WW1 Period British Ceramic Porcelain Bank In The Tank Money Box

For sale is a WW1 Period British Ceramic “Bank In The Tank” Fundraising Campaign Money Box. This “Bank in the tank” money box appears to have been broken into at some point to collect the saved money out of, and then restored back together later as a display piece. 

  Tank Banks was the name given to a World War I fundraising campaign by the British government. Six Mark IV male tanks toured the towns and cities of England, Scotland, and Wales, with the primary purpose being to promote the sale of government War Bonds and War Savings Certificates.   In November 1917 two tanks took part in London's Lord Mayor's Show. The recent successful participation of the tank in the Battle of Cambrai had fired the public imagination: their appearance in the show proved very popular with the spectators who were fascinated by this new "wonder weapon". The National War Savings Committee decided to capitalize upon this fascination and use the tank to sell War Bonds and War Saving Certificates. On November 26, 1917, battle scarred Tank 141 "Egbert" was brought over from France and put on display in Trafalgar Square.   The campaign was soon extended to the whole of the country, the touring tanks would spend a week in a town or city with two young ladies selling war bonds from a table set up inside the tank. A competitive spirit was engendered between the visited locations; the town or city that invested the most per capita would win the tank "Egbert". The eventual winner of the competition was West Hartlepool, which raised £31 9s 1d per capita (between the period of October 1, 1918 - January 18, 1919).   A tank would arrive with great fanfare; civic dignitaries and local celebrities would greet the tank and speeches would often be made atop it. The tank would be accompanied by soldiers and artillery guns, sometimes an aeroplane would drop pamphlets over the town or city prior to the tank's appearance exhorting the people to invest. The tank would usually put on a show for the crowds in order to demonstrate its capabilities. The visited town or city would have a fund raising target it tried to meet; the amount raised by each location would be reported in the national press, thus ensuring a strong competitive element, especially between the larger industrial cities.   The six touring tanks were:   Tank 113 "Julian" Tank 119 "Old Bill" Tank 130 "Nelson" Tank 137 "Drake" Tank 141 "Egbert" Tank 142 "Iron Ration"   Total investments in Tank Banks of over £2million:    Glasgow £14,563,714 Birmingham £6,703,439 Edinburgh £4,764,639 Manchester £4,430,000 Bradford £4,060,000 London (2 weeks) £3,423,261 Newcastle £3,068,768 Swansea £2,180,939 Hull £2,186,820 Leicester £2,063,250 Liverpool £2,061,012 West Hartlepool £2,367,333 - £37 per head of the population Sunderland £2,305,000 Aberystwyth £682,448 - £75.80 per head of population, later confirmed as the highest in the Empire. Their quota was £25,000   This is a superb piece of history, that was used in collecting money for the war effort.    This will be sent via Royal Mail 1st class signed and dispatched within two working days.