centurion Posted 16 October , 2008 Share Posted 16 October , 2008 There is a photo of it at the Durlocks - definitely a female but no home service number on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorncliffe Posted 16 October , 2008 Share Posted 16 October , 2008 Heres a photo of the Hythe Kent tank from our collection of local postcards / photos. Presented to the town 11th july 1919. The other picture shows it insitu with field gun and War Memorial. If anyone has any info on this Tank we would be very interested. Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanks3 Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 Shorncliffe, Thanks for posting these. The photos confirm this was a another male machine. Pity the policeman obscurs the production number at the rear. That would have confimed if it was a Lincoln machine. Can't make it out on the photo but can you see what the sticker/poster on the front of the tank says? Tanks3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelS Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 Can't make it out on the photo but can you see what the sticker/poster on the front of the tank says? Looks like "Uncle Bill" ? NigelS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 Here is the tank at the Durlocks - note no number but, as must have been he case with the Hythe tank, it may have had a new coat of paint from the council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelS Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 That's a mighty impressive setting, it looks as if whoever selected the site either gave it great deal of thought or was very lucky; I can't help wondering what a picture taken from the same viewpoint might look like today - probably totally different! There's a picture of the dignitaries standing on top of the tank at its reception (also a lot of pictures & other info on Folkestone with a miltary connection) here: http://bbhilda.topcities.com/Folkestone/Fo...ry_Wartime.html NigelS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorncliffe Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 Here is the tank at the Durlocks - note no number but, as must have been he case with the Hythe tank, it may have had a new coat of paint from the council. The number on the Folkestone Tank, i have been told was 4609. The site at which it was located has not changed that much but is now used as a School playground. The notice on the front of the Hythe Tank does say "uncle Bill" Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorncliffe Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 Have just been sent these photos by Alan F Taylor of the Folkestone and District Local History Society of the Folkestone Tank which i hope some of you may find of interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 Clashes with Sidearms' reference to it having a home service number - that looks like a tank from France (as some presentation tanks were).. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorncliffe Posted 17 October , 2008 Share Posted 17 October , 2008 This is the Folkestone tank being cut up. Photo again from Alan F Taylor of the Folkestone local History Society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidearm Posted 18 October , 2008 Share Posted 18 October , 2008 Thanks everyone for posting these terrific photos! The number of the Hythe tank, 164, is the highest Home Forces number I've seen on a Mark IV Male. Is there anyone there interested in this tank and able to visit the East Kent Archive Centre? They have a document from Hythe Borough Council, reference Hy/AM/2/18. One of the subjects included in this is "tank fencing". The photos of the Folkestone tank do indeed show, as Centurion commented, that I have an issue to sort out with my original id of it. That's fine - I was bothered myself about having a tank with a Home Forces number and unditching beam rails. The original id came from information from Bovington, so I'll need to review that as either it means they have a tank misidentified, or I've made a mistake in my notes. Tank 4609 was one that was missing from my database, which means I can't tell you anything of its history, unfortunately. But it is missing no longer! In fact, on the subject of presentation tanks with unditching beam rails, does this mean they couldn't have been delivered to their destination towns by rail, because of the loading gauge restrictions? So would the Folkestone tank have been landed from France and driven to its resting place? So thanks to all for some fascinating and thought provoking photos. Gwyn P.S. Like tanks3 I'm still trying to understand why it is people stand in precisely in wrong place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 18 October , 2008 Share Posted 18 October , 2008 Let me come back on ditching rails and railway loading gauges in general - it isn't a simple story. However the Llandudno presentation tank had both a home service number and unditching rails. To make things even more interesting its HSN was 27 which would indicate a Mk III! Unfortunately the Pathe clip [204_18] is not very clear on the sponsons but they look like Mk IIIs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hansen Posted 18 October , 2008 Share Posted 18 October , 2008 Let me come back on ditching rails and railway loading gauges in general - it isn't a simple story. However the Llandudno presentation tank had both a home service number and unditching rails. To make things even more interesting its HSN was 27 which would indicate a Mk III! Unfortunately the Pathe clip [204_18] is not very clear on the sponsons but they look like Mk IIIs Llandudno's tank looks like the HSN is 27 but I think that is because the last digit has been covered by the poster on the tanks side. I posted about this on Landships just over a year ago and I can confirm that it is a Mk IV. The clip itself is murky but