D Day 80th Anniversary - Yarnbombing Churchill Tank

This life-sized Churchill tank was created by the Ripon Community Poppy Project, and at the time of this shot, taken in early May, it was parked on the lawn of the newly refurbished Ripon Spa Hotel.

The tank consists of a wooden frame to which crocheted squares are attached. It is designed so that it can be dismantled, transported and put on display in a different place. We went to see it at the Ripon Spa Hotel since it was an easily accessible location, and it was also a good opportunity to have a look at the restored hotel as well. The tank has been on display at a number of locations over the last month, and I believe it is now outside the west end of Ripon Cathedral.

The insets in this shot show on the left the tank commander, and on the right the use of different stitching to create the effect of the tank track.

The original Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war.

The origins of the Churchill's design lay in the expectation that war in Europe might be fought in conditions similar to those of the First World War, and thus emphasised the ability to cross difficult ground. The Churchill was hurried into production in order to build up British defences against a possible German invasion. The first vehicles had flaws that had to be overcome before the Churchill was accepted for wide use. After several versions had been built, a better-armoured specification, the Mark VII, entered service with the British Army. The improved versions performed well in the later stages of the war.

The Churchill was used by British and other Commonwealth forces during the North African, Italian and North-West Europe campaigns. In addition, 344 Churchills were sent as military aid to the Soviet Union during the Second World War and more than 250 saw active service on the Eastern Front.

Ian

[Judith Johnson]

I can't believe this is all crafted from yarn. This new craft is really taking off

[Corinne C]

What a super narrative and an interesting shot!

[Joan Robillard]

Fantastic

[Cordiander]

Good thing the tank existed to stop the insane German. Otherwise, I hope that at some point we won't need any more tanks.

[Rob Z]

That's an incredible outcome from their project.

[Oli Lindenskov]

Nice pic and story 👍

[Peter Dulis]

looks like a lego set :)

[gloria jones]

Great photo and narrative

[Kathy A]

That’s amazing

[Robert Allan Bear]

Great photograph, and an equally great backround piece on it. Thank you very much for sharing.

[bkb in the city]

Very cool

[william wooderson]

How cleverly made is that! I can't say I like army tanks but I admire the creativity :-)

[Fisher Family]

@busylady @corinnec @joansmor @cordulaamann @robz @mubbur @pdulis @seattlite @kjarn @robertallanbear @bkbinthecity @will_wooderson

Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.

This yarnbomb is an impressive sight - measuring 24ft (7.3m) in length, 9ft (2.7m) in width and 7ft (2.1m) in height, and apparently based on the AVRE version of the Churchill tank. It has been popular as well. There were quite a few people there to see it when we were there.

Ian