| Accession Number | E04410 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Glass original whole plate negative |
| Maker |
Unknown Australian Official Photographer |
| Place made | France: Picardie, Somme, Amiens Harbonnieres Area, Villers-Bretonneux Area, Villers-Bretonneux |
| Date made | 28 February 1919 |
| Conflict |
Period 1910-1919 First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Wrecked Gun Carrier Mark 1 supply vehicles destroyed by enemy shellfire the evening prior to the ...
Description
Wrecked Gun Carrier Mark 1 supply vehicles destroyed by enemy shellfire the evening prior to the Allied attack on 8 August 1918. The shelling of these vehicles seemed to suggest at the time that the Germans had discovered the intention to attack, but this did not prove to be true. It was during the explosion and burning of these tanks that a Tank Corps Sergeant (Sgt) bravely entered his tank and got it moving, however before going far the tank was blown up. The Sgt was flung through the roof, and in some miraculous fashion escaped death. All but three of the 16 tanks were destroyed. An unidentified soldier wearing a steel helmet is partially visible in the sandbagged dugout (foreground right). Note a grenade lying in the foreground (centre).