian troops who were forced to maintain the badge as a form of punishment. The Codford area has had a long history with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers. During World War I large training and transfer camps were established for the tens of thousands of troops waiting to move to France. Codford also became a depot in 1916 for the men who had been evacuated from the front.

Leading Seaman Carlier, Leading Seaman Ritchie and LEUT Eldridge take some time out and admire the view at Codford.

Personnel hard at work off-loading one of the four trucks of chalk used to restore the Codford Badge.

One of the many War Grave sites situated in the Codford area.

A photo of the restored Codford Badge taken from the bottom of the hill.