Previous Events - Friends of the Lincoln Tank

Honourary President: David Fletcher

The Campaign in Mesopotamia isn't one that springs to mind when you think about the Great War. I would hazard a guess that a good many of us knew little about it. Alan Wakefield put all that right for us though. Armed with photographs from the Imperial War Museum's archives Alan gave us an insight into this lesser known, but vital campaign. You may think that these soldiers had things easy compared to those at the western front, but think again. Extremes of temperatures, lack of roads, lack of water and the constant problem of insects of varying types made this yet another version of conflict hell. Alan certainly knows his stuff, and the photos helped bring the subject to life. I could see just how those big lumbering iron clad monsters that Fosters of Lincoln were developing in 1916 could be explained away as water tanks for Mesopotamia - the need for them was certainly there. Thank you Alan for an educating evening.

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It was back to the Great War again with two speakers and two very different subjects. First up was Charles Parker and his unsung hero Major General Ashmore. Charles' story took us through Ashmore's exceptional military career to his inspiration that lead to the inception of the Royal Observer Corps. Ashmore may not be a household name, but his contribution to the defence of this country was immeasurable. Mike Harrison had us in familiar territory, with his talk about the First day of the Battle of Bullecourt on 11 April 1917. Mike's thorough research meant that he was able to tell us about the fate of every tank deployed that fateful morning together. The evening finished with his own (model) tank breaching the Hindenburg Line at last (via a map of the battle on the Collection floor!)

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Well we broke away slightly from our usual talk subjects this time, as Stuart Gibbard spoke about Lincolnshire's contribution to mechanised agriculture. You can't have ignore the association with the development of the tank though, so there was plenty to interest the 'Tankie' purists too. Stuart's talk was broken into two halves, as the subject covered such a long time span as well as so many companies, machinery designs and lots and lots of really fascinating photographs. So much to take in, and presented so well, by a speaker, who once again, knows his stuff. My husband made the comment on the way home afterwards that Stuart's talk had actually made him feel proud to be from Lincolnshire. It was a very good point. Firms such as Foster's, Marshall's, Hornsby's and all the others were the backbone of of the mechanisation of agriculture - from the earliest ploughs to the mighty steam engines, via a plethora of weird and wonderful contraptions that were never going to be commercially viable. The tank would never have been born without them. They helped change the whole face of the British (and beyond) countryside. How sad it is that, as Stuart told us, this all finished in 1980 when the last tractor was produced in Lincolnshire. How sad that the workshops one by one fell silent, the factories were demolished and Lincolnshire's fine industrial heritage became a thing of the past..... but then, how wonderful, we have historians like Stuart Gibbard keeping the history alive.

The Friends of the Lincoln Tank 2011 Lecture Series started in fine style with a visit from Steven Pope. Steven runs the world reknowned First Tank Crews website www.firsttankcrews.com and has done a huge amount of research into finding out the names and personal stories of both the Officers and Other Ranks who took the first primitive tanks into battle for the first time on 16th September 1916. We all know about the battles, the Generals and the hardware involved, but Steven is trying to go deeper than this and give proper credit to the everyday Army Service Corps or Motor Machine Gun Corps drivers who took William Fosters untested creations into battle. Steven feel very strongly that these men’s stories should be told and this passion for the subject comes out in his lecture. His depth of knowledge was truly amazing and everyone was so captivated that the two hour lecture seemed to be over in a matter of minutes. Steven could have carried on all night and we could all have listened to him all night. It certainly looks as though we will need to get Steven back again for a return visit sometime soon!

The annual Friends dinner was held once again at the White Hart and a good time was had by all. It was heartening to know that it doesn't take much to keep the Friends happy - a leather helmet (as modelled below...) and a couple of rounds of Pass the Parcel was all it took to keep the group in the festive spirit.

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The 2010 season finished on a high with what was possibly the final opportunity to hear David Fletcher speak locally before he retires from the Tank Museum. As he pointed out, his subject matter, Armoured Cars of the Great War, was probably an odd one for our group, as there were no Tanks and no connection with Lincoln! There was however,as always, a meticulously researched, sometimes light hearted overview of the history of the armoured car and its uses in all theatres of the Great War. David's knowledge of his subject is inspiring, and his attention to detail outstanding - particularly when it comes to being presented with photograph or postcard that would mean little to the rest of us mere mortals. David sees and recognises vehicles that disappeared into the ephemera of distant memory generations ago.

We look forward to seeing you at next years talks!

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It was such a pleasure to welcome Cliff Clover back. He spoke to us about Zeppelins, covering WW1 attacks over Lincolnshire and beyond, stories about those that had been shot down, and of the memorials to those that died. One of the strongest points that came across was the bravery of those men that flew them - these air ships were not 'user friendly' and their crew had to work under the unkindest of condtions. All this and more was brought alive by Cliff's commentary, his photos and as always his wonderful models.

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As I listened to our latest speaker it suddenly struck me that the Friends are either very clever with the choices of speakers, or very lucky. I believe its the former, although I think we should count ourselves as very lucky too. Once again we were entertained, educated and entranced - this time by Max Hundleby who spoke about the German A7V tanks. Although Max's knowledge on the history of our own Tanks is vast, it was his stories about the German's reaction to our machines that was so fascinating. Although - there was hardly a male in the house that could resist taking a closer look at all the scale models he produced during his talk. From his memories of his conversations with Bill Rigby, to his vivid description of maneouvering the full size replica, to his thorough answers to all questions posed, he proved to be an absolute font of knowledge. As our Chair so correctly stated - our speakers can always tell us about other subjects than those they are booked for - Max could tell us about another 15! Another excellent night!

