Military Arborglyphs
Arborglyphs often coincide with significant events, for example periods of conflict and stress. Military personnel based in Wiltshire - in army camps, airfields, training areas - throughout the last 100 years have often marked their stay by carving into trees. Examples have survived from the Great War and the Second World War and indicate the presence of many different troops - from all over the Commonwealth, the US and of course from the UK. These arborglyphs are often just initials, sometimes with dates, though full names and even home towns are found. These can sometime provide us with enough information to be able to trace the author of the arborglyphs.
We have traced a US soldier - Clarence W Carr from Bridgeport, Connecticut who came to England in 1943 to train before serving in Normandy. This may be the Clarence W Carr carved into the tree at Tilshead Lodge. The next step is to try and find out whether his unit trained on the Salisbury Plain which would confirm his identity.