sherman still buried under leeds post office

hi fella's

this is one for the sherman register :-D i came across this story while having a look for old scrap yards trying to find a tank or two that had been overlooked by everyone else (it's still possible).

the link will guide you to the yorkshire evening post archives where the story is told of some builders finding a sherman while digging footings for a printworks in 1973 and apparently it's still there, which isn't that surprising as there wasn't as much interest in ww2 mv's as there is now.the site is now a postal sorting office.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/features/Retro-January-1973--All.6021617.jp

the other link will confirm the story

http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messages.aspx?ThreadID=388

anyone need more stamps picking up while i'm there :cool2:

eddy

I don't suppose they're prepared to pull down the post office ?

I used to test the weighing scales at that printing works back in the 80s. I enjoyed doing that visit because they had pictures of the Sherman in their reception area. Despite what it says in the links above I'm certain that one photo showed it AFTER it had been recovered and refitted with a turret and there was also a photo of it turret-less in the hole. There was also a story with it.

I can't remember where it went - Lincolnshire and a hotel or restaurant rings a vague bell.

It's a long time ago but I'm sure this is right. Shermans weren't exactly run of the mill when you were doing weights & measures inspections so it made a lasting impression.

I'll call one of the lads I used to work with. He might remember.

thanks ivor, if you could chase it up for us it might help if someone were to attempt a recovery one day.

thanks again

eddy

As an archaeologist, there is a saying i like to go by,

"If in doubt, dig it out"! :-D

Well there is a similar story of sherman tanks and half tracks buried after the war in what used overspill land or a rail storage area when cambridge used to have an enormous rail marshalling yard as did march in the fens the area where they were buried in cambridge is now a b+q superstore and a large honda garage apparently they dug an enormous hole and drove them in and then filled in the hole.

What a bloody waste if you ask me ! Everytime i go in b+q my misses goes on about paint or this and that for the house i can feel them under my feet and it irritates me i cant dig em out

That part of cambridge could do with a re landscape if you ask me :cool2:

Intersting story -shame no-one has anything on whether it was saved or just went to the scrapyard again- most likely but possible it went to one of the more reculsive collectors although I would have thought in view of the time it would have re-appeared by now.

There are a number of stories of stuff being buried around cambridge mainly in cores of levies or dykes or whatever the cambridge term for a flood defence embankment, I certainly can remember a DH Dove fuslage being used to fill a gap.

steve

Not to mention all the LVTs in 1954.

Well there is a similar story of sherman tanks and half tracks buried after the war in what used overspill land or a rail storage area when cambridge used to have an enormous rail marshalling yard as did march in the fens the area where they were buried in cambridge is now a b+q superstore and a large honda garage apparently they dug an enormous hole and drove them in and then filled in the hole.

 

What a bloody waste if you ask me ! Everytime i go in b+q my misses goes on about paint or this and that for the house i can feel them under my feet and it irritates me i cant dig em out

 

That part of cambridge could do with a re landscape if you ask me :cool2:

I can quite believe that. Back with the Mob i was at Waterbeach teaching ADR and basic plant to the TA. We developed an area for plant training, where during normal training it was not unusual to dig up complete engines that had ben dumped after the war. Unfortunatley they were all absolutly rank piles of corrosion as the ground thier is rather soggy. Another airfield ws being landscaped to make it somewhat more lumpy for the infantry to play in. This required quite a bit of material so a lake was decided on, round and round the scrapers went and as a result an awfull lot of 50 cal ammo crates had the tops snipped off ! Eod had a pleasant time tidying it all up.

The old fable of the redundant rail tunnels being filled up with war surplus and sealed has always intriged me????

Regards

Tim

Adrian Barrell

Not to mention all the LVTs in 1954.

Yes, probably the last resting place for a few neptunes Dukws and maybe the odd terrapin- unfortunaetly the ground condition will not be kind to anything ferrous.

Steve

I can quite believe that. Back with the Mob i was at Waterbeach teaching ADR and basic plant to the TA. We developed an area for plant training.

Regards

Tim

I did the compactor course at Waterbeach when i was in the T.A. Lovely bit of kit. Are they still there?

Here's one buried tank that made it back to the surface: Tank Cruiser Mark V** A13

For some reason it was buried, after the war, on a farm near Dorking. It was subsequently rediscovered, dug up and restored

Rumour has it, they found another buried A13 Cruiser. But it was not recovered as the museum already had one, and subsequently the site was developed into a housing estate. Eddy, you're going to be busy

There's even rumour of a Tiger 1 buried under a Holden car factory in Australia.

Mind you, there's also one in every swamp, bog or river between the Oder & Moscow!

I found some photos of a very large hole that some enterprising Russians had dug in a road, to find one of these mythical Tigers, cutting off a village in the process.

There is most definately, a Tiger II buried under the D913 near Mantes-la-Jolie.

