Tanks, steam wagons and knocking off work at Rowntrees: 7 old photos sent in by readers

Colin's photograph was taken by his father, James. A second photograph taken the same day shows the field guns more clearly.

The tank itself was presented to York in 1919. York had, like many other towns and cities, staged a 'tank week' towards the end of the First World War at which war bonds and savings certificates were sold to raise money for weapons.

After the war, the government donated tanks to many of the towns and cities which had held tank weeks. York's, together with its field guns, stood behind some railings in Tower Gardens for 20 years or so, before being melted down at the start of the Second World War for metal.

James Allison's photo of field guns in Tower Gardens

Colin, now 87, distinctly remembers seeing the tank and the guns as a child. "I remember my father taking these photographs!" he says.

He believes the tank must have stood there until about 1940. "I went to Nunthorpe School in about 1940, and the tank was there then," he says.

Several other readers have also brought in photographs. These include:

Ron Cowl

Ron started work at the Sheppee Motor and Engineering Company in 1951 - and was moved to send this photograph in after seeing the photographs of old Sheppee steam vehicles which we carried a few weeks ago.

Ron Cowl's photo of a Sheppee steam wagon

John Meredith, who sent in those original photographs, described Col Francis Sheppee as running a glassworks on Thomas Street, off Hull Road - but said that he also turned out a few steam cars from his factory.

In fact, according to Wikipedia, the first steam-driven Sheppee vehicles were made in about 1912. It was only later, in the 1920s, that his company, Sheppee Engineering, was asked by National Glass to develop automated handling equipment for glass bottles.

Sheppee quickly grew, and expanded onto land on James Street, where it remained until 1993.

Ron's photograph appears to show an early Sheppee steam wagon - it is even described as that in lettering along the side. Ron accepts, however, that it doesn't look very much like a steam-powered vehicle. "Where is the boiler/chimney and who stokes it?" he asks.

What makes the photograph particularly interesting for him, he says, is that the person sitting in the cab is his own grandfather, a boilerman who died in 1935.

Ron came across the photograph by the purest coincidence while working at Sheppee.

"One day I was asked to take a sack of office paper waste out into the yard and burn it," he says. "I found two interesting photographs worth retaining (so) I asked permission to take them home." On getting them home, he showed them to his mother."That is my father on that truck!" she told him.

Geof Dickson

Geof sent us a wonderful photograph showing staff from Rowntree's in Haxby Road knocking off for lunch on a spring day in 1963.

Knocking off work at the Rowntree factory in 1963

But how does he know it was a spring day in 1963, since there's nothing on the caption?

Simple, he says.

"It is spring as the leaves are fresh on the trees, and it is 1963 for at least three reasons.

"The photo was taken from a high level, only available that spring, from the high level crane that was completing the widening of Haxby Road Bridge in 1963.

"The second reason is that the single decker bus to the left facing Haxby, was withdrawn in July/ August 1963. Thirdly, the Bond mini car behind the nearest double decker (acutely parked to the pavement) was owned by my office colleague's wife - who only had it for 6 months in early 1963!"

All the buses in the photo are lunchtime works specials which returned with workers an hour later, he says.

"The exception is the light green coach in the top right which had brought a party of visitors to tour the factory - no longer available."

John Hilton

John, a Holgate joiner, brought in a photo taken at RAF Linton on Ouse in about 1968. It shows employees of Sawdon & Simpson who were building new RAF houses. All of the workforce were related to at least one other person in the group, he says - and he'd love to know where they all are now. We have John's contact details, if anyone would like to get in touch.

Sawdon & Simpson workers building RAF houses at Linton on Ouse in 1968

Len Smith

Len brought in a photograph showing a street party in Chatsworth Terrace, off Poppleton Road, in 1947. His mum, Margaret (née Margaret Harrison) is standing in the back row of the photograph, with what looks like a white shawl or scarf covering her head. His auntie Norma, meanwhile, is in the nurses uniform standing second from right in the front row.

The 1947 street party in Chatsworth Terrace

There had been quite a lot of bomb damage in the area during the war, Len says. "There were quite a few houses that were hit, and I think the school - Poppleton Road School - took a direct hit as well."

Liz Ogden

You might recognise our last photo: we ran it a couple of weeks ago. It shows an ambulance train and crew on sidings at Leeman Road, and was sent in by reader Liz Ogden, whose mum, Everil Dobbie, is pictured fifth from left on the front row.

Ambulance train in York in the second world war

Unfortunately, we described the photograph as dating from 1915. Not so, says Liz - it was actually taken during the second world war, some time between 1939 and 1942.

Apologies, Liz. Given the later date of the photo, we wonder if readers recognise any of the other people pictured?