Tank floral display installed in Milnrow

The tank and floral display

A tank floral display has been installed on a patch of land near Kiln Lane in Milnrow.

In a fitting homage, the tank cutout occupies a derelict patch of land, which incidentally housed an authentic 23-ton female Mark IV training tank after the First World War.

After World War One, Milnrow tank 270 arrived at Milnrow Railway Station on 29 April 1919 and was then put into place near the bottom of Kiln Lane under the supervision of Captain Farrow, MO. £180,578 was raised during “Tank Week” by the people of Milnrow.

The 270 had a 108-horsepower engine and – when on active service – carried machine guns. The tank stayed at Kiln Lane until it was removed in 1934 due to health and safety concerns about children playing on and in it.

Ward councillor Irene Davidson said: “We wanted to do something with the site both for Pennines in Bloom and the centenary of the war. The original tank was a thank you to the people of Milnrow for their fundraising during WW1 in support of our soldiers and their country.

“As you travel through our borough, you will see something in every township, like the pop-up garden on Gracie Island.

“The shadow tank is our way of saying thank you to the people of the past as part of the Britain in Bloom competition.”

A plaque will be installed on the site.