Join us for a special academic seminar marking 110 years since the first use of the tank in warfare.
This day long event will bring together historians, researchers, and military scholars to critically examine the debut of the Mark I tank during the Battle of the Somme.
Key Details
- Special academic seminar
- Location: The Tank Museum Workshop
- Tickets & full programme available now.
110th Anniversary Seminar
A day of talks from expert historians and scholars.
Arrival
Please arrive from 8:15am and make yourself comfortable, ready for the talks to begin.
Welcome
Our Director of Curatorial Services, Nick Booth, will welcome you to a day of talks from expert historians and scholars.
Personal reflections of the first tanks at Hatfield House
Robert Gascoyne Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury (b. 1946), was educated at Eton and Oxford, succeeding his father in 2003. Formerly a banker in California and London, he served as Conservative MP for South Dorset (1979–87) with interests in foreign and constitutional affairs. Summoned to the Lords in 1992, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Lord Privy Seal, Leader of the House of Lords, and later Opposition Leader (1997–98). He chairs The London Defence Conference, served as Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire (2005–25), and is Patron of The Sixteen. He is a Knight of the Garter.
Matters of business’: Tritton, d’Eyncourt and the Tank Patent
Evans has long maintained a special interest in WW1 tanks. His study of Tank Mark IV serial numbers revealed much about their production and allowed him to deduce the identity of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life’s example. His work clarified the role of Robey & Co in supporting Tank Mark I production in Lincoln. In 2017 he was tank consultant on Channel 4’s “Guy Martin’s Great War Tank”. He is currently working on a book describing efforts to patent the tank. A Chartered Secretary, he has worked in economic development and finance in local government for over forty years.
Capt. Martel’s landscaping at Elveden
After gaining full City & Guilds in Automobile Engineering in 1978, Boyle has taken on most engineering disciplines within some historically interesting companies. He has always had a keen interest in the mechanical aspects developed during both world wars and the British interwar period especially. For the past nine years, his research focused on the work of Lt Sir General Martel RE, which spans from 1908 until 1958. He also has the privilege of supporting the research of David Fletcher, Andrew Hills, Hilary Doyle, John Pearson, Lt Col Whitchurch RE & the Light Dragon research group amongst others.
What were the doctrinal options, choices, and lessons for the first use of tanks?
Bruce Oliver Newsome, Ph.D., is a historian and political scientist. He spent five years at the RAND Corporation, as a research policy scientist, advising governments, from Britain to America, on defence and security. He held standing faculty positions at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, University of Pennsylvania, University of California Berkeley, University of San Diego, and University of Texas. He studied at Kings College London, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and University of Reading. Meanwhile, he served in the British Army and US Army reserves, latterly on M1 Abrams tanks.
Questions
Have a burning question for one of the speakers? This is the time for you to ask away!
Refreshment Break
Take a break with a cup of tea or coffee from our refreshments station.
An Introduction to Tanks at Flers
Stephen first learned of the Tanks at Flers whilst developing a battlefield tour on the Somme and started to research those who fought in Mark I Tanks in 1916. Encouraged by Trevor Pidgeon and The Tank Museum staff, Stephen wrote the biographies of the First Tank Crews which was published in early 2016. He also contributed to the Tank Men exhibition which opened at The Tank Museum that year. Stephen continues research into the First Tank Crews in concert with others in Argentina, Canada and New Zealand drawing on contemporary but unpublished documents found in museums and private collections.
Representing the First Tanks: Fictional Portrayals of the Mark I on the Somme
James Langham is a PhD research student at the University of Wolverhampton, researching how the Cold War was wargamed by military professionals on both sides of the Iron Curtain, following his MA in military history at Birmingham University. His love of tanks dates back to a coach trip with his father to Bovington nearly 50 years ago. He spent 30 years as an officer in Derbyshire Army Cadet Force and works full time for St John Ambulance as a first aid and health and safety trainer.
The St. George Paradox: Medieval Myth, Mechanised Monsters, and the Cultural Domestication of the Mark I
Purnell is currently an acting History and Politics teacher based in Essex and a prospective PhD candidate. He holds a Master’s degree in Medieval Studies from the University of York and specialises in medieval reactions to traumatic events, particularly in comparison to the present day. A burgeoning translator and palaeographer, with a special focus on Old Occitan literature, he has produced the first English translation of Lunel’s pandemic-era poetry. His presentation focuses on the use of medieval symbolism and aesthetics during the First World War, bridging the gap between chivalric myth and early armoured warfare.
Men of Steel: Morale, Identity and the First Tank Crews
Cassie Pope is a military historian specialising in the First World War. She holds a BA in War Studies from King’s College London and a Master’s degree in First World War Studies from the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on the relationship between technology and morale among tank crews in the First World War.
Questions
Another chance to ask any questions you have about the talks.
Lunch
Enjoy a delicious meal made by our talented restaurant staff.
An Introduction to Former Tank Commander, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon OBE offers a unique and timely exploration of the evolution of the tank, on and off the battlefield.
Everywhere Unbounded: 8 Squadron RFC and the Development of Air-ground Cooperation
Steve Erskine first started in the museum sector some 25 years ago as a Volunteer, and moved through the ranks working as a Historic Property Steward with English Heritage, Assistant Curator at the Green Howards Regimental Museum and as a freelance Battlefield Guide. He is currently the Research Officer at the Green Howards Museum. A native of County Durham and a supporter of Darlington Football Club which explains his liking of the ridiculous, his dark humour and his belief that expectation will always triumph over hope.
The Palestine Tank Detachment
Davies examines the decision to send tanks to the Middle East, the challenges they faced getting there and once there. It also looks at their actions in April 1917 at the Second Battle of Gaza and in November during the Third Battle of Gaza.
Fear and Adaptation: Psychological Warfare Aspects and Defensive Responses to the Mark I Tank at the Somme and Second Gaza, 1916-1917
Mehmet Can Kaya holds an MA in International Security and Terrorism from Türkiye’s National Defence University and completed military science studies at Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest through the Erasmus programme (2024-2025). He earned his BA in International Relations from Akdeniz University. His research focuses on comparative military history and psychological warfare, in the late Ottoman and early 20th-century European contexts. He examines how technological innovations in warfare—especially the introduction of Mark I—created divergent psychological and tactical responses across different military and cultural frameworks.
The Schneider CA1 – How did France’s first combat tank compare with the British Mark I?
Phil comes from a science background, having studied for a PhD and spent much of his career in scientific publishing. In 2018, he began to research and write about military history, with his first article published in The Tank Museum’s Tracklink magazine in 2019. In early 2023, Phil became a full-time writer, researcher and photographer, contributing articles, interviews, museum reviews and event reports to Classic Military Vehicle, Britain at War and Tracklink. He also wrote a chapter of The Tank Museum’s Tiger 131 – 80th Anniversary Special, and two magazine specials entitled Vehicles of D-Day and Tanks of World War Two.
Questions
An opportunity to ask any questions you have about the talks.
Thank you
Nick Booth will close the talks with a thank you to the speakers and guests.
Networking opportunity and chance to get Mark IV
Chat to speakers, our historians and other supporters before you leave. Plus, there’s a chance to get inside Mark IV in the Tank Men exhibition!
