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Landships II -> Landships WW1 Forum -> Tanks -> Maidstone's Mk III
Post Info TOPIC: Maidstone's Mk III
Mark Hansen


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Maidstone's Mk III
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Maidstone received a Mk III female as their presentation tank and I wanted to know a little about how it was displayed. I contacted the Centre for Kentish Studies and had a reply in a very short time, especially considering it was over Easter. Unfortunately not much is known about it except that it stood by Maidstone bridge until 1927 when it was moved to Brenchley Gardens. The information dries up after that and there are no known photos of the tank after it's handing over ceremony in July 1919 but I think it's safe to assume that it would have been scrapped soon afterwards and certainly before or during WWII.
Phil R, I thought this might add a little to your picture of the handing over ceremony.



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Centurion


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I have ' I think, a photo (its a MKIII in gardens) but this ***##*!!* forum software won't let me load it (3 attempts now). Who was it praising this recently?

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Phil R


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thanks for the intel, mark. picture updated accordingly

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Centurion


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Try again It works. This picture is supposed to be the gardens at Maidstone Castle

-- Edited by Centurion at 18:41, 2007-04-11

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Mark Hansen


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Centurion wrote:

Try again It works. This picture is supposed to be the gardens at Maidstone Castle

-- Edited by Centurion at 18:41, 2007-04-11
I've also seen it described as being the Moat Gardens at Canterbury. I realise the two locations are fairly close but I think this may be a different Mk III. It doesn't have the WD number or training number; however a coat of paint will easily explain that. The other reason is that the fellow I emailed never mentioned it going to Maidstone castle.

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Ironsides


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Hi by maidstone castle do you mean leeds castle?maidstone which is nothing like the picture...although its been many years since I was there, i think the picture centurion posted shows the old wall round canterbury town centre and not maidstone....


cheers

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Gwyn Evans


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From what I gather many presentation tanks were simply left on a piece of flat ground until after they'd been there a few years and started attracting vandals. Then local councils started erecting railings around them. A few had sloping plinths (Luton, possibly Ulverston).

Both Maidstone and Canterbury had Mark III Females. So did Bridlington and Ashton under Lyne, and I'm told that Rochester is a possible Mark III. Incidentally I have also found two towns that had Mark IV Tenders as presentation tanks.

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Phil R


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mark is right. the pic centurion posts is captioned "The Tank, Moat Gardens" and is posted on Bovington Tank Museum's site, where it states the tank was in Canterbury.


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Mark Hansen


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Gwyn Evans wrote:

... Incidentally I have also found two towns that had Mark IV Tenders as presentation tanks.



Which two towns were these? What a pity they didn't survive either (the tanks, I mean, not the townssmile).



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Gwyn Evans


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Scunthorpe and Hyde. I haven't been to either so I make no value judgements about the towns.

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Mark Hansen


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Gwyn Evans wrote:

... Both Maidstone and Canterbury had Mark III Females. So did Bridlington and Ashton under Lyne, and I'm told that Rochester is a possible Mark III...


Are there any photos of Rochester's tank around, Gwyn? I assume they had a female, whether it was a Mk III or IV.

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Gwyn Evans


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I've never seen a photo of the tank at Rochester. David Fletcher and I had an exchange of e-mails about Mark III presentation tanks a month or so ago and it was he who told me that Rochester's was a possible.

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Mark Hansen


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Thanks to Phil putting in a link to the kent history forum, I can let you know that:

a) Rochester did indeed get a Mk III and

b) there are photos of the beast!

 



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Gwyn Evans


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I'd forgotten this thread! Yes, the Kent history forum has a superb collection of photos of the tank's presentation in Rochester.

Gwyn

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T140


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The maidstone one is def not maidstone. I'm just up the road from there and thats not maidstone plus it's not got a castle. Most likely canterbury but i would say def not leeds castle. Shem that one and the rocheste rone arent there now, would be perfect for me if they were lol. Nice pics, thanks for posting.

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Tim S


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Maidstone does have a "Moat Park" though!

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