Tank Corps

[Conor Dodd]

Did Pte.'s of the Tank Corps fight on the ground (i.e.outside tanks) as infantry or where they all in tanks I am asking this because of a Pte. who was killed during the clearing of Bucquoy in 1918 with the 10th Batt. Tank Corps and was wondering would he have been in a tank ???

Conor

[charlesmessenger]

Conor

No, all Tank Corps men were crewmen and none were designated as infantry. The only time that they fought on their feet was when the tank had been knocked out. The normal practice then was to use their Lewis Guns which they had in the tank. Tanks were used to help clear villages.

Charles M

[Guest Simon Bull]

But:

(1) Being a tank crew member involved frequent duties outside the tank. My grandfather was in the Tank Corps and citations for his MM and for the Bar thereto both refer to work he did outside the tank.

(2) Tank crews were used as if they were ordinary machine gun crews during the German offensives of early 1918, using machine guns dismounted from the tanks.

Simon Bull

[Conor Dodd]

Thanks for the replies Simon & Charles.

Conor

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Conor,

I researched a Tank Corps man Pte C S Howell for his family. He was a 9th Bn man who was wounded in action in the Retreat of 1918 fighting as infantry with the 51st Division but I think it was a case of needs must!.

Ian