Tank Corp Memorial - Pozieres, France.
Posted by: MeerRescue
N 50° 02.678 E 002° 44.182
31U E 481123 N 5543626
The Tank Corp Memorial commemorating all ranks of the Corp killed between 1916 - 1918
Waymark Code: WME8EC
Location: Hauts-de-France, France
Date Posted: 04/18/2012
Views: 8
The Tank Corp Memorial sits alongside the D929 near Pozieres in France. This
spot was chosen by the Corp for the Memorial as it was near to the location on
the Somme battlefield that the British Army first deployed their 'secret
weapon', the "Tank". A few miles south Tanks were deployed in the Battle of
Flers - Courcelette between 15th and 22nd September 1916, three of which
actually set off into battle from this very point. On the night of the 14th
September 1916, a total of 36 tanks launched the British and French attack on
German lines between Courcelette and Combles. In 1916 the Tank Corp did not
exist, they were still known as the Heavy Branch - Machine Gun Corp. It was not
until 28th July 1917 that the Tank Corp came into existence.
The memorial, a granite obelisk, sits on a plinth on which a model tank sits on
each corner. If you look closely, you will see bullet marks in some of the tanks
due to them being hit by bullets fired from a US Army P-51 Mustang which strafed
a retreating convoy of Germans in 1944. Another point of interest is the
boundary fence of the memorial. It consists of ten upright 6 pounder tank gun
barrels connected by tank driving chains. On the are inscribed the battles in
which tanks took part;
1916 - 1st SOMME - ANCRE and 1918 - 2nd SOMME - RIVER LYS - HAMEL - MARNE - MOREUIL -
AMIENS - BAPAUME - ARRAS - EPEHY - CAMBRAI - ST. QUENTIN - SELLE - MORMAL
FOREST.
A bronze plaque on the front of the memorial reads; NEAR THIS SPOT THE FIRST/TANKS
USED IN WAR WENT/INTO ACTION ON 15th SEPT 1916/THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED/TO THE MEMORY/OF/ OFFICERS, WARRANT
OFFICERS,/NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS & MEN/OF/THE TANK CORPS/ WHO FELL IN ACTION IN THE YEARS/1916 - 1917 - 1918/DURING/THE GREAT WAR
The Tank Corp Memorial was unveiled in July 1922 by Lieutenant-General Sir
Thomas Lethbridge Napier Morland.