Tank detachment designation 3rd Ypres.

[domsim]

I have been reading various accounts of and doing a bit of research on the the aborted amphibious assault at Middlekerke, Belgium as part of the 3rd Battle of Ypres. (summer 1917)

I have read most of the standard accounts and nosed around the library at The Tank Museum at Bovington but the only details I could find are as follows:

Special detachment formed of volunteeers from the 4 regular tank battalions under Major the Hon. J D Y Bingham. Tank modification and special equipment designed by Lieut. Col. Philip Johnson and Major Hotblack (Bovington has some nice blueprints of the portable ramps and winch equipment used to get over the sea wall). The detachment trained at Merlimont, near Etaples on a mock up of the sea wall. Due to lack of progress at 3rd Ypres the operation was cancelled and the detachment disbanded in October 1917. (Details from The Tanks: The history of the Royal Tank regiment vol.1 by Liddell Hart. and The Tank Corps by Major Clough William-Ellis.

Did this unit ever have an official designation?

[Robert Dunlop]

Operation 'Hush' has long been an interest of mine as well. If you do a search on this, you may find the maps and OOBs that I posted a few months back. In the 'Dover Patrol', the tanks are simply referred to as 'Detachment, Tank Corps'. Mitchell, who wrote 'Tank Warfare' describes his experiences in training for this operation. Photographs of the tanks that were to be used reveals no markings at all.

Robert