British Mark IV Female Tank, No 245

British Mark IV Female Tank, No 245. . This tank was presented to the people of Ashford on 1 August 1919 by Captain Walter Farrar MC, F Battalion Tank Corps in recognition of their splendid response to the National War Savings appeal. Now a Grade II Listed War Memorial, Ashford's Tank is the sole surviving example on public display in the country., The Invention of the Tank , At the outbreak of the First World War, Europe faced a conflict that was unlike any experienced before. The technological advances of the early 20th century resulted in heavier artillery, better weaponry and more gruelling fighting. Faced with these prospects, the British War Office required a new type of weapon to overcome these odds. The result was the 'Tank', a code name given to disguise these new armoured vehicles as humble water tanks. They were used for the first time at the Battle of Flers-Courcellette with minimal success, with many breaking down or being immobilised by artillery fire., The Battle of Cambrai , Undeterred the British Army commissioned more tanks and between 1916 and 1918 various new models or 'marks' rolled off the production line. The Mark IV being the most popular of these, with 1,220 built including 420 'Males', 595 'Females' and 205 Tank Tenders. The Battle of Cambrai in 1917 was the first time the Mark IVs were used to a large extent. Despite initial success, over half of the 476 tanks were out of action by the first day. However the battle demonstrated that tanks had a role to play and led the way for more sophisticated armoured warfare in future conflicts., Ashford's Mark IV Tank , The Mark IV also played an important role on the home front. Many of the training vehicles from Bovington toured the UK to encourage purchases from the National War Savings appeal. After the war 265 of the Mark IVS were gifted to the towns that had raised the most. Ashford was one of those towns and on 1 August 1919, No '245' was delivered by rail and met by a Tank Corps Crew who drove it to St. George's Square, where it has remained ever since. She was de-activated by the removal of her rear drive sprockets and in 1929 her engine was removed to allow an electricity substation to be installed, which was in use until 1972., Specification of the Mark IV Female Variant: , Weight: 26 tons , Length: 26ft 5in , Width: 10ft 6in , Height: 8ft 10in , Road Speed: 3.7 mph , Fuel Capacity: 70 gallons , Engine: 105 bhp Daimler-Foster 6 cylinder Sleeve Valve , Crew: 8 (Commander, Driver, 2 Gearsmen, 4 Gunners) , Armament: 5.303 Lewis Machine Guns , Radius of Action: 35 Miles