First World War graffiti, Larkhill chalk block

3D Model

This chalk block comes from the archaeological discovery of a unique network of First World War tunnels under the Salisbury Plain at Larkhill (Wiltshire). The tunnels were part of a battlefield used to train men to fight in and under the trenches of France and Belgium. Over a hundred chalk inscriptions have been found and were inscribed by British and Australian soldiers between 1915 and 1918.

The chalk block features the names of soldiers from the Australian Third Division, who trained on Salisbury Plain during 1916, including Lawrence Carthage Weathers, VC (1890–1918) (top right). Weathers was a New Zealander who served in the Australian Army and received the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, for his deeds during the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin in 1918. Photogrammetry by Kenneth Lymer.

Visit our website for more info on the tunnels and L.C. Weathers.