stills show the dividing piece of the sponson. Picture attached, lightened to show detail. The picture is from the 15 second point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 19 October , 2008 Share Posted 19 October , 2008 27 or 27x it's still a home service number and those are still unditching rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hansen Posted 19 October , 2008 Share Posted 19 October , 2008 27 or 27x it's still a home service number and those are still unditching rails. All I was pointing out was that the tank is definitely a Mk IV. There is at least one other Mk IV female with unditching rails and a Home Forces number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 19 October , 2008 Share Posted 19 October , 2008 Thanks for that. I was just try to emphasise what was my main point - some home service tanks did have unditching rails as your photo confirms. It's therefore unwise to use the presence or absence of unditching rails to absolutely determine if the tank is home service or has come from France (there are a few photos of Mk IV and V tanks in France without unditching rails) although this could be taken as an indication of probability. That's the Trowbridge tank I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidearm Posted 19 October , 2008 Share Posted 19 October , 2008 222 is the Trowbridge tank, so I can imagine could have been driven from a camp somewhere relatively nearby. I'm happy that the Llandudno tank was a Mark IV Female, HF number 27x. Unditching rails noted! Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 22 October , 2008 Share Posted 22 October , 2008 I remain open minded about the idea that Male presentation tanks were allocated to towns with some special link with tanks. I can see the logic when one looks at Glasgow or Coventry. But what about Hythe, Barnolswick, Swansea or Pembroke Dock? How about Clitheroe or Exmouth? Or Lancaster? And I could cite many more mysterious examples. The idea that the distribution of Males was anything other than random is yet to be proved, or disproved, in my view. I can answer for Hythe - William Tritton's roots were in Hythe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidearm Posted 22 October , 2008 Share Posted 22 October , 2008 OK. Keep chipping away at the problem and you might dispel my scepticism! Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanks3 Posted 23 October , 2008 Share Posted 23 October , 2008 Hi Shorncliffe, Do you have a date for your photo of when the Folkestone tank was cut up? Tanks3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorncliffe Posted 23 October , 2008 Share Posted 23 October , 2008 Hi Shorncliffe, Do you have a date for your photo of when the Folkestone tank was cut up? Tanks3 Not sure when this was but i understand that it was before the Second World War as the local council was getting fed up with young boys climbing all over it. I have emailed a friend of mine who may have a date for it but he is away on his hols at the moment. When he gets back to me i will let you know. In the meantime would it be possible to let me know what you know about the Folkestone or Hythe Tanks so i can put this information with the photos? Regards Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanks3 Posted 24 October , 2008 Share Posted 24 October , 2008 Shorncliffe, At present I know little about either. I have a copy of the Hythe photo posted above (but in black and white) and a further photo of the Folkestone tank taken in 1935. So the cutting up of this tank must have been after then. Tanks3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 27 October , 2008 Share Posted 27 October , 2008 Thank you all for your responses and encouragement. I am obviously still retaining my interest, it is just a tad daunting as a beginner in this forum to know whether I am a help or a hindrance. I am also glad that I included the reference to Captain Mortimore from Stephen's (delta) book "The First Tank Crews", which then led me here. I can't claim any credit for just "googling"!! The further reference for the Chiswick tank location corroborates the same spot, facing westwards along CHR towards what is now the Chiswick Roundabout and the M4. In the photograph, it appears that there is a plaque or noticeboard on the wall between the tracks, which would no doubt have given information about the tank and perhaps why it was there. It looks too precisely placed to be a billboard poster, plus the condition of the tank and clarity of the number would tend to indicate that it was fairly soon after being installed. The foliage would therefore be unlikely to be ivy which it resembles, as that would take some years to reach that amount of growth. I'll post any further "helpful" information and hope that other contributors continue to post also. I found this recently Chiswick tank? which shows a female tank! In a different location too . Two tanks in Chiswick (well Derby had two - a male and a female)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisharley9 Posted 27 October , 2008 Share Posted 27 October , 2008 This found on the Wisbech Park Web Site 1919 Came the tank, another feature in the park and given to the town in recognition of its war savings during the First World War. It was called “Kaloma”. It came by rail to the harbour line which ran along the side of the park. This was placed in the centre of the park and was fenced round. This plinth can still be seen on which it was placed. A Horace Friend bought the tank as scrap to aid the war effort of WW2 for £50 and scrapped in 1940. Will try to get some photos on Thurs Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanks3 Posted 28 October , 2008 Share Posted 28 October , 2008 Centurion, Now that's interesting. Need to see what Gwyn makes of that! Tanks3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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