Trench Lincs 3rd May 2026
- May 4
- 23 min read
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Good Morning,
Welcome to Trench Lincs in May and I will start with a quick reminder that the official unveiling of the Lancaster Bomber memorial at Norton Disney will take place over the weekend of 15th, 16th and 17th May.
‘On Freedom’s Wings’, as it is known is very nearly completed with turf and benches being installed as I write. See the web site for more details
On Freedom's Wings
I shall be busy with Woodhall Spa show that weekend, so if anyone attends, please write me a report and take a couple of snaps.
I also have a wide array of topics for you today, which I hope you will find of interest.
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.
Next event - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Monday, 8th June 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start - Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.
June 8th - Grant Cullen presents "Quintinshill, 22nd May 1915; Britain's worst railway disaster".
The disaster occurred at Quintinshill Junction, near Gretna Green in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, on the morning of 22nd May 1915. A Liverpool-bound troop train carrying soldiers of the 1/7th Battalion, Royal Scots, collided with a stationary northbound local passenger train that had been parked on the southbound main line due to both passing loops being occupied by goods trains. Minutes later, a northbound sleeping car express from London to Glasgow struck the wreckage, causing a massive fire when gas lighting in the wooden carriages ignited.
NB. There is no speaker meeting in May due to the Bank Holiday Mondays.
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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Thursday 28th May, 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30 pm start - Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT.
Brian Riley presents: "The Shimmering Blue; Lincolnshire Aviation in World War One."
‘During the First World War, Lincolnshire made three major contributions to the British air war effort: home defence, aircraft manufacturing and the training of British and Allied airmen.
This talk assesses the reasons for aviation coming to Lincolnshire, explores the effects on the county of the world's first strategic air offensive, and examines the measures taken to defend the nation from air attacks. It describes how a primarily agricultural county became one of world’s largest aircraft production centres and nurtured fledgling Allied airmen on their bumpy paths to operational competence.
Over a century later, we appreciate that Lincolnshire’s men and women provided vital support to early ‘multinational coalition operations. Theirs is a story worth telling to ensure that their pathfinding efforts are not forgotten.’
Brian Riley combines a lifelong passion for military history with a love of archaeology, foreign languages and travel. He graduated with a degree in Modern Languages from the University of Salford in 1978 and worked for several years in the Civil Service and local government before deciding to make his hobby pay. He was commissioned into the RAF Education Branch at the tender age of 35 but his inquisitive nature soon led him to transfer to the RAF Intelligence Branch. Retiring from the RAF in 2012, Brian has continued to pursue his passion for aviation and military history. He led school parties on history tours of Berlin and curated the RAF Heritage Collection at William Farr School, Welton, before working for Lincolnshire County Council on a major aviation heritage project during 2017-2020. This project - Lincolnshire, Bastion in the Air 1915-18 - was financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and highlighted the county’s important but often overlooked First World War aviation accomplishments. In October 2024, Brian was appointed by South Kesteven District Council as the official Heritage Advisor for its ‘Soldiers from the Sky’ project, financed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It lasted until the end of 2025 and highlighted the activities of the British, American and Polish Airborne Forces who lived and trained in the area during 1944-45 while preparing for operations in Normandy (D-Day), the Netherlands (Operation MARKET GARDEN), Norway (Operation DOOMSDAY) and Denmark (Operation ECLIPSE).
Brian is continuing his support activities with the Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire Partnership, which is a consortium of aviation heritage sites dedicated to promoting the county’s rich aviation heritage, and commemorating the service and sacrifice of all those involved.
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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 8th May 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA.
The speaker on this night will be Mike Coyle who will present – “Comparing the Somme 1916 with Arras 1917.”
Everyone welcome.
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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 26th May at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.
Presentation: Hannibal and the Second Punic War, by Ian Prince.
Back to the 3rd century BC with a look at the achievements of the renowned Carthaginian general.
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The Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group continue their 2026 season in June. The venue, as usual, will be the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG with a 7.30pm start. Entry is £5, and everyone is welcome.
NB. There is no speaker event in May.
Full detail to follow.
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Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG, is the Lincolnshire Aviation Society.
However, the next meeting of LAS will be held on Thursday 21st May 2026 with a meeting time of 6.45pm at NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE AVIATION HERITAGE CENTRE at Hibaldstow. Make your own way there.
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The Peterborough Military History Group meets at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery in Priestgate, Peterborough, PE1 1LF, on the second Wednesday of every month, 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
Everyone welcome, especially new faces.
May 13th Stuart Orme
'Two Men, One King, and a Town Through Civil War.'
Explore the story of two families, a grand mansion, and a town during the most tumultuous period in British history and learn how Huntingdon was a microcosm of the experience of the country through the Civil Wars.
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I am pleased to let you have details of the next two Trench Lincs/Lincoln WFA outings for May and June.
