Poelcapelle 1917 Association vzw The saga of building a Mark IV tank replica

High visit !

2011-09-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

This summer David Fletcher and Geoffrey Vesey-Holt did visit the tankreplica and it's powerpack. Both are admiring the powerpack setup driving the chains of the excavator. Dirk en Johan are on the commands. Luc, George and Jerome are watching too with big eyes. David was saying the sound did resemble almost perfectly the one of a real Mark and he should know it, having driven one.
Why did someone tell us the RTR would not be interested in this tankreplica ? Geoffrey, the RTR historian is more than interested ...and so is the RTR. To be continued.

Right now, Dirk and Johan are engineering how this powerpack can be built together with the existing framework, this latter one needing to be heavily reinforced in order to be able to support the 17m tracks on each side. New sponsoring is also being hunted for ...

first step of second phase : something is already running

2011-06-08T10:27:00.001-07:00

31st May we were invited by Robert Vandaele in the workshops of Vandaele Machinery at Oostrozebeke, because he has finished the work he promised : the excavator tracks we bought last summer were able to be driven by the Gardner motor via the hydraulic pump. All this material is bought second hand and was put together into running condition by Robert in the workshops of Vandaele Machinery. Unnecesarry to say Robert is now eternally linked to this tankproject and we ow him a lot. Without him this second phase of making the framework mobile would not have been possible, while a lot of thanks must go also to Georges, who's making this financially possible.
Georges is standing besides me in the beginning of the film, I'm the youngest chap, while Robert in his grey-red coloured overall is operating the motor. At the end I'm operating the hydraulic pump levers, testing both directions. Unnecessary to say I was and still am marvelled ...

To have a first idea about what we are talking about, have a look at the youtube film :

Moving the excavator parts to Oostrozebeke

2011-02-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

Monday 14 february, Robert Vandaele of Vandaele Machineries out of Oostrozebeke who is now already about 2 years advising and helping us getting our frame mobile on tracks, came to load the excavator pieces who arrived last summer.

He's also picking up a Gardner 100hp 6 cylinder oldtimer in Kortemark we bought to build everything together and to test all the pieces.

As Robert and now his children are dealers of JCB, we also bought the undercarriage of a JCB 200LC. Besides that it's an UK excavator for what was a UK tank.

first working, afterwards the beer ...

big Vandaele machinery ...

indeed, yellow passion on the move !

Robert, as we know him, very dedicated and invaluable for this phase of the project.

Thanks Robert !

Georges and his brother Sylvain, second World War orphins ..., because their father helped a Polish pilot escaping

piling

Robert busy inspecting everything

everything ready to move on

Powerpack in the making !

2011-01-23T06:20:00.001-08:00

After seemingly much wasted time, we keep on working and thinking behind the walls !

Last week some components for our powerpack did arrive out of UK thanks to Robert Vandaele an d Vandaele Machinery out of Oostrozebeke who will put together the powerpack under the supervision of Robert, ex-ceo and father of the nowadays management.

Still waiting for the motor that will be an oldtimer : 6 cylinder 150hp Gardner ! Not the original Daimler but still a remarkable and reliable piece of old technology. Thanks to Robert who located it and who will set it up. Indeed Robert is playing a major role in this phase of our tankbuilding.

Some photographs will clarify the situation a bit :

radiator and reservoirs

hydraulic pump

Gardner motor as it is now

First step of second phase effectively set !

2010-08-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

More than two years after the realisation of the framework, a new step was effectively set for the building of the replica tank. A lot has happenend besides this project and around tanks and Poelkapelle. In the meanwhile contacts were made, visits were done, an idea was formed how to go on, new people got involved and most of all money was made available by private sponsoring.

I'm proud to announce that we just bought and received the undercarriage of a 20 ton excavator on chains that have the same dimensions as the tank. In further months we will do other purchases so we can assemble the whole perhaps next winter to get the framework mobile on tracks on it's own.

Only facts that are accomplished do appear here. So it's not no addition is done, or you don't hear of it, the project is dead. Not at all, but this take it's time.

And perhaps already another" thank you" to Robert Vandaele of Vandaele Machinery in Oostrozebeke for sharing his knowledge !

Usefull excavator located at Warburtons near Manchester !

Arrival of the pieces of the beast !

Georges always ready to help in every way ...

A happy project manager, but now it only begins seriously...

Action again ?

2009-04-07T13:46:00.001-07:00

Exactly one year after the start of the building of the framework, after a half year of making plans and contacting people we're ready to make a further step : getting the framework mobile on tracks !

In the meantime, a very generous private sponsor made this next move possible !

A first step was borrowing a real trackshoe as a model to replicate it.
Where else is this possible than from Philippe Gorczynski in Cambrai ?

And to make it complete : the framework attracted the attention of a British ex-RTR Chris Lock who is arranging everything with our help to place a Tank Memorial for the whole Ypres Salient in our own Poelkapelle. What a symbolic place and what a support for our own tankproject !

You can find out more about the monument to be erected at : http://www.tankmemorial.vpweb.co.uk/

Both to be continued ...

