Buried WW2 tank on Waterloo Lane Bramley

[Ro-Man]

I posted this picture on another thread, but it's probably more useful on here. Talking of Woodhouse Moor and tanks, this used to stand at the corner of Raglan Road. I don't suppose you remember it do you Arry Awk?If you can find it in the library, the picture is from "Aspects of Leeds" edited by Lynn Stevenson TateISBN: 978-1871647389 It's also got pictures of the canon on Woodhouse Moor which you're talking about.

[arry_awk]

Ro-man lad! So sorry.You must think I'm 'higgerant' not replyingre the WW1 tank!.I DID post an answer almost at once but it seems to have 'Missed the post' cos I haven't seen it appear yet! Knowing me,I probably posted on sombody else's thread! That'll fool em!Start agen. No, I didn't ever see that particular tank on Raglan RdThe picture looks from abt 1928 by the dress of the people round it.It rings a bell from somewhere, tho' I think it probably went for wartime scrap along with the Fenton Barracks' field gun and theWoodhouse Moor canons!I can remember being in the Blenheim Army Cadets and we were invited to The Woodhouse 'cinder moor' to look over a 'Matilda''Tin Can!'tank about 1942 and later, on the same spot, a Churchill tankfor 'Salute the Soldier' Week! That's about all I can recall,tankwise!Cheers Arry

[Tank Researcher]

Hi, I'm new here - not from Leeds but fascinated by Great War tanks. The photo of the tank at Raglan Road is a Mark IV Female, which has been to France at some time (it has fittings that aren't present on those tanks that only served in the UK). In order for me to try to try to trace a bit of its history, and to save the bother of an inter-library loan, could someone with a better copy of the photo read the four digit number painted on its side please? It can be seen between the white/red/white recognition stripes and the sponson. I also have a photo that's captioned the entrance to Dartmouth Park, Leeds, which shows a WW1 tank in the distance. Is this the same tank as the Raglan Road one? In other words, was it moved, and if so was it moved from the Park to Raglan Road, or vice versa?Cheers!

[Ro-Man]

Here's a bit more info Tank Researcher.The tank number is 2592.The book says the following, suggesting to me that it's only place was at Raglan Road and was not moved anywhere else."After the First World War a tank clanked and rumbled its way up from the city in 1919 and was deposited at the corner of Raglan Road and Woodhouse Lane. Local youth found this and the guns a great playground. But the tank and guns were removed, along with the arches and railings, to be melted down to help the war effort during the Second World War."I hope you can find a bit more info about the tank, it would be great to know its history.

[Tank Researcher]

Thanks Ro-Man. I can't add much more unfortunately - this is the first time that I've found anything on 2592 - but if I find reference to it as I continue to delve in the archives I'll post it. More generally, we know that well over 200 tanks were allocated to those towns that raised the most money per head of population from the sale of War Bonds. A list survives of the towns in England and Wales, though it's far from certain that all the towns actually accepted their tank. Leeds was one of these. The date of 1919 fits this perfectly. I'll try to attach the photo I have of the tank in what I believe to be Dartmouth Park. Perhaps a starting point would be if someone could actually confirm it is Dartmouth Park. (Please let me know if this is better suited to the "Parks" forum - if so I'll start a thread there).

[rikj]

That same picture is on the leodis photo database, also captioned as Dartmouth Park, so it looks to be correct. Dartmouth Park is in Morley. Looking on google earth then the lodge appears to be aligned with the gates in the same way.Would really need a Morley correspondent to confirm absolutely.

[Tank Researcher]

Ah, that solves it. According to my sources both Morley and Leeds were presented with tanks, so they must be different ones. Thanks very much!

[Bramley4woods]

Mouldy wrote: Around the 70,s 80,s a WW2 tank was uncoverd on Waterloo lane in Bramley while excavating for industrial units.Does anyone have any information as to what happened to it.I think the unit that now stands where this tank was is called Sherman house! As a kid I used to walk up Waterloo Lane to Bramley, about half way up on the left was an old pair of big iron gates hung from enormous stone pillars, enclosing what looked like an old mill yard. Only one building remained it looked like the engine house without the engine but with the boiler and that was used by the "Mercury Steam Laundry". They had an enormous washing machine and you could take rugs and carpets etc to have them cleaned, which I did once or twice.The mill yard was absolutely stacked high with scrap, rusty Ex WW2 army lorries, transporters etc, and Ca 1956 completely overgrown. It turns out that Sherman House (LS13 2EF) is on the exact site of the mill yard so while I don't know what happened to it I can guess how it came to be there. It would have to have been very rusty after 40 years in the undergrowth so unless it was a rare specimen I imagine it was scrapped.Some details of Waterloo Mill here : http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/EN ... 797533"The diary of Joseph Rogerson for October 19th, 1813, states:- "It issaid John HALEY staked a millstead out in the Ling Croft yesterday."There is a ginnell at the top of Lingcroft Crescent which leads to a footpath past a big stone house with big iron gates and a cast iron statue of a lion in the garden (my mother used to pause with me in my push chair outside the gates 60 years ago) the footpath went on to Waterloo Lane and past Waterloo Mill.Could this have been the mill owners house by any chance, located a decent couple of hundred metres from the smokey mill but close enough to keep an eye on the workers ?