On Friday 22nd May there will be an outing to the Lincolnshire Civil War battlefield of Winceby, followed by a fully guided tour of Bollingbroke Castle.
The battle of Winceby, October 1643, is one of the lesser battles of the civil war, with no more than 6,000 troops engaged, but its significance far outweighs its scale. For Parliament’s Eastern Association army from East Anglia this was their first major campaign. It was also the first nationally important victory for Cromwell’s cavalry and the first action in which he fought side by side with Sir Thomas Fairfax, with whom in the New Model Army he would finally destroy the royalist cause in 1645-6.
In this battle, which lasted no more than half an hour, followed by many hours of pursuit, the parliamentarians destroyed a combined force of royalist cavalry and dragoons from Lincolnshire and Newark. The victory was so swift and complete that the Association infantry did not even have time to engage the enemy. The outcome was the fall of much of the county of Lincolnshire to parliament and a halting of the royalist ascendancy in the region.
We will meet at 10.30am at the small commemorative stone erected at Winceby in 1993 immediately in front of Winceby House Farm, adjacent to the B1195, and this part of the day will be guided by Peter Garland who will bring along maps and fact sheets etc.
Following the battlefield tour, we will travel to Bollingbroke Castle, which was a Royalist garrison during the Civil War, where Jonathan Capek will take over and give us a guided tour of the castle remains.
Refreshments and toilets will be available at the castle.
Please email me if you intend to attend, so that no one is left behind. New faces always welcome.
[17 booked in so far. Room for more – Ed]
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For our June outing attendees will be travelling to Loughborough on Wednesday 24th June.
First stop will be the Carillon Museum, at 11am. Loughborough Carillon & War Memorial Museum
Park at the Granby Street car park, pay and display - postcode LE11 3DU around 10.45am and the museum opens at 11am.
When everyone has finished at the museum, we will be in the sound hands of Neil Strange, who will give the party a private tour of the CWGC graves within Loughborough cemetery.
Again, please let me know if you are attending. Everyone welcome.
[Only 4 booked in so far. Don’t be shy! – Ed]
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Last week I wrote about ANZAC Day, 25th April, and how the myth of the mateship of the Diggers has come to monopolise the memory of the sacrifice made in the Gallipoli campaign.
I received two responses from Australia, the first came from Kevin Williams, a chap I have got to know each time I visit my son in Kununurra. Kununurra lies in the far north east of Western Australia and is very close to the border with Northern Territories, the area being known as East Kimberley.
East Kimberley’s economy runs on agriculture, arboriculture, tourism and mining. Nickel mining is a key player and until recently, there was a large diamond mining operation too. Although diamond mining has ceased at the mine, there is a long and continuous process underway to return the ground back to nature.
Kevin was at the mine at 5am on 25th April and sent these photos to show how the workforce held a daybreak service for ANZAC Day.
Ian Colley’s son is geographically opposite my son as he is in the deep south, Hobart, Tasmania. Ian writes; ‘Saturday was ANZAC Day and my son Robin and his family were up for the dawn service in Hobart.’
Ian continues; ‘Robin said that the Press reported that there were thousands of people and that there would be a Royal Australian Air Force flypast.
Later in the day there was an Aussie Rules ANZAC Day match at the Ninja Stadium in Hobart. This was the Tasmania Devils VFL versus Carlton reserves and was a sell-out.’
The service was held at daybreak at the Hobart Cenotaph and Ian suggests we click on this link.
‘This is a link from the Domain Hobart about the Cenotaph:
The number of WWI VC winners along with the mention of the earthen walls is noteworthy.
The Cenotaph (Hobart War Memorial) is the main commemorative military monument in Tasmania. It is in a very prominent position. Good views of the River Derwent, Mount Wellington and the City of Hobart. It sits above what remains of the Queens Battery.
1923: A public competition for the original design. It was won by Hobart architects Hutchinson and Walker.
1925: The first Anzac Day service was held at partially completed cenotaph.
The cenotaph was originally erected to commemorate the dead from Tasmania inWW1. Later it has served as a memorial for those killed in WW2. It has also served as a memorial for more recent conflicts. “The Korean War", "The Malayan Emergency", "The Indonesian Confrontation", "The Vietnam War", and "Peace-Keeping Operations".
The inscription reads “lest we forget” and “1914-1919.”
There are no names recorded on the Cenotaph.
Main commemoration each year is the Anzac Day services at dawn and mid-morning when a lone bugler plays the last post.
1925: The first Anzac Day was commemorated during construction of the Cenotaph.
The cenotaph has a base of 8 square meters of bluestone. Above this is an obelisk. 23m tall made of grey granite. The shaft of the obelisk is tapered with chamfered edges and is capped with a pyramidal cap. Beneath each cap is a back-lit red opaque cross illuminated constantly.