First public appearance

2008-10-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last 14 and 28 september 2008 the tankchassis was on display in the center of Poelkapelle so everyone could see it with his own eyes. It was accompanied by a small show of about 70 photo's about Damon II himself between 1917 and 1941 in Poelkapelle.
Thanks to Gilbert Degandt, Georges Buyse and Bert for making this possible.
Thanks to Luc, Dirk en Olivier Van Moeffaert for permanence at the show.
Kurt Vandewalle made two marvellous photo's of the tankchassis in Poelkapelle and was so generous to allow us to show them on this blog.

You can see more of the openingevening on Friday 12 september at :
http://www.wo1.be/ned/evenementen/erbij/2008/september/PoelkapelleOMD20080912/body1.htm
thanks to Robert Missinne !

paintingworks started

2008-09-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

last week on 2/3 and 4 september the host of the tank frame Georges painted the tank using air pressure. As a former staircaseconstructor he has lots of experience and proposed us to do himself the job. And what a job he did. It's marvellous. Did we at first think about putting canvas around the frame for it's public appearance on 14 and 28 september, now we dare not anymore. Otherwise we would cover the work of all the volunteers : Dirks frame design, Stijn en my cutting and construction work, Hermans (only non-volunteer) welding work. Further Bert, Dirk and Hermans wheel construction and finally but not last Georges marvellous painting work. How on earth would I dare to cover all this work ?
The photo's below were taken at the evening of 2 september. In the meanwhile on 4 september it was completely painted, but photo's are still to be taken. Enjoy. Do not hesitate to write some reactions to support this volunteers !

George and on the left his brother

George rightly proud of his work !

special visitor

2008-08-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

today I had a special visitor : my own mum ! She always talked about the tank on the market, her grandfather living just besides it. On sundaymorning she sat near the door, my grandgrandfather owning a grocery store and the farmers shopping on sunday she received from time to time something sweet to eat, looking at the boys playing around, in at on the tank. It's partly due to her stories we started this crazy project. After she left I made some other photographs ...

official visitors !

2008-08-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

Today thanks to councilmember Lieven almost the whole villagecouncil was on a visit to see what we make. We proposed to them to put it again on the marketplace, where it once stood, but we know they are not in favour of this ...

Tank made temporary mobile !

2008-08-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

On saturday when everyone was back from holidays and at the same time available Bert, Dirk and Herman did make the tank temporary mobile. Let me remarkt this in indeed a temporary solution in order to get it out of the workshop and get it shown to the public in the next month. Our final solution should be as a real tank ...
We had a lot of help and hospitality of Georges also who owns the workshop. Jef provided most of the material for free, a wheel came from Luc and Kristof helped fixing a flat band. Without all these people we would not stand where we now are. As a bit the promotor of the tankbuilding I was very glad seeing the tank changing without my effective help.
We made the images below that day that speak for themselves.
If anyone is interested seeing the tank in realtime you can make an appointment.

Bert in action

Herman watching for some time

Dirk and Johan talking

a visitor

a sponson

difficult corners ...

Bert dreaming of conducting it ...

Berts wife and childeren with coffee and cookies

Johan already thinking about the following step ...

making it mobile

2008-07-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

In order to make the tank a bit more mobile, but having not much money we finally find old pieces we can use. In a project like ours you have to be very inventive and not being feared of doing something with your own hands getting dirty. Besides this wheels are only temporarily waiting for real tracks ! Many thanks to Jef uncle of Olivier !

building the tanksponsons

2008-07-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

The two same Stijn and Johan with the help of Herman who did the former construction were on july 1st, 3rd and 10th working on the difficult framework for the sponsons !

little tank finished

2008-06-20T05:29:00.000-07:00

At the end of the schoolyear students at VTI Ieper have to propose and defend their thesis :
Stijn and Armand did a marvellous job !

small tank is being made

2008-05-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

Stijn, who did most of the constructing work, a student at VTI Ieper, made his thesis together with Armand around the Mark IV tank ! This is at the openschooldays, the tank not yet finished, Stijn already being very proud.

2008-04-27T04:59:00.000-07:00

In the weekend of 26-27 april 2008 we had our first visitors !

it's new temporary home

2008-04-22T04:50:00.000-07:00

relocating the monstrous frame-work

2008-04-21T04:15:00.000-07:00

On monday 21st april 2008 we moved the almost finished frame-work from the workingplace of Herman Persyn Bruggestraat in Poelkapelle to the other side of the village : we were welcome in the old stairfactory of Georges Buyse ! We were very lucky the local firm Vandenbroucke out of Passendale were prepared to do the move supporting the project.

a week later, definitive assembling

2008-04-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

2008-04-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

preliminary assembling :

it resembles a tank ...

2008-04-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

further building

2008-04-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

2008-04-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

back to work :

no work at the tank

2008-04-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

today was a resting day what concerns tank building, instead we
digged in the archives at Brussels and we paid the real tank a visit :

2008-04-01T13:19:00.001-07:00

2008-03-31T12:44:00.000-07:00