Landships II

James H · Legend

Mephisto Update.

CharlieC · Legend

I had an email a while ago from one of the curators at the Qld Museum. Current planning is that Mephisto will go to Canberra for further restoration,

when it returns it will go back to the Museum at South Bank. At that time he didn't know the timelines - I guess it depends on the availability of funds

to complete the renovations on the Musuem at South Bank.

Regards,

Charlie

James H · Legend

Hi, Charlie. Canberra? Times change. I remember a former curator at QM telling me that they daren't let Mephisto out of their sight, let alone allow the AWM anywhere near it, or they'd never get it back.

But I learn that Mark Whitmore, formerly of AWM is now at the IWM - that's some commute - so maybe the new regime sees Mephisto through less envious eyes. I dunno. You are our man on the spot.

Thylacine · Sergeant

Why send Mephisto to Canberra? What restoration process can they do there that can't be done at the Q-Rail workshops?

If Mephisto goes to Canberra I can see it being put on temporary display at the Australian War Memorial after restoration (?) and staying there, it is no secret that the AWM have wanted to put Mephisto in their collection for decades!

CharlieC · Legend

Thylacine wrote:
Why send Mephisto to Canberra? What restoration process can they do there that can't be done at the Q-Rail workshops?

If Mephisto goes to Canberra I can see it being put on temporary display at the Australian War Memorial after restoration (?) and staying there, it is no secret that the AWM have wanted to put Mephisto in their collection for decades!

I have no idea what the reasoning is. I can ask though.

Regards,

Charlie

CharlieC · Legend

Mephisto is being moved to Canberra until 2017/18

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/mephisto-the-tank-kept-under-wraps-for-new-mission-20150611-ghlo4x.html

Regards,

Charlie

James H · Legend

That will give them time to get the historical facts right.

CharlieC · Legend

James H wrote:
That will give them time to get the historical facts right.

I wouldn't be optimistic about that outcome. I've tried a couple of times to nudge the local media clowns in the right direction when they are writing crap about Mephisto but the historical

facts don't seem to have a role in their stories.

Regards,

Charlie

Pzkpfw-e · Commander in Chief

I'm surprised they don't claim that Hitler commanded it & Montgomery was involved in its capture!

Pzkpfw-e · Commander in Chief

www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/mephisto-the-tank-kept-under-wraps-for-new-mission-20150611-ghlo4x.html

RCD · Lieutenant-Colonel

Pzkpfw-e wrote:
I'm surprised they don't claim that Hitler commanded it & Montgomery was involved in its capture!

Don't be silly it was Patten that captured it single handed with his silver pistol.

I must admit the report with 'Souvenired by Queensland soldiers in July 1918' is a cracking way of explaining how it ended up in Australia.

green_acorn · Captain

Mephisto has always technically been an AWM piece on-loan to the Qld Museum, and it was the Qld Museum that allowed it to be flooded in 2011. Even as a long term (30yrs) resident of Qld I would prefer Mephisto to be on permanent display at the AWM, at least it will be looked after.

Cheers,

Hendo

Gwyn Evans · Legend

From reading newspaper reports of presentation tanks around 1919 or 1920, it would seem that the verb "to souvenir" meaning "to purloin a part or whole of something as a memento" was in regular use at the time. Only the noun seems to be in use today.

Gwyn

CharlieC · Legend

Let's not create more myths about Mephisto please. The AWM wasn't formed until 1919 as a continuation of the Australian War Records Section formed in 1917 at the urging of Charles Bean (official war historian). The AWM didn't have a building in Canberra until 1941. Mephisto was supposed to go to Melbourne with the rest of the war trophies on the SS Armagh in 1919. The war trophies were supposed to be allocated to various towns and organisations by a war trophies organisation which happened in 1919-21. The Armagh was diverted to Brisbane where Mephisto was unloaded and then proceeded to Melbourne. There's a 10cm K04 gun at Nundah for which there are no records - I suspect it may have been unloaded in Brisbane at the same time Mephisto was. The AWM was allocated a representative sample of the trophy guns by the war trophies committee but did not claim ownership over all the trophy weapons.

I think the Queensland State Government actually owns Mephisto via the Queensland Museum - it's officially on loan to the AWM until 2017.

Regards,

Charlie