urbanglasgow.co.uk

escotregen · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:20 am Post subject:

Hmm... that officer in the centre shows a rather 'jaunty' pose doesn't he? I wonder if he is the Julian that the proverbial tank was named after

_________________
We're no supposed to talk about that.

falseface · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:49 am Post subject:

Those cobbles are still there

_________________
Who farted?

Centurion · Buttered roll Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

The tanks are Medium Cs They are stationed inside a building in case they need to be deployed (hence the glass roof) and not in the square (a cobble is a cobble is a cobble). The picture of a Mk IV female tank with crowds and some soldiers id of Julian arriving as part of the War Bond Tank Bank fund raising campaign during the First World War and nothing to do with any strikes. This photo often appears as a depiction of the 'brutal suppression of the working man' etc! In fact heavy tanks were sent to Glasgow in 1919 but not deployed but these were Mk V Males (the Mk IV was no longer in service).

HollowHorn · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 4:45 pm Post subject:

Thanks Centurion, I think we have already established that the tank in the Trongate is 'Julian'. The Medium C's are stationed inside the Cattle Market on Belgrove St. Dennistoun.

Now to the interesting bit. You say that the tanks sent to Glasgow in 1919 were 'Mk V Males' and that the ones in the Cattle Market were 'Medium C's' My understanding then is that the the tanks in the Market were not the ones that arrived to break the strike. Is the 'Market' photo from the WW1 period & perhaps awaiting shipment to the continent?
Or have I misunderstood you?

Pee ess: (a cobble is a cobble is a cobble)

I have removed the butter from your roll for that sacreligious statement.

_________________
Flickr Pics

Centurion · Buttered roll Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

The Medium C did not enter service until after the War and did not see any service overseas (unless you count Ireland). There were two lots of tanks sent to Glasgow on two occassions. As I understand it the threat was more than enough and they didn't do much more than sit around in case the revolution broke out. I attach photo of the Mk Vs that went to Glasgow

Centurion · Buttered roll Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

Further information
After a major riot that followed a short general strike in Glasgow a detachment of the 5th Tank Batt. was despatched by rail to Glasgow "in support of the civil power" in Feb 1919. At that time the 5th were equiped with Mk Vs. The tanks were based at Maryhill Barracks until some time in 1921 (the photo posted earlier shows three of them still at Maryhill at that date). Apparently the tanks made a show of strength in the Gallowgate (and not the Trongate) in 1919 in conjunction with a major exercise in which thousands of troops fanned out from Maryhill and occupied the streets setting up heavy machine gun posts at strategic road junctions. The streets remained under military occupation for about a week. The riot act had been read and any attempt at crowd forming was largely supressed. The deployment was not so much a matter of strike breaking as a fear of a Bolshevick style rising.
The Medium Cs were despatched to Glasgow because of the 1922 miners strike but never deployed on the streets.

HollowHorn · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:40 pm Post subject:

Centurion · Buttered roll Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 4

bercause of various civil unrest in various parts of Britain (not to mention the Irish troubles) some demobbed soldiers were asked to re enlist on a one year rolling contract on, for the time, quite adventageous terms.

glasgowken · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:25 am Post subject:

Fascinating stuff

Thanks all.

cybers · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:55 pm Post subject:

Seconded...
This thread has burst into life again with even more interesting snippets of the time.
_________________
MY FLICKR