As I'm trying to finish my two "Gaza" Mk.I from Master Box I started to think about the rear of the tanks. As these don't have the tail wheel, should they really have the hydraulics left?
As the above photos show, the armoured shield was retained after the tail units (including the hydraulic piston and hydraulic fluid reservoir) were removed from the MkI tanks. The shield was probably retained to provide some protection for the radiator filler and drain apertures in the rear hull plate. The shield was originally mounted to with a U-shaped bracket the the anchor bar for the tail springs. It is not clear how it was attached to the hull after the tail units (including the anchor bar) were removed.
