Tank Park - Can we locate this, I feel it is probably in England.

[Stereoview Paul]

I am guessing UK due to the large number of apparently permanent buildings in the background. In case it helps here is a blow up of the foreground tank.

Thanks, Paul

 

[J T Gray]

Is that a Mk IV Tadpole in the far distance above the sponson on the front tank? Might that narrow it down further?

[johntaylor]

My guess would be Bovington Camp in Dorset, in view of the large number of tanks, plus hutted accommodation and barrack blocks/houses.

There's a very small photo here which looks similar: https://www.royalarmouredcorps.org.uk/blog/bovington/

The website says " in 1919 they were tasked to assess hundreds of derelict tanks returned from France".

Hopefully others will be able to provide a more definite answer!

All the best,

John

Edited 6 February , 2023 by johntaylor

[Gareth Davies]

I have seen this photo before, it will be in one of the books or my collection, but I am away from Wiltshire at the moment so can't confirm definitively.  I am however confident  that it is Bovington.

[Stereoview Paul]

Great thank you all, I will see if I can locate a similar view.

[delta]

I agree with @Gareth Davies

The main clue is the numbers on the hulls 

The Tank Corps officer is Lt Bill Stockdale who was an instructor at Bovington in 1918

 

[tootrock]

I notice that the tank with the number  814 on it also has a smaller 4 digit number towards the rear. Might I suggest that this latter number is the original serial number, and the large numbers are for "stock control" purposes during disposal.

Martin

[johntaylor]

Hi, the smaller number at the back (9?65) is the manufacturer's number - there is a list of these for Mark V* tanks here: https://sites.google.com/site/landships/home/lists/mk-v-tanks?authuser=0

Re the larger numbers on the front, they all seem to be painted in similar format and I think your suggestion must be correct.

All the best, John

[Stereoview Paul]

39 minutes ago, johntaylor said:

Hi, the smaller number at the back (9?65) is the manufacturer's number - there is a list of these for Mark V* tanks here: https://sites.google.com/site/landships/home/lists/mk-v-tanks?authuser=0

Re the larger numbers on the front, they all seem to be painted in similar format and I think your suggestion must be correct.

All the best, John

The large numbers were definitely in use before that point as we can see here 'Nelson' as the tank bank (and a stage!) in Trafalgar square

 

 

 

[johntaylor]

That's correct - the same large numbers are seen on other presentation tanks: https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/thefgmforum/threads/tank-banks.29461/

John

[tootrock]

Tank 130 "Nelson" went on display in Trafalgar Square in November 1917 as a "Tank Bank" according to newspaper reports, so my previous theory is disproved!

Martin

[johntaylor]

Good point, but large numbers seem to have been painted onto tanks when they were brought back to the UK so I don't think your idea is that wide of the mark.

John

[delta]

I understand that Nelson was a training tank and never saw action

But of course, I have been wrong before now

[tanks3]

Next to the tank numbered 450 in the photo is, I believe, tank 137.  This was the tank bank "Drake"

 

Tanks3.

[johntaylor]

Well spotted - you can see there's something painted next to the number 137, which must be the name Drake in photos of the tank bank.

John

[Stereoview Paul]

Great observation - sadly too small to read in my image but that would be consistent with the date and location proposals

[Sidearm]

The large numbers are often referred to as training numbers, and occasionally as home service numbers. Their purpose was probably to allow instructors to comment on the performance of particular crews on the training ground, and certainly nothing to do with the disposal of unwanted tanks.

Training numbers run in sequence by tank type. Single and two-digit numbers were used on Tank Marks I to III. 2xx were for Tank Mark IV Females. 4xx were used by Mark IV Tenders. 5xx by Mark V Males. 6xx by Mark V Females. 7xx and 9xx by Mark V* Males, and 8** by Mark V* Females. No tanks marked 3xx have been observed.

The small 3, 4 or 5 digit numbers are manufacturers numbers. They're too big a topic to go into here but can be very informative, unlike the training numbers.

The location of the original photo is the Tank Corps Training Centre at Wool, Dorset. It's now known as Bovington Camp but documents from the Great War seem to refer to it as Wool, not Bovington.

Gwyn 

[Sidearm]

On 06/02/2023 at 14:09, delta said:

I agree with @Gareth Davies

The main clue is the numbers on the hulls 

The Tank Corps officer is Lt Bill Stockdale who was an instructor at Bovington in 1918

 

The lower photo shows the Tank Mark IV now standing in Ashford, Kent.

[domsim]

I wonder if it is in the small valley north east of the camp called Higher  Long Bottom where the railway siding from Wool used to be-looking south-west to the camp area. Indicated roughly in red here on 1927 1:2500 map from the National Library of Scotland? My brain is seeing something that might be a rail line in the middle of the photo running left to right or wishful thinking-not very clear?

 

All the best

Dom.