Published in Windlesora 13 (1994)
© WLHG
This war relic was a familiar feature of Bachelors Acre from 1920 until 1940, when it was sold for salvage as metal scrap was in great demand for making munitions for the 1939-1945 war. At this time, garden railings and gates were being commandeered by the government. It is said that Windsor’s railings – and possibly the tank – were loaded on to a ship at the London docks. On the way to the sea the ship was bombed by the German airforce. It sank into the mud at the bottom of the Thames estuary.
Production of tanks for the British Army totalled over 2,000 and the Armistice of November 11th 1918 left them with the problem of what to do with these armoured fighting vehicles, each weighing about 26 tons. Many that had seen service were cut up at salvage depots, but the War Savings Executive Committee worked out a scheme whereby towns that had a population over 10,000 and had made a substantial contribution to War Savings should be given a tank — if there was a suitable goods yard to take delivery by rail. Windsor fulfilled all these conditions.
The tank arrived at the Great Western Station goods yard on the afternoon of Saturday, 29th May 1920. Driven by four men of the Tank Corps, it travelled under the viaduct in Goswell Road, into Arthur Road, Alma Road, left into New Road (Clarence Road), on to Victoria Street and came to a standstill near the concrete foundation that had been prepared for it. Amongst the large crowd assembled on the Acre was the Windsor County School Cadet Corp with their drum and bugle band, the drum and fife band of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and contingents of boy scouts and girl guides.
The ceremony of handing over the tank to the Mayor took place from the top of the tank, with nine members of the main party climbing on to it. Sir Victor Mackenzie DSO, MVO, 1st Scots Guards, said that he had been asked to hand over the tank to the Royal Borough in recognition of the very generous aid given by the people of Windsor towards the expenses of the war, and asked the Mayor and Corporation to carefully guard it. In reply, the Mayor, Mr W. Fairbank, revealed that the sum collected was £1,300,000 and said that he was sure the people of Windsor would always prize this emblem of the Great War, because the tanks helped so materially in winning the victory. He hoped they would always look on it, not only with respect, but with reverence, because it was a means of saving their country.
Not everyone gave it the respect that had been called for as children were climbing all over it within days and some people called for it to be removed as it was an eyesore. At one point Mr John Maxwell discovered that the engine had disappeared and his investigations showed that it had been sold by the council to Mr Farrow, manager of the Windsor Electricity works in Acre Passage for £50. Apparently Mr Joe Hulls of the famous ironmongers in Peascod Street had helped to get the engine out of the tank, and a heavy steel shaft from the tank remains to this day under Hulls workshop bench in Leworth Place. Mr Maxwell caused such a fuss that the council eventually ordered that the engine should be replaced. It was later found “dumped” on the chassis.
The machine guns and final drive tracks were removed by the army – ostensibly so that Irish terrorists could not commandeer the tank, and railings were erected around it to stop vandalism.
Windsor’s tank has been researched by the Tank Museum at Bovington. It was number 6039, type Mark IV and female (because it was armed with machine guns in barbettes on each side – male tanks had a gun). Some 1,200 of this type were built in series 6,000. About 100 were by Armstrong Whitworth at Newcastle and others by British Loco in Glasgow. It had seen service in France, possibly at the battle of Bourlon Wood (between Arras and Cambrai) in November 1917. Unusually for a presentation tank it had suffered damage, being plentifully be-spattered with bullet marks and with two missiles still embedded. Bovington noted “it has no unditching beam or rails fitted”. These additions were fitted usually at the Tank Corps Central Workshops in France, and may have been removed due to damage. There were white/red/white stripes painted on the front to indicate service in 1917 and these distinguished British tanks from some captured by the Germans and reused against the Allies.
In November 1933 the Street Committee considered disposing of the tank and a war memorial gun which was in Alexandra Gardens, but both survived this and other reviews until 1940. The Borough Engineer, Mr F.N. McRae, had scratches made through the paint and found that it was made of valuable gun-metal, an alloy of copper and tin, and not made of iron, as had been thought.
Gordon Cullingham
I am indebted to David Fletcher of the Tank Museum, Bovington Camp, Wareham, Dorset, and David G. Collyer of Kent for much valuable information. The report of the arrival of the tank is from Windsor Express dated 5th June 1920 and the photograph was taken in 1935 by C.P. Davies of Windsor when he was 14 years old.
Windsor Local History Group 