A bronze laurel wreath on the north face. Six rosettes on each side of the obelisk base. Groups of three flag holders on the north, east and west face of the plinth. On each of the four faces are crests of air force, navy, army and nursing corp. floodlights of each corner illuminate the shaft at night.
Anzac parade is an avenue of poplar trees between the cenotaph and the Tasman highway. An eternal flame burns between Anzac parade and the cenotaph. Anzac parade was landscaped after WW2.
2003: Two earthen walls were erected either side of Anzac parade with special soil. Soil from the birthplace of all VC recipients. Soil from the respective battlefields.
The Tasmanian recipients of the Victoria Cross are:
Boer War
John Hutton Bisden
Guy George Egerton Wylly
World War I
Walter Ernest Brown
Percy Herbert Cherry
John James Dwyer
Alfred Edward Gaby
Bernard Sidney Gordon
Stanley Robert McDougall
James Ernest Newland
Lewis McGee
Henry William Murray
Percy Clyde Statton
John Woods Whittle
World War II
Teddy Sheehan
A big thank you to Kevin, Ian and Robin for opening a window onto what goes on every ANZAC Day in Australia. You might also have seen that the Princess of Wales and Princess Anne attended ANZAC Day ceremonies in London last Saturday.
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Staying now in Australia, John Pritchard and his wife are continuing their travels through South Australia, and this last week have stopped at Port McDonnell and Meningie.
Here are John’s photos from Port McDonnell, which include one of a German war souvenir, namely a sea mine.
Port McDonnell.
In the town of Meningie, there is a memorial park which is regular feature of Australian towns and John kindly shared some detail as to another war souvenir, he writes; ‘On the way back to Brighton, we stopped at Meningie on the Narrung Peninsular. Here was a good memorial in some gardens. The first photo is of a Krupps 77mm field gun captured by the 32nd Battalion AIF at Bellincourt September 18th 1918.’
This gun is of great interest to us, as the Australian and American troops involved in this action were on the left flank of our very own 46th (North Midland) Division at the capture of the Bellincourt Tunnels, the capture of Riqueval Bridge and the breaking of the Hindenburg Line on 29th September 1918.
John’s photos continued.
Meningie, South Australia.
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Back to Lincoln now, and last Monday’s WFA talk by Brian Riley was very well attended and this prompted Melvin Dobbs to write in thus; ‘I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how many 'new faces' there were at last night's meeting!
Maybe it was the subject matter of last night's talk? Which I found to be excellent with a very clear speaker who knew his subject inside out.
It was a very informative talk on a subject we have all had a little knowledge of, but he took it to new heights (forgive the pun) and kept our interest, all in all, a very polished performance.
On the night, I showed you and Brian Riley a Masonic jewel (medal) pic attached.
It's a Founders breast jewel of Astral Lodge No.3841 based in Grimsby. (But has no name of the owner)
The Astral Lodge was founded in October 1918.
The imagery depicts an Aircraft to represent the Air Force (RNAS), a Submarine (Navy) the Searchlight represents the Army and the Ploughman represents Industry and Civilians.
The jewel was designed by an aircraft mechanic but whose civilian job had been a poster designer...which one can see with his skills used in the image.
I had been to the Grimsby Masonic Centre in 2018 and had seen a display of these jewels so when this came up on a masonic collectables Facebook selling site, I knew instantly where it belonged, I made an offer and within a few weeks it arrived from New Zealand!
I shall be donating this back to the Lodge at the Installation Ceremony of the New Master of the Lodge which takes place on the anniversary of the Lodge’s consecration/founding in October, where hopefully I will find out who the owner was and how it got to be on the other side of the world.
Whilst on the subject of Freemasonry, I recently attended the Masonic Centre in Nottingham by kind invitation of Tim Sisson who looked surprised when I took a picture of a memorial plaque within the building, with me saying I shall send it to Trench Lincs. I think that Tim’s expression was, why hadn't he thought of that!’
I have not seen this Freemason’s Memorial before, so it is a welcome addition to my Nottingham file of photos. Thank you to Melvin and Tim.
Of great interest to me is the discovery that Captain R M (Roby) Gotch was a Freemason. Captain Roby Gotch was Adjutant to the 7th Sherwood Foresters (Robin Hood Rifles), the Nottingham City Territorial Force battalion, and Gotch was killed alongside his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Hind, leading the first wave into No Man’s Land at the ill-fated assault on the Gommecourt salient on 1st July 1916.
This attack, a completely senseless independent diversionary attack, is the subject of one of my talks about the Robin Hoods and resulted in 27 Officers and 600 other ranks going into action. When the Roll was called the following day, there were just 90 men to answer.
I do not need much of an excuse to write about the Robin Hoods and I am very happy to share once again, the stained glass memorial window in the Nottingham Unitarian Church (today The Pitcher and Piano public house) which features the names of both Gotch and Hind.
The last name on the Freemasons memorