Welcome to the second instalment of our monthly blog, sharing untold stories and highlighting the interesting and unusual items from The Tank Museum’s Archive and Object Collection.
For our second post, we reflect upon one of the earliest collection items donated to the Tank Museum.
This mirror is a battle souvenir from the Second Mohmand Campaign of 1935. It is one of the earliest collection items donated to the Tank Museum, having been gifted in 1936 by Lieutenant Alan Ward Brown of the 2nd Light Tank Company.
The Second Mohmand Campaign saw authorities in British India mobilise a military force known as Mohmand Force or ‘Mohforce’ to supress a revolt of Mohmand tribes in the Northwest Frontier – now modern-day Pakistan. This force included No. 1 Section, 2nd Light Tank Company under the command of Lt. Brown. The operation is significant because it was the first time tanks were used in India. It was also the first time British tanks had been used since the end of the First World War.
We can still see evidence of the battle damage on the item, framing what precious little mirror remains after it was shattered by gunfire. Details on how this came about can be found in Lt. Brown memoirs The Bridgeless Chasm which he later donated to the Archive in 2003. In his account, Brown writes about how he was chosen to command a section of five tanks to accompany the Peshawar column in August 1935. During this operation, he was tasked with defending the column’s supplies from regular attacks by local tribesmen as they travelled though difficult terrain on mules or lorries.
“We were not unsuccessful in this. The whole secret really depends on getting out very very quickly as soon as the alarm was given. I devised a fairly simple but effective plan which enabled me to get out of the camp with all my vehicles almost as soon as the whistle had blown. Resulting from this we had a certain number of successes and were fairly popular with the other troops as a result…Although we didn’t actually have any casualties, we did bits of damage from sniper bullets and things of that sort. Shattered mirrors and visors and some near misses when tank commanders had their heads out the top.”
Brown’s success in defending the supplies resulted in him being award the Military Cross, but it was not the last gallantry award he would receive during his career. During the Normandy Campaign, he commanded 147th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps as temporary Lieutenant Colonel. His cool and organised leadership of the Regiment during this difficult period was praised in his citation for the Distinguished Service Order which was awarded to him in February 1945. He would raise to the rank of Brigadier before retiring in 1958.
We hope you enjoyed this month’s story, and look forward to sharing our next blog with you.
