Supposedly a park in Manchester, but no when-and-where. I'm sure someone will pin it down from the number. This might have been just around the corner from me in Heaton Park.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Manchester's presentation tank was in Platt Fields. That doesn't look like Platt Fields as I remember them - far too nice. Platt fields also used to hold a statue of Abraham Lincoln that was once voted the ugliest and most ill proportioned statue in Europe (the council have since removed it).
Hmmm. It looks too hilly for Platt Fields, from what I remember. Not been there since MCFC moved away. It does, though, look like part of Heaton Park. I've been scrutinising it for clues, but nothing yet. I was wondering if the Tank's number would give the game away.
Off topic, but the Council have merely moved Abe's statue about 3 miles, into the city centre. And moved Oliver Cromwell's 4 miles out of the city centre, to Wythenshawe Park, so Her Maj doesn't have to be diplomatically steered away from it on her occasional visits.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
I wonder if Manchester like Derby got two tanks - one because of its contributions to the war loan (and therefore on the silver list) and a second because of some other contribution to the war effort. The factory in Derby outside which its second tank was displayed belonged to the Newton of mortar fame (not the Newton of carrier connections as I erroneously said in another forum)
I quote from a Manchester publication Kenneth Waters talks about going to Platt Fields before World War Two and remembers the statue of Abraham Lincoln, which was moved to the city centre in recent years. He also remembers the World War 1 tank which was placed in the park as a memorial to the conflict. The tank, like many other of the features mentioned, disappeared many years ago from Platt Fields.
That doesn't look like the Abe statue I remember - when viewed from the side his chest stuck out to the front and his bum to the rear giving him an elongated S shape
I'm afraid that Home Forces numbers don't reveal much, and the manufacturer's number (much more useful) isn't wholly readable.
I don't know Manchester like you gents obviously do, but the only location of a tank there I'm aware of was Platt Fields.
I suspect the Silver Bullet list shouldn't be thought of as a list of towns presented with tanks. I think it's actually a list of the towns which had the highest amount saved per head of population, and therefore the list of towns that were eligible for a tank. What I suspect happened is that some of these towns declined the offer, and the spare tanks went to other towns that don't feature on the original list.
All I can glean from the image is that the tank was not used overseas (still has the camo net attachments on the cab), the Home Forces number is 109 (the last digit curves in next to the ladies hat), and it has rather a lot of mud and other streaking for a static display tank. The small (and obviously ignored) fence around the tank looks temporary and there also appears to be a placard on an easel or a sandwich board between the front horns. Is it possible that this is Manchester's tank but before it reached Platt Fields?
It might be Platt Fields after all. Is that a body of water just in front of the Tank's horns? If so, it could be the Lake. The map shows the layout, but my spatial perception isn't all it might be at this time of day, so I can't work out where the Tank would have been just at present.
The arrow shows where Abe's statue used to be. From the top deck of the No. 41 you could look him straight in the eye.
Google need to update their map. It still shows Maine Road, and it was knocked down about 4 years ago.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
I've seen another photo of this at The Tank Museum archives, and despite the apparent curve in this photo the number is 100. Still doesn't tell you much though.
