Researching Tank Corps

[G.Driver 10thLF]

Hi

how do i go about finding what tank a man has served in and where it served?

here are the cwgc details of the man im researching.

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_detail...asualty=1757889

Can anyone help? what tank would he have been in. Lost on the battlefield at Cambrai he mustve been in one of the 378 mark IV tanks used that day. Are there any records, like medal card or service records?

Any help would be great.

- Graham

[sleeper]

hi Graham just asked the same question for my relative 201202 E H TYSON in document look ups there is a mine of info people supplied and there is some links to books that might give some idea if you dont get any where after that im going into the tank museum archives in the next few weeks so i can look in the war diaries or email them at librarian@tankmuseum.co.uk with all the info you have being a officer you will have more luck probaly. The people who were extremely helpful were Sidearm, KevinW4 and phillip wilson regards and good luck

[sotonmate]

Graham

His service number is not far away from sleeper's relative,201211,Private. I have not connected to a War Diary reference for F Battalion Tank Corps,they seem to be largely numerical in the NA Catalogue. I know this is the unit it says on the CWGC link but wonder if lettered units are a subsection of the main units shown in the catalogue,or they might be hidden under a wider title,as all tank units seem to come under GHQ Troops control.

Sotonmate

[17tankman]

Sorry to be the bearer of gloom but the Tank Corps is my area and if your relative was an officer it would be easy to identify the tank, unfortunately it is very rare to be able to identify soldiers in tanks as they get rarely mentioned.

If you get a chance to read the battalions war diaries you will see things like

Lt Smith and 2nd Alders killed and 5 others, Capt Rogers wounded and 6 others. The others are the rank and file.

There is a book called the War History of the Sixth (F) Tank Battalion which you should buy. It will give details that may help a bit.

Wilkinson was in 17th Coy of F Battalion and was listed as Killed on the day.

Sorry cant give any more help

SImon

[JimSmithson]

My experiences are similar to those of Simon. Even the 'Battle Reports' written by individual tank commanders only once, in my experience of those for April 1917, mention an O.R. by name. These are full page typed accounts of action on one day and although casualty numbers are given, no names.

Jim

[delta]

Courage, mes braves = This task might be just a little more possible to complete to complete.

We know the tanks of 17th Coy and we know which took casualties from the War History.

I'll do some cross refercneing and see if I can reduce the odds a little

Stephen

[delta]

There were seven OR deaths amongst 17th Coy according to the war diary; "Following the tanks" lists the seven as:

LCpl Bellis; Pte Bursford: Pte Cousins: Pte Eyles: Sgt Lancaster: Pte Shakespeare and LCpl Wilkinson.

The two tanks which had fatalities were F25 Fums Up II which lost its skipper and 6 ORs when it was hit by artillery near La Vacquerie and F39 Formosa who lost one soldier KIA also near La Vacquerie.

On a purely satistical basis, LCpl Wilkinson was killed in Fums Up 2 (but I could be wrong of course!)

Stephen