Tank Banks facts for kids
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Tank Banks was a cool way the British government raised money during World War I. They used six huge Mark IV tanks to travel around England, Scotland, and Wales. The main goal was to encourage people to buy special government investments called War Bonds and War Savings Certificates. These helped pay for the war.
Contents
How the Tank Banks Started
Tanks in London
In November 1917, two tanks joined London's famous Lord Mayor's Show. People were really excited about tanks because they had just helped a lot in a big fight called the Battle of Cambrai. Everyone was amazed by these new "wonder weapons."
The National War Savings Committee, a group that helped save money for the war, saw how popular the tanks were. They decided to use this excitement to sell War Bonds and War Saving Certificates. So, on November 26, 1917, a battle-worn tank named "Egbert" (Tank 141) was brought from France. It was put on display in Trafalgar Square in London.
Tanks Tour the Country
The idea worked so well that the campaign spread across the whole country. The touring tanks would stay in a town or city for a week. Inside the tank, two young women would sell war bonds.
To make it more fun, towns and cities competed against each other. The place that invested the most money per person (meaning for every person living there) would win the tank "Egbert."
The town that won was West Hartlepool. They raised an amazing £31 9s 1d per person between October 1918 and January 1919. "Egbert" arrived in West Hartlepool on April 29, 1919. It stayed there until 1937. The town council then voted to scrap the tank, with 20 votes to 12.
What Happened at a Tank Bank Event
The Big Arrival
When a tank arrived, it was a huge event! Important local leaders and famous people would greet the tank. Often, speeches were given from on top of the tank itself. Soldiers and even artillery guns would come with the tank. Sometimes, an airplane would fly over the town and drop flyers. These flyers told people to invest their money.
The tank would also put on a show for the crowds. It would drive around to show off what it could do. Each town or city had a goal for how much money they wanted to raise. The amount raised by each place was shared in national newspapers. This made the competition even stronger, especially between the bigger cities.
The Touring Tanks
Six tanks traveled around the country for the Tank Banks campaign:
- Tank 113 "Julian"
- Tank 119 "Old Bill"
- Tank 130 "Nelson"
- Tank 137 "Drake"
- Tank 141 "Egbert"
- Tank 142 "Iron Ration"
Money Raised
The Tank Banks campaign raised over £2 million in total investments. Here are some of the top cities and how much they raised:
- Glasgow: £14,563,714
- Birmingham: £6,703,439
- Edinburgh: £4,764,639
- Manchester: £4,430,000
- Bradford: £4,060,000
- London (2 weeks): £3,423,261
- Newcastle: £3,068,768
- Swansea: £2,180,939
- Hull: £2,186,820
- Leicester: £2,063,250
- Liverpool: £2,061,012
- West Hartlepool: £2,367,333 – which was £37 per person!
- Sunderland: £2,305,000
- Aberystwyth: £682,448 – this was £75.80 per person, the highest in the whole British Empire! Their goal was £25,000.
Special Presentation Tanks
In 1919, the Treasury (the government's money department) decided to give 264 "war-battered" tanks to different towns and cities. This was a thank-you gift for their great fundraising efforts. The National War Savings Committee chose which towns would get a tank.
These tanks were usually placed in parks or public spaces. But because there wasn't enough money to look after them, or people just didn't care much, most of them ended up rusting away.
Almost all of these special tanks were sold for scrap metal or destroyed before World War II ended. Only one of these presentation tanks still exists today! It's the one in Ashford. It survived mainly because an electricity power station was built inside it in 1929. This tank is now a Registered War Memorial, meaning it's officially recognized as an important reminder of the war.
See also
- Warship Week
- National Savings and Investments
