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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

WW1 tanks in UK towns


DCLI

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I am a relative newcomer here and you may have covered this subject some time ago - nevertheless, I believe after the Great War tanks were distributed to towns and cities all over the UK, as sort of monuments - what happened to them - please don't tell me they were melted down (dumped in the North Sea) during the Second War.

regards to all.

Anthony

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Can't speak for anyone else, but that is exactly what happened in Coventry. The tank originally sat on a plinth on Greyfriars Green just off the city centre and was move to another site just before the outbreak of WW2. And yes, it was scrapped in 1940.

Terry Reeves

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I believe that was the fate of many of them,the one @ Wisbech Park went that way in the Scrap Drive of the 1940s,along with the Railings;Pots & Pans!

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There was quite a lot on this subject on the Tank Museum's website, I think they were at one stage trying to create the definitive list of which tanks went where, and how they were allocated. Tanks were given to towns that had contributed financially to tank construction.

I don't think it is known for sure when Ashton-under-Lyne's tank disappeared, but 1940 is the commonly given date, along with as a previous poster mentioned iron gates and railings and the cannon from outside the Town Hall.

Cheers

DNH

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Anthony.

There is one in Ashford Kent that used to be kept in good order, but in latter years has been left to decay, but along with several other like minded people I am trying to goad the council into taking action before it is to late, forum member Neil Clark to his credit has and is very active in getting the tank restored.

David

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A few months ago two Renaults were found in Afganistan & shipped to the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky where at least one of them was to be completely restored.

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Guest Pete Wood
Anthony.

There is one in Ashford Kent that used to be kept in good order, but in latter years has been left to decay, but along with several other like minded people I am trying to goad the council into taking action before it is to late, forum member Neil Clark to his credit has and is very active in getting the tank restored.

David

Here are some pics of the Ashford Tank taken in 1919 and more recently http://www.btinternet.com/~james.fanning/ashford1/page9.html

A list (fairly accurate) of surviving WW1 tanks can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Base/154...urvWW1Tanks.htm

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Anthony.

There is one in Ashford Kent that used to be kept in good order, but in latter years has been left to decay, but along with several other like minded people I am trying to goad the council into taking action before it is to late, forum member Neil Clark to his credit has and is very active in getting the tank restored.

David

I can always remember this tank when we used to go through Ashford on family days out (back in the early 70's), haven't seen it for years........mainly due to fact that I been in the middle of Ashford for years!!!!

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I believe that was the fate of many of them,the one @ Wisbech Park went that way in the Scrap Drive of the 1940s,along with the Railings;Pots & Pans!

The Brighton tank also went for scrap c 1940. There was a photo of it in the "Argus" in the late 90s.

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Guest Steve Seaman

There used to be a WW1 tank situated in the Hatfield Park Estate which i believe ended up in the Tank museum at Bovingdon.

The park was used in the Great War for initial tank trials.

Steve

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Nice to see the Ashford tank being looked after

Thanks for all the replies.

Anthony

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Guest woodyudet

The Ashford tank was moved in the late 80s when the Sainsbury's was redeveloped. It was in a state of disrepair at the time and used to be able to go inside it and climb all over it. Since it was moved to its plinth this has not been possible. It is now regularly painted often in different colour schemes from WW1.

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