The first Mark IV tanks arrived in France in late April 1917, and were issued to units in May….
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part III
The third instalment in David Fletcher’s three part series examining the experimental tanks of the First World War describes such oddities as cranes, bridges, and rudimentary amphibious tanks. …
French First World War Tanks
The Renault FT is by far the most well-known French tank of the First World War, but it was not the first Char d’Assaut used by the French Army….
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part II
While the first instalment looked at early experimental tanks, this blog post examines vehicles created as a reaction to problems tanks were encountering in combat, such as the Invicta Roller and tadpole tail. …
Experimental WWI Tanks – Part I
David Fletcher’s three part series details many examples of experimental tanks created during the First World War and includes weird and wonderful vehicles otherwise lost in the mists of time….
The Battle of Arras
The April – May 1917 Battle of Arras was the British Empire’s part of a larger offensive planned by the French….
The Heroics of Elliott Hotblack
Elliot Hotblack was one of the most decorated and well-known of those celebrated in The Tank Museum’s exhibition….
Tank Men: Walter Ratcliffe
Walter Ratcliffe’s tunic, complete with brass bursting grenade badge, was donated to The Tank Museum to help with telling his story in their Tank Men exhibition. …
Tanks in Palestine in the First World War
While writing on the First World War generally focuses on the Western Front, Palestine was the site of several tank battles against Turkey. …
Mark I and Mark II Tanks in Gaza
For many years it was widely believed that the eight tanks that fought in Gaza…
Tank Men: Albert Baker
Another member of the first Tank Corps who is represented in the Tank Men exhibition is Albert Baker, the chemist who won two Military Crosses during the First World War. …
Christmas Cards
It’s around this time of year that we set aside an evening to snuggle up on the sofa, switch on the Christmas tunes and write Christmas Cards for dear friends and family. Rebecca Skelton investigates The Tank Museum Archive for our finest examples. …
Sydney Hadley’s Glass Eye
One of the personal objects on display in The Tank Men exhibition is emblematic of the personal sacrifice made by so many men in World War One – a serious life-changing injury….
The Gunnery School
While Bovington is the ‘home’ of the tank, the gunnery training was done just down the road at Lulworth. However, that was not always the case. …
A. A. Milne Poem
In 2016, an undiscovered A.A. Milne poem honouring the Tank Corps was found in The Tank Musuem Archive….
Camouflage
From the very beginning the tank had to be well-camouflaged, first when it was a secret weapon and then later when it advanced on to the battlefield….
Sponsons
Sponsons were built separately from tanks, not necessarily by the company that built the actual tanks….
The Bombproof Roof
This framework of wood and wire-netting (chicken wire the Americans call it) was devised as a means to prevent enemy stick grenades from lodging on the roof of the tank….
The Tail Assembly
The pair of tail wheels on a Mark I tank seem to fascinate most people; they are in fact the rump of the articulated Landship idea devised by Colonel Crompton….
Tank Banks and Souvenirs
It was realised soon after the start of the First World War that it was going to be a much lengthier and consequently more expensive war than first expected. …
