Michael Hession Posted 21 April , 2019 Share Posted 21 April , 2019 Hi all: So I am new to the forums and have searched and found a bit on this discrete issue, but the threads I found were a bit old, so I thought I would start a new one. My apologies if this is bad form and feel free to delete. I am producing a documentary that relates just a bit to Colin Hession, who signed up to be in the Tank Corps. I found his war files and have found reference to the fact that he was assigned to the 24th (Tank Corps) OCB. I believe that to be in Winchester. I am attaching the relevant page and am wondering if any one happens to know anything. As far as I can tell, Colin never served in action, and was soon admitted to the Napsbury Mental Hospital, where he was eventually diagnosed with General Paralysis of the Insane (GPI) (tertiary syphillus) and died of the ailment in Napsbury in 1922. I am researching, among other things, the affect that tank training may have aggravated his pre-existing condition, triggering the final stages of GPI and contributing to his early demise. If you can decipher anything on this page, I would be so grateful to hear. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 21 April , 2019 Share Posted 21 April , 2019 Recommendation for the Chinese Labour Corps would suggest he was not fit enough for the Tank Corps or frontline service in Oct 1918 (that looks like when the recommendation was made). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hession Posted 21 April , 2019 Author Share Posted 21 April , 2019 That's what I thought, too. I suspect his ailment started to reveal itself in the Tank Corps., but I'm curious to learn what the training regiment would have been like at that time and how stressful tank training would be. I found a book in the Imperial War Museum in the UK on the 24th (Tank Corps) OCB, but I can't see it until next week. If anyone has any knowledge on what the training was like, I would love to hear. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 21 April , 2019 Share Posted 21 April , 2019 There are some Tank Corps experts on the Forum. Hopefully they will be along soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidearm Posted 27 April , 2019 Share Posted 27 April , 2019 Chapter 7 of "Tank Warfare" by Frank Mitchell MC deals with training for the Tank Corps at Wareham. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 29 April , 2019 Share Posted 29 April , 2019 Hi, there is a very good description by 2nd Lieutenant Horace Birks of his basic training in an OCB - you can listen to this on the IWM website at https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80000864 (Reel 1, starting around 7 minutes in). This gives a very good impression but I would stress that Briks began his training in 1916, in the very early days of what became the Tank Corps. By 1918 the whole system was much more wellestablished and formalised. Nevertheless it gives an idea of how stressful this was likely to have been. All the best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjwmacro Posted 29 April , 2019 Share Posted 29 April , 2019 The Tank Museum at Bovington also hold copies of lecture notes from one of the very first tank commanders (Basil Henriques- in action with C Coy on 15 Sep 1916) which he gave at Bovington when G Battalion was training in Bovington. Regards, Paul Tagging @delta and @Gareth Davies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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