"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.
Cassowary is a place - it's a small town north of Port Douglas, Queensland. It's hard to see how the Mark IV "Grit" got that far north since the railway ends at Cairns.
The countryside looks like the coastal plain in North Queensland but that's a big chunk of country.
The stuff about Mephisto is just a librarian using Google without bothering to verify.
I may be seeing things that are not there... but... to me it appears to be a Female MkV on the Western Front. In the background could be a number of other abandoned/wrecked Tanks.
It looks like the hatches below the female sponsons are open and maybe the square grill at the back... if it is a MKV that is.
I'm very much inclined to agree with Mk1 Nut - it seems to have a Mark V style side radiator and rear superstructure.
But the other thing that strikes me is the trees. Are those silver birches or eucalyptus? Somehow I seem to feel the former - especially that stump in the foreground. But I could be wrong.
Edit: NB that the photo can be blown up on the link given.
-- Edited by Lothianman on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 01:49:20 PM
That's not Northern Queensland, the trees aren't Eucalyptus or Melaleuca and there are no Xanthorrohea (black boys), the coastal areas of Queensland are thick with them!
We seem to be of a mind here. The recognition stripes are visible, as are the doors under the sponson. The fan is there, but so is something next to it that I can't quite make out. I'll have to dig out my Observer's Book of Trees to check on the arboreal aspect, but how's this for a theory in the meantime?:
The Cassowary YMCA was (and perhaps remains) one of few places of entertainment and instruction in the area (Sorry for the stereotyping, Charlie). If the organisation did not already present lantern slide shows for the townspeople, the return from France of a local man would surely create demand for a talk on his experiences, and what better way to illustrate it than with photographs brought back from the fighting made into slides?
They would be labelled as property of the institution and stored for future use, although the labelling has now deteriorated to the point where insufficient of it is legible for our purposes.
Is that a goer?
-- Edited by James H on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 02:47:11 PM
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"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.
For what it's worth, I also say Mark V female, western front. There is also that box shape on the roof and birch trees grow everywhere.
(Actually there are more birch trees on the eastern side of Germany - almost like entire forests of them - but I do not think any British marked Mark V saw service there?)
I can't get the link to work. Have you lot worn it out?
Gwyn
No probs at this end, Gwyn.
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"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.
Still can't view this either at home or work, but I did manage to see it as a thumbnail by browsing through 50 or 60 pages. Whilst doing so I found two other photos in the collection that are much more interesting to me, but which I can't see as full images either .
Don't know what's up with your machine, Gwyn. The number looks like 9013 to me.
And my theory seems to be completely the wrong way round. The YMCA went to France to provide pastoral care for the troops.
-- Edited by James H on Wednesday 29th of October 2014 10:26:36 PM
__________________
"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.
Gwyn, it may be that both machines are blocking cookies from that website (hyper paranoid setting). That stops even the "download" from working in my tests - and large-size, high-resolution images of modest file-size are available through that button otherwise. Should be easily rectified on your home PC at least, just for those pages. Agree with James on the number -
Yes I get a MKV Male 9013 as well, again the landscape is very flat.... though its obviously not the same tank, I cant see any obvious damage but there's what looks like a dead crew member in shot...
I dont think the links posted by Gwen are of the same Tank as they have different exhaust pipes etc on the rear....
So three Tanks similar Landscape the location may be: "Although the text on the lanternslideindicates the image was taken in Bayonvillers, the catalogrecordlistsFramerville as the location"
Thanks. 9013 served with B Company, 2nd Battalion and suffered a direct hit on 8 August 1918. It was commanded by Lt T.R. Samuels. This website says that this was B33 "Blighty II" knocked out whilst attacking Bayonvillers.