A REPLICA Mark IV tank, similar
to that presented to the town of
Waltham Cross following the Great
War, has been mounted on the
same plinth constructed for its
forbear, Craig Moore reports.
On July 1 the replica was driven
into Cedars Park in Waltham Cross,
Hertfordshire, 12 miles north-
northeast of London. The project
was funded by the Borough of
Broxbourne as part of the centennial
anniversary of the Great War, in
memory of the men and women whoNew Presentation Tank
for Waltham Cross
This Mark IV Female tank, number 2740, saw action in France during 1917 and 1918. It
was given to Cheshunt Urban District Council as a presentation tank and mounted on a
plinth in Cedars Park, Waltham Cross. (POSTCARD)12 http://www.britainatwar.comBRIEFING ROOM^ |^ News^ •^ Restoration^ •^ Discoveries • Events • Exhibitions from around the UK
lost their lives during that conflict.
From 1919, many British towns
and cities were offered tanks in
recognition of the substantial sums
they raised to help fund the war
effort. These ‘presentation tanks’
were used as memorials, with some
placed in town squares, in front
of churches or cathedrals, next to
medieval city walls or in local parks.
Cheshunt Urban District Council
(now the Borough of Broxbourne)
received its Mark IV Female tank in- It was placed on a concrete
plinth in Cedars Park and remained
there until 1940, when, amid a
greater national struggle, the council
authorised it to be cut up for scrap.
In May 1940 it was dismantled by
Messrs Cox and Danks for £27, 16
shillings and 10 pence.
Records show that this Mark IV
tank (hull number 2740) saw action
in France during the Third Battle of
Ypres with ‘D’ Battalion, Tank Corps.
On August 22, 1917, 2740 received
a direct hit from a German shell
and was one of four tanks put outof action the night before a planned
attack. She was repaired.
From 1918, Mark IVs were
gradually replaced by the Mark V, but
the older tanks were often retained
for use in support roles. The Cedars
Park tank was converted into a
‘top draw sledge hauler’. A large
rectangular block was attached to
the roof, at the rear between the
unditching beam rails. Two cables
ran from this to a large wooden
sledge that would be packed with
fuel cans, rations and ammunition.The unditching beam rails had to be
modified to allow the beam to slide
past the added block, the curve in
both rails is visible near the rear of
the tank. The towing block is also
still visible.
In 2006, a working Mark IV Male
tank replica was constructed by
Dr Tony Cooke and Kevin Jepson
for the film Magic Flute. It appeared
in several other productions including
Wonder Woman, Transformers 5,
episode three of In Love and War and
Tommy. It was a deliberately shorter
than original Mark IVs to enable
better movement around on set.
In 2018 it was decided to use the
engine and track system from this
tank to construct a working replica
of a Medium Mark A ‘Whippet’.
The Borough of Broxbourne offered
to buy the external body if it could
be converted into a memorial.
Conversion work started in early
2019 and progressed quickly, being
The Cedars Park, Waltham Cross replica presentation tank was installed on July 1, 2019. (TONY COOKE) completed by June. ∎On the back of the replica there are two logos. They serve as a salute to the movies this tank
has appeared in: Transformers on the left and Wonder Woman on the right. (TONY COOKE)