Military Model Scene

Title: The First Tank Crews
Author: Stephen Pope
Publisher: Helion & Company
ISBN: 978-1-914059-52-0

First published back in 2016, for the 100th anniversary of the event, this is a new paperback edition of the book, detailing the personal stories of the individual members of the various tank crews of the very first tank assault, at Flers-Courcelette on 15 September 1916. A 420-page soft-cover book, including plenty of supporting maps, archive photos, and a section of modern colour pictures of the battleground today.
When the tank was first used in combat, this is about the men who crewed them, in the third year of the war. Not just the records of which tank went where, but who were the individuals that made up their crews. Commanders, gunners, drivers, all are included where the records have been traceable. Originally the Heavy section of the Machine Gun Corps, it is interesting to hear about their training on the machine guns at Bisley, the 6 pounders at sea with the Royal Navy, and with the then secret tanks themselves, on the Elvedon Estate in Norfolk, where they were simply referred to as cars. It is fascinating to read about the very varied background of the crews, some from wealthy families and others what I'll describe as 'ordinary' tradesmen and so on. Some records of the crew members are good while others didn't record a complete list of who the individual crew members were in each tank. With the many that are known, the author has tracked down their background, their service story both during the action as well as what they did later in the war, beyond into peacetime and what they did with the rest of their lives.
Some of the crewmen were killed/wounded either during the action or in later battles. Some went on to careers in public service and others went abroad, such as tea planting. There are some gaps where the individuals are not known, but the large number that the author has been able to trace is a fantastic job of research which has to have been a real passion for the history. Those early tanks had issues with reliability, the exposed wheels for steering at the back, along with the poor ground conditions meant many suffered breakdowns and the crews displayed great bravery in their efforts to get them into battle, and support the infantry. A really good read to tell us more about those men who first took those early tanks into action.
Thanks to Helion & Co for our copy.

Robin