markivtank

The British Mark IV Tank "Britannia". Believe it or not, this tank is still extant and in the process of being restored. From, The Measurement and Modeling of a World War I Mark IV Tank Using CLR and CCD Camera/Line Scanning Systems in an Outside Environment: After the Battle of Arras, Liberty and its crew were sent to America for exhibition and to help sell war bonds. During a 2-hr event in Syracuse, NY, the tank raised $868.45 (the equivalent of $13,221.12 today). The purchase of a war thrift stamp allowed one to view the tank up close. For the larger purchase of a war stamp for $4.15 ($63.12 today), one was allowed into the vehicle’s interior, presumably with a guided tour from the crew. It was sometime during this American tour that the crew changed the tank’s name from “Britannia” to “Liberty.” Appropriately, the tank and its crew were also the main attraction in the Liberty Day Parade in New York City. ... Liberty found its final home in 1919 when it was taken to northeastern Maryland and added to the collection of the newly established Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD ... . Since that time, it has remained one of the museum’s cornerstone attractions and has stood as a reminder of the significant advancements that have been made in armored warfare over the past century. Also, this tank is the subject of a Flickr album created by Flickr user Charlie Webb: [http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmwebbjr/sets/72157634959239855/]

This photo was taken on October 25, 1917 at the Liberty (Loan) Parade, s. article in The evening world., October 25, 1917, Final Edition, Image 1, "25,000 IN LIBERTY PARADE CHEERED BY BIG THRONGS; BRITISH "TANK" A FEATURE" chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1917-10-25/ed-... Similar photos are in the New-York tribune., October 26, 1917, Page 2 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1917-10-26/ed-... and in The sun., November 04, 1917, Section 4 Pictorial Magazine, Image 41 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1917-11-04/ed-....

TVL 1970: Unbelievable that this tank still exists! Thank you for all the information and the link to the paper on the Liberty's history and the current scanning and restoration project. B-59: Thank you for the better date for the parade. We will add more details when we update.

Wow!

"COURT HOUSE CRATER EASY FOR BRITISH TANK; Women on Recruiting Mission Go Down into Five Points No Man's Land-Jews Off to War. Under command of Captain Haigh of the British Army and manned by its crew of eight veteran English soldiers, all of whom have seen service at the front, the British Tank Britannia cruised the streets of downtown New York yesterday seeking recruits for the British army." On February 28, 1918, the tank went into and out of an excavation where the old Five Points was, planned for a courthouse. Three women came along, Mrs. Adolph Ladenburg, Mrs. Frederick Pearson Jr., and Miss Ray Slater. query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9902E7DA113FE433A...

Art Siegel The correct spelling is Adolph or Adolf Ladenburg. The Washington times., February 28, 1918, FINAL EDITION, Page 14 reported that Mrs. Adolf Ladenburg and Miss Ray Slater were guests of a dinner at the St. Regis, New York (col. 4, "Gives Dinner In New York") chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1918-02-28/ed-... S. also comments under www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/25390267712/ and www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/25415972981/

B-59 Spelling corrected, thanks.

"The most interesting war relic ever seen in America will be used in General White’s great recruiting campaign. This relic is none other than the tank Britannia, which has already been seen in New York and Canada, but is still a decided novelty to people all over the United States. The Britannia is a genuine British tank, and has seen service on the Flanders front. When it first appeared upon the streets of New York, it caused a great sensation us it lumbered along Fifth avenue. and later on was the biggest hit at the Hero Land bazaar. An extensive itinerary has been laid out for the tank and its crew of veterans, several of whom bear wounds received in the service. This novel land battleship carries six machine guns, and is an awe-inspiring sight as it moves over rough country and deep ditches with the same ease and speed it shows when it attacks the German trenches on the French front."
Cambridge Sentinel, Volume XV, Number 10, 26 January 1918
cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Se...

We have seen Britannia in New York before:

The New York Tribune also reported on this event in its March 1, 1918 edition: "Society Women Enjoy Ride Here In the Big British Tank Britannia War Machine Rumbles Through "No Man's Land" at the Municipal Building in Appeal for Volunteers for England and Canada British tank Britannia functioned yesterday before 3,000 spectators on the courthouse site behind the Municipal Building with three society women aboard. The fierce engine of destruction continued to do the constructive work of getting Britishers and Canadians to enlist. To Mrs. Adolph Ladenburg, Mrs. Frederick Pearson, Jr., and Miss S. Slater the honor of being the first New York women to ride in a tank was reserved. The rough, unlevel condition of the courthouse site gave the women an excellent indication of the sensation combatants experience when in tanks which climb hills and destroy mounds and obstructions as easily as a worm crawls. When the Britannia leaned violently toward front end Mrs. Ladenburg stuck her head out of a door at the top of the tank, and the spectators cheered her valor enthusiastically. When the women dismounted from the strange convenience they seemed none the worse for their experience, although their dresses were badly mussed. " chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1918-03-01/ed-...