British Mark I-III Tank

At the same time that the first British Tank design, the “Tritton Machine” (a.k.a. Little Willie”) was being re-designed, Lieutenant W. G. Wilson was working on an entirely new model of landship to meet the new War Office requirements to cross an 8-foot wide trench and climb a parapet 4 ft 6 in. high.

In this machine, known at first as “Big Willie”, the famous lozenge-shaped profile with tracks running round the top of the hull was introduced for the first time. It was said that the lower curve of the track was derived from a section of the perimeter of a big wheel of a diameter sufficient to cross the trench width stipulated by the War Office. This data may conceivably have dictated the height of the front idler wheel and the overall length of the machine, but the use of an upturned track profile for crossing obstacles had already been demonstrated in the Killen-Strait tractor and in the design of the Nesfield­McFie landship, a model of which was submitted to the Admiralty in June 1915. Be this as it may, the “Wilson Machine”, or “H.M. Landship Centipede” as it was also known, was an effective and impressive vehicle.

This video of the Mk I has been made by Philtydirtyanimal:

To avoid the high centre of gravity attendant on a turret on top of the hull, the main armament - two Naval 6-pdr. guns - was carried in half-turrets (called sponsons - a Naval term) projecting from each side of the hull. The same power unit as "Little Willie" was retained, together with the same type of track and also the tail wheels.  

The “Wilson Machine” was built by William Foster & Co. Ltd. at Lincoln and first ran on 16 January 1916, only just over a month after the rebuilt “Little Willie”. It easily excelled its smaller relative in comparative trials of both machines and at Hatfield Park, Hertfordshire negotiated without difficulty barbed wire entanglements and representations of British- and German­type trenches which were specially constructed to test the machine's ability. The “Big Willie” also acquired the nickname of “Mother” and as the progenitor of all the British heavy tanks, of the First World War this, appropriately, is the name by which it is nearly always known today.  

“Mother's” performance on demonstrations in January and February 1916 convinced the military and Government spectators of the potential value of this new weapon and forty machines were ordered early in February, an order which was shortly afterwards increased to 100. “Mother” was built of boiler plate (and is identifiable in pictures by the close pitch rivets) but the production machines were, of course, to be of armour plate varying from 12 mm. to 6 mm. in thickness, although otherwise identical to their prototype. However, it was decided to change the armament in half of the machines pro duced to machine-guns only to enable them to attack infantry more effectively - these ones had a total of four Vickers water-cooled machine-guns in the side sponsons and one Hotchkiss machine­gun.  

By this time the name "tank" had come into general currency. This had its origin in the code name "Water Carrier for Mesopotamia" used in William Foster & Co's works for "Mother" - this soon became shortened to "tank". Less revealing of its purpose than "landship", this name was later officially adopted, the first production machines becoming Tanks, Mark I. The machine-gun armed tanks were then called "Females", the ones with 6-pdr. guns being "Males".

The first order for tanks was divided between William Foster & Co. to build twenty-five and the Metropolitan Carriage,Wagon& Finance Co. at Wednesbury - seventy-five. This order for 100 was increased in April 1916 to 150  

The battle in which the tanks, manned by the newly raised Heavy Section, Machine Gun Corps, first took part was unfortunately an ill-chosen one, with unsuitable ground and when numbers were insufficient to take full advantage of the element of surprise. This was the battle of Flers-Courcellette, part of the great Somme offensive which was then failing, when forty­nine Mark I Tanks went into action on is September 1916 although only a few reached their objectives. Despite the inexperience of the crews, breakdowns through mechanical trouble or bad ground, the results achieved were encouraging enough to bring orders for further tank production.  

After Flers-Courcelette realized that the Daimler engine and its associated transmission were the least satisfactory part of the existing Mk. I design, and therefore steps were taken to investigate some alternative types of drive and transmission for possible fitting to future vehicles. While an improved design for the new tanks was being worked out permission was obtained for another 100 of the existing design to be built as an interim type to keep the factories occupied. Designated Mks. II and III (50 of each) and produced, once again, in both male and female form, these vehicles were similar in all respects to the Mk I save for detail alterations. 

Most obvious of these were a revised hatch with raised coaming on the hull top and wider track shoes at every sixth link (in most vehicles) to give improved traction. Mk. III, in addition had thicker armour. Internally there were several stowage modifications. Produced in early 1917, they supplemented the Mk. I's and some remained in first-line use at Cambrai in November 1917, though largely supplemented by Mk. IVs by then. They were used in all the earlier tank actions of 1917 at Arras, Messines and Ypres.

Once replaced in first-line service by later Marks, Mks I-III were used either for training or for "special purpose" roles. Foremost of these were those converted to Supply Tanks. Guns were removed and the embrasures plated in so that stores could be carried. These vehicles could supplement what they could carry by towing so-called "tank sledges" which were made by the Tank Corps Central Workshops in France. Each sledge held 10 tons of stores and up to three could be hauled by one tank. The other role of the redundant Mk. I’s was as wireless tanks, unarmed but with an "office" built into one sponson and wireless equipment in the other. They had a pole-mast and spreaders for the aerial. Wireless tanks were used at Cambrai to send back messages, the first time wireless was used in action from tanks.

To see some actual WW1 footage, showing a Mk III Female showing off, click here! (Notice the amount of exhaust fumes.)

The tank in the photos below is actually a Mk II, that can be seen at the marvellous Tank Museum in Bovington, but there is actually little outward difference between a Mk I and a Mk II, except for the steering tail, that was soon abandoned also on the Mk I. This tank, the 785, actually finished her wartime career as a supply tank with F Batallion at Third Battle of Ypres, and was later re-engineered back to this Female status. The photos have been taken by Knut Erik Hagen - many thanks!

How to model this tank

Airfix markets an excellent 1/76 scale kit of this tank. Click here to find out how it can be used to model all three marks mentioned above. And click here for a discussion of some of the kits problems. And Matador Models sell a fine conversion set to make a Mk II from the Airfix kit. For an article on how to make a Mk III from EMHAR's Mk IV, click here!

Main source for the text: B.T. White: "Tanks and and other Armored Fighting Vehicles 1900-1918. "AFVs of World War One" (Profile Publications Vol. 1)