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://251.pressflex.net/news/fullstory.php/aid/4651/Le_Tigre_dormait_sous_la_route.html&ei=aYh6TJP2OMvn4AbkoqHRBg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCQQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Bruno%2BRenoult%2522%2Btiger%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26prmd%3Do

i'll start a thread on buried and abandoned tanks for us armour freaks to enjoy

eddy

mcspool

Rumour has it, they found another buried A13 Cruiser.

Evidenty under a vin yard there were 2 Covenanters a Maltida 2 possibly a Baron or similar and a Medium Mk2. The only vehicle confirmed and recovered was the Covenanter Mk3 now at Bovington. The tanks were used for training for locally stationed Canadian Infantry, abandoned after D.Day they were evidently buried as local vehicle depot would not accept them due to their poor condition and lack of mobility.

Pzkpfw-e

There's even rumour of a Tiger 1 buried under a Holden car factory in Australia.

Every EW is a Tiger -much more likely to be a Type 95 or similar, considering the difficulties they had moving Cents around in the 1950s a Tiger would have been a logistic nightmare.

eddy8men

i'll start a thread on buried and abandoned tanks

Sounds like a good idea -all the truely mad under one heading:D

Steve

I'll call one of the lads I used to work with. He might remember.

Darn! I've spoken to my former colleague but he can't have been with me when I visited the place because he has no recollection of the tank. He's keen on military vehicles and he would definitely have remembered it if he'd been there. Sorry I can't shed any more light on this.

I'm SURE it was recovered and at least tarted up and made to look complete cosmetically if not properly restored. This would have been in the 70s. Surely it wouldn't have been scrapped again, so where is it now?

thanks ivor for your input

eddy

Hi eddy

Reading your post looking for old scrapyard sites is either highly motivated, desparate or just plain insane, I wouldn't think by the 1970's the local authorities would allow a vehicle even as substancial as a sherman to remain in a foundation for a new building- even single story, the risks would be too high and things had moved on since the 1940s.

Steve

you're right steve a strip foundation cannot have a tank in it and must be the same substrate, otherwise you will have differential settlement which is a no no but it could be that the tank was found whilst doing groundworks ie digging out for pipework or possibly under the slab which might get past the building control, it's feasible. i was actually looking for info on wards scrapyard in sheffield which had afv's but it's long gone now, however what we have to remember is that although the yard has gone who knows what lies just under the surface :nut: i read on another forum that pounds scrapyard is going to be redeveloped and god only knows what got pushed into the mud there !!!

eddy

Yes I take your point, the Building Inspector in Windsor almost had a fit when we found an anicent, possibly Queen Anne, cess pit about 2metres from our strip trench- but we were allowed to fill it without involving the archeologists:D, doubt we'd get away with it today:(.

I assume you mean Wards in Shefield -not a 100% certain but I think its under the Meadowhall centre, so digging is really going to upset the shoppers in H&M and Monsoon.

Pounds one thing certain the ground is probably so messed up to properly decontaminate they will have to dig down at least several metres or it will make Love Canal in Niagara look like a minor incident:-(.

Steve

i read on another forum that pounds scrapyard is going to be redeveloped and god only knows what got pushed into the mud there !!!

Nothing. Pounds Yard was not a marsh, the ground is hard enough to carry hundreds of tons of scrap steel.

If you really want to locate buried tanks, do not speculate but investigate.

In 1959 a Panther was raised from the river Maas. Some people had high hopes it survived somewhere but it has been confirmed it was sent to the blast furnaces and melted down. Case closed.

I did the compactor course at Waterbeach when i was in the T.A. Lovely bit of kit. Are they still there?

To be honest i dont know but i doubt it very much. We got them on the back of Chatenden closing down and it made more sense to have all the ADR kit together. Even when we recieved them we were trailing the new hydraulic hammer to go on the front of the terrex heavy wheely. Bit more flexible and handy to use compared to the beast.

I actually got on with the compactor OK.......many others hated the bloody thing tho. Had to fail a couple of guys on thier course as they bottled the safety checks, one bloke jumped out of the cab when the overhoist bells went off! Nearly compacted the bloody front end!

Best stop or we will disapear into the engineer section!!!!!

Regards

Tim

Nothing. Pounds Yard was not a marsh, the ground is hard enough to carry hundreds of tons of scrap steel.

 

If you really want to locate buried tanks, do not speculate but investigate.

 

In 1959 a Panther was raised from the river Maas. Some people had high hopes it survived somewhere but it has been confirmed it was sent to the blast furnaces and melted down. Case closed.

Have no fear Ricks more than willing to investigate the long shots

"if you really want to locate buried tanks, do not speculate but investigate."

hey man i'm investigating believe me, i'm investigating this hobby has a way of getting hold of you, which would be great if i was retired but i'm a long way from retiring but it's an enjoyable journey all the same, there's nothing like the thrill of a lead on a tank.

eddy

just walk in post office with sawn off and say this is a tank robbery ! :laugh: