THE opening of the newly restored Map of Australia in Compton Chamberlayne was marked with a special service coinciding with Anzac Day.

The Map of Australia Trust have spent more than two years planning and carrying out the restoration work to the chalk badge and held the event last Thursday.

The badge was carved into the hillside in 1917 by Australian soldiers staying at Hurdcott Camp but had not been maintained since 2005 and was fast fading from view.

Helen Roberts, who is a trustee of the Map of Australia Trust, said it was "very fitting" to be able to formally mark the restoration of the Map of Australia on Anzac Day in the presence of Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sarah Troughton and the deputy Australian High Commissioner Matt Anderson.

The trust was also joined by Jill Young, the daughter of a Hurdcott Camp soldier Bombardier Albert Haslet, 12th Field Artillery Brigade, AIF, who came to Hurdcott Camp to recover from wounds for two months in 1918.

Mrs Young travelled from Australia for the service and unveiled a plaque along with the Deputy Australian High Commissioner.

Helen said: "On behalf of the trust, I am incredibly proud of what we achieved. To see such an important Scheduled Ancient Monument which had been on Historic England's 'Heritage at Risk' register back on the hillside where it belongs, along with the other recently restored badges at Sutton Mandeville and Fovant is hugely satisfying.

"Our work will continue, in the Autumn we hope to continue our work clearing the invasive undergrowth spreading over the chalk downland close to the map and hope to be joined for this work by personnel from the Air Support Operations Squadron at Boscombe Down, who were such a great help completing the restoration last October. We were delighted that several of the squadron were able to be with us on ANZAC Day."

The trust is fundraising to create a viewing area beside the A30 where passers-by can stop and read about Hurdcott Camp and the Map of Australia. To make a donation visit GoFundMe/Map of Australia.

For more about the Map of Australia chalk badge go to map-of-australia.com