“Town Tanks
How to preserve them.

Tanks have now been presented to many cities and towns as a tribute to their patriotic efforts during the great war. Each city and town so honoured should arrange for proper care and attention to be bestowed upon its charge, so as to keep it always a proud and fitting memorial to an arm of the service which did so much to save the lives of many thousands of citizen soldiers. The tank should rest upon a firm concrete foundation of ample area, so that on wet days visitors may not carry mud into the interior.

The interior of the hull and roof should be well cleaned and thoroughly painted at regular intervals, and the wonderful “dazzle” and “Futurist” effects may be used with advantage. But if camouflage is not possible, a good serviceable brown colour may be used without departing from realism, as, indeed, many tanks went into action plainly painted and with no attempts at cunning disguise.

The tracks or road chains should be very thoroughly treated, else they will soon show signs of rust and decay, and as it is not practicable to keep them bright, they should be painted a colour as near the natural steel as possible. A tank crew dearly loved to have all the inside of the machine white in colour, and it is doubtful of their choice can be improved upon, with a dull black for the engine.

For the rest, brass work and steel rods should be kept bright and clean, and this duty could well be included in the daily routine of an employee of the local council. In wet weather and at night, the roof of the machine should be covered with tarpaulin.”