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Description: | British officer served with Tank Corps in France, Germany and GB, 1916-1921; served with Tank Testing Section at Farnborough in GB, 1921-1925. Civilian worked for Armaments Inspection Department, Woolwich Arsenal, 1926-1933; secretary to Mechanisation Board in GB from 1933
REEL 1 Background in London, 1897-1914: family; education. Aspects of operations with Royal Engineers in France, 1915-1916: duties; reaction to first sight of tanks. Recollections of period as officer with Tank Corps in France, GB and Germany, 1916-1919: background to commissioning to corps, 1916; duties with D Coy; joining F Battalion, 1917; duties as battalion engineering officer; opinion of mechanical ability of tank crews; problems with Whippet tanks; mechanical life of Mark IV tank; character of Whippet tanks; tactics employed by Whippet tanks, 8/1918; character of corps; meeting with Fuller.
REEL 2 Continues: role instructing at Tank Engineer Officer's School at Erin including facilities; posting as instructor to Rhine Army, 1918; character of training courses; internal security duties of Mark V tanks. Aspects of period as officer with Tank Corps in GB, 1919-1921: posting to Bovington Camp, 1919; reasons for promotion problems in unit; opinion of senior officers; role of the workshop training battalion; attempts to increase speed of tanks; experiments with Medium Mark D tanks. Recollections of period as officer with Tank Testing Section at Farnborough, 1921-1925: specifications for Vickers-Erith light tank; details of Armstrong Dragon artillery tractor; duties; performance and endurance tests; opinion of Armstrong Dragon artillery tractor; liaison with manufacturers; question of tank design during 1920s; opinion of Martel's work; influence of Christie's designs; testing Pavesi artillery tractor.
REEL 4 Continues: design of the Armstrong Dragon artillery tractor and testing it at Okehampton Camp; infantry carrier developments; tractor and carrier trials at Wool, 1924. Aspects of period as civilian with Armament Inspection Department, Woolwich Arsenal, from 1926: reasons for leaving Tank Corps; role of department and staff; steering design problems; manufacturers co-operation in design alterations; inspection procedures.
REEL 5 Continues: development and demonstration of Independent tank, 1926; transfer to engine and transmission inspectorate; predominance of Vickers in the tank development field; review of engine manufacturers; diesel engine development with Ricardo Engines Ltd. Recollections of period as secretary of the Mechanisation Board from 1933: members of the board; Matilda tank development work; memories of chairman of the board, Colonel Hudson.
REEL 6 Continues: question of influence of Colonel Hudson on the board; work of the board; increase of in work load due to rearmaments programme; degree to which motor car and locomotive manufacturers adapted to armoured fighting vehicle production; programme to replace Matilda engines; developments in tank steering. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Lance, David G | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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