Sunderland Tank Week
A visit to Sunderland's Tank Bank 'Nelson' on 25 January 1918
From: 21-Jan-1918
To: 26-Jan-1918
Civil Parish: Sunderland
Sunderland Tank Week, 21-26 January 1918, was part of a national savings campaign to raise money for the war effort. Specially converted tanks toured towns and cities throughout the country to act as temporary ‘tank banks’ where people could invest in Government war bonds and savings certificates. The tank that visited Sunderland was called ‘Nelson’. It was located in an enclosure in West Sunniside.
On Friday 25 January the 4th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, stationed at Seaham Harbour, made a special visit to Sunderland to invest in the saving scheme. Here is how the event was described in the battalion’s war diary:
January 1918
Friday 25
The Battalion paraded as strong as possible at 8.45 am and marched to Sunderland. The Musketry Party at Whitburn joined the Battalion at Christ’s Church. The Battalion then marched to the ‘Tank Bank’ and invested over £5,000 in War Bonds and War Savings Certificates.
The Battalion was inspected at Sunderland on the line of march by Brigadier F. English, CMG, DSO, and Brigadier General Hibbert, the new GOC No. 1 Section, Tyne Garrison.
The war diary entry is accompanied by a copy of reports of the visit in the local press:
TANK WEEK – SUNDERLAND
In connection with the Sunderland Tank Week officers and men of a Battalion of The Durham Light Infantry have invested nearly £5,000, an interesting example, as a correspondent points out, of soldiers paying as well as fighting.
TANK BANKS
A Battalion’s Subscription of £5,000
The subscriptions received by the Tank Bank Nelson at Sunderland yesterday included nearly £5,000 from the officers and men of a Battalion of the Durham Light infantry. The Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry appealed to the women. They could not all fight or work in munition works, she said, but they could all save money and invest it.
The receipts of the Tank Banks yesterday were:-
Nottingham………….£742,500 Total…………….£2,200,000
Preston………………£103,696 Total………………£854,476
Leith………………….£383,346 Total…………….£1,112,573
Sunderland………….£343,000
On its visit to Sunderland the War Bond Tank not only collected a good sum from residents and work people towards the national funds but received nearly £5,000 invested by officers and men of the Durham Light Infantry, a fine example to others of enthusiasm by men who are willing to pay as well as fight.
SUNDERLAND’S TANK
Another Good Day’s Work
A striking event in connection with the Sunderland Tank Bank yesterday was the presence in the morning of a Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry. They had marched in from the neighbouring town of Seaham Harbour, and had invested, on behalf of officers and men, over £5,000 in War Bonds and War Savings Certificates.
After the investment had been made the men and a crowd of civilian spectators were addressed by the Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry. She appealed to everyone to make the Tank’s visit the greatest success of any Tank Week. “We cannot all fight” said her Ladyship, “but a great many of those who are wearing petticoats wish they could”. All could save and put their savings in the Tank Bank. She herself intended that morning to invest £500. “It is not much, but, between you and me,” she added, “there is a limit even to the allowance of the Dowager Marchioness of Londonderry”. She had been authorised, she stated, by the Committee of the Durham Sailors’ Day Fund to invest the sum of £10,000 which she herself had collected in the County of Durham. The interest of this money would be applied to the education of the sons of searfaring officers and men who had lost their lives in the war. Of this £10,000 Mr J. Westoll, shipowner, had given £1,250.
Placards have been posted throughout the town bearing the words “Sunday next is the Kaiser’s birthday. Let Sunderland’s greeting be three millions”, while another reads “Kaiser’s birthday, Sunday next, Nelson accepts gifts for him”. The name of the Tank is Nelson.
Durham County Record Office ref. D/Bo/F 355 (M83/6)
North East War Memorials Project: Nelson the Tank Bank
http://www.newmp.org.uk/article.php?categoryid=100&articleid=1328&displayorder=22
Contributed by Durham County Record Office