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The Friends of the Lincoln Tank 2010 lecture series began in earnest on the 26th May with the much anticipated appearance of two very well known speakers, Ian Verrinder and Ian Walden. Ian Verrinder spoke to us about his fascinating new book 'Tank Action in the Great War' and Ian Walden told us all about the often neglected subject of Great War tanks on the Home Front. Both speakers have spent years researching their subjects and this certainly showed in their presentations. Ian Verrinder brought the dark days of the Battle of Cambrai to life, thanks in no small part to his obvious passion for the subject and his family links with the battle. Ian Walden showed us that merchandise and product placement are nothing new and left us with a tantalizing overhead view of a previously unknown tank shaped street-plan in Lincoln! Surely, everyone present must have gone away having learnt something new about the early tanks. The 2010 season couldn't have started on a firmer footing.

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We knew that the evening of 16 September was going to be something special, and we weren't disappointed. Andy Robertshaw is well known in military, history and archaeology circles and his talk covered all these and more. He came to tell us about the subject of his latest book 'Digging The Trenches', but this was no find by find guide to conflict archaeology, but a deeply insightful and thought provoking journey through the numerous processes of this sometimes controversial discipline. Using his experiences on the Western Front, combined with his knowledge of the geography of the battle sites and photographic and cinematic evidence, Andy made us laugh, but also showed us the compassionate perspective to what can be a difficult and emotive subject, bringing the personal stories of the men whose remains were discovered during the actual excavations into sharp focus. His main message though, of don't accept all you see on face value, was, I think, a lesson to us all.

If you ever want to know anything about Zeppelins in the Great War, be sure to ask our most recent speaker, Cliff Clover!

Author of 'Zeppelins Over The Eastern Counties', local historian Cliff came along with his spectacular 1/72 scale Zeppelin model, using it not only as a prop, but also as a guide to demonstrate the enormity of the presence of these airships and the sheer terror they would strike into the hearts of those that witnessed them. Cliff's vast knowledge and love of his subject was obvious and I think we all came away with a greater understanding of both German and British perspectives of these huge craft.

Another excellent evening.

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The 2009 season of talks opened on the evening of 10 June 2009 with speakers Bryn Hammond and Charles Parker.

Once again, a crowded lecture theatre was treated to an evening of talks on both local and military history. Charles Parker was first up with an excellent insight into the huge role played by Lincoln in the manufacture of aircraft during the Great War. His presentation, complete with photographs of the aircraft, the men &women who built them, and both factories and testing areas was fascinating and a pertinent reminder of the huge contribution made by the city to the air war. I am sure there will be more than a few of us who will be looking at the West Common and Bracebridge Heath with new eyes.

Following refreshments and a raffle, Bryn Hammond spoke on the Tanks at Cambrai. As he pointed out at the start of his talk - he had a lot to tell us! His description of the Battle of Cambrai (the first day and well beyond) was, as anticipated, crammed with facts, peppered with humour and very entertaining. It was a shame that time ran out on us, as the presentation was enthralling - but he has offered to come back and tell us more and we will be delighted to welcome him again at a later date.

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Friends of the Lincoln Tank have welcomed many outstanding speakers over the last few years, and 2008 was no exception.

Our Patron; Professor Richard Holmes (below), supported by eminent historian Major Gordon Corrigan, opened the season at the Lincoln Drill Hall on 28 May. Major Corrigan’s subject matter ‘ Haig and Montgomery – a Comparison’ was illuminating and thought provoking. Professor Holmes, as always, mesmerized the house, and both answered in depth questions from the floor afterwards.

The Collection was the location for the next presentation, Dr John Bourne , the Director of the Centre for First World War studies spoke about ‘Joffrey’s War’ – not the French General as many thought, but a Tommy, a Sherwood Forester, whose diaries had lain unread for decades. Thankfully, once rediscovered, the finder had the presence of mind to pass them on, and the first volume is due to be published. Dr Bourne brought sections to life to an entranced audience, leaving our appetites whetted for the forth coming publication. Local historian Rod Fanthorpe (below, right) supported Dr Bourne, delighting us with a very informative talk about Christopher Addison, Lincolnshire doctor and politician, who had facilitated the development of the tank from the back rooms of Government. Thorough and fact filled, this talk had new information for even the most knowledgeable audience members.

The third and final talk for this season was held again at the Collection, and again featured national and local speakers. Mike Hodgson (below, middle left) gave a talk entitled ‘Wings Over Lincolnshire’ – fascinating history of flight in Lincolnshire, including the city’s invaluable contribution in the Great War. The Friends were delighted to welcome Christy Campbell author of ‘Band of Brigands’, who appeared equally delighted to be speaking to an audience in Tank’s home city. Christy captivated the room with his own style of presentation, telling the story of the men who formed the First Tank Corps. Also in the photgraph below are Mike Credland and the 'Friends' new Chairman Richard Pullen .

The precedent has now been set and the Friends of the Lincoln Tank are looking forward to maintain this high standard of speaker in the 2009 season.

Please see 'Forthcoming Events' page for our upcoming talks...