Who named it a tank anyway? This is an old thread with a slightly new twist,
and perhaps some interesting information.
I just purchased this used book, "The Royal Tank Regiment" by Kenneth
Chadwick, published in 1970. Chadwick, cites a number of first hand accounts
and first person revelations as to the historical fact of the matter. I've
not heard these accounts quite like this before and I suspect they are very
accurate as it was edited by Lt.-General Sir Brain Horrocks and was part of a
series of books, titled Famous Regiments.
According to the writer, both the originator of the tank and the person
actually naming it "tank" was Lt. Col. Sir Ernest Swinton, later
Major-General Swinton. A discussion between Sir Swinton and Lt. Col. Hankey
(later Lord Hankey) began with the idea of armouring an American built Holt
crawler tractor as a way of clearing barbed wire. A paper was drawn up and
submitted to Lord Kitchner and this eventually reached Mr. Winston Churchill,
who was then 1st Lord of the Admiralty . It was Mr. Churchill who
enthusiastically backed the plan and submitted it to the PM.
The first trial took place at Shoesburness with a Holt tractor pulling a 5000
lb sand laden trailer to simulate the armour weight. The terrible wet
weather and the specific tasks required caused the first trial to end in a
sudden failure, but it raised the possibilities in the minds of those who
first witnessed it.
Later Mr. Lloyd George, who was then Minister of Munitions, took over the
project in May of 1915 and the project began to take form, owing in part to
definite requirements required in an armoured vehicle from GHQ France.
The first prototype was finished in remarkable time and by July 1915. It was
entered into trials Sept. 1915. Two shapes were used, one small and one
large. The name Centipede was given to both vehicles, but this later turned
to "Big Willie" and "Little Willie", which was in part due to the
abbreviation of the designers name, Lt. W. G. Wilson RNAS and also in part as
a contemptuous nickname for the Kaiser's son. Big Willie actually went down
in history as "Mother."
Mother's design began in Sept. 1915 and she first moved under her own power
13 Jan. 1916.
When the machines were finally rolling off the assembly line at the William
Foster and Son's factory at Lincoln, the hull was jokingly referred to as, "A
water carrier for Mesopotamia", which was later shortened to simply, that
"tank" thing.
When they were put on railway flats, the hull had a Russian inscription
stenciled upon it which announced, "With care to Petrograd." A later version
of similar deception to any would be snoops carried the inscription, "Water
tanks for Petrograd." However, when it was necessary to have an official
name for these vehicles Col Swinton and his associate, Maj. Albert Stern
adopted the name "tank" for the records.
A secret unit originally consisting of 28 officers made up the first tank
crews and were assigned to the heavy Machine Gun section at Bisley. This
title effectively concealed their real purpose. The officers then recruited
700 more men and eventually moved on to Canada farm, Elvedon which is about 7
miles outside Thetford. It was there the real tank training began with a
mock up of a portion of the German front line. Each tank required a crew of
8. The first 13 tanks left England on 15 Aug. 1916 and were followed by many
more. By the end of August 50 machines were assembled close the Somme.
Exactly one month after embarking, two tank Companies were launched into
action, but what they faced was not what they had trained for and they met
obsticles such as piles of brick rubble and acres of mud which took their
toll on the numbers to actually fight.
The first tank battle took place at dawn at Courcelette. They moved forward
against Germans who had unexpectedly come out of their positions to give the
British a bad time of it. The tanks moved forward about the same time.
Speed was 3 mph under good condition, less in the mud, much less. Mechanical
problems and getting stuck stopped most tanks before they got close to
action. However, one lead tank turned the tide of the battle. It was the
HMLS Creme De Menthe who single handedly destroyed a German position that was
a veritable fortress. It would have caused a lot of foot soldiers to fall
before it was taken. This was a sugar factory and it's huge walls collapsed
as the Creme De Menthe pushed its way through. The fortress ceased to be in
moments.
The effect on the Germans in general was overwhelming, "The Devil is coming"
was the common phrase heard that day.
So began the era of the tank.
Jack Lee
(Ferret Mk 2/3)
Copy forwarded to Steelfist@yahoo.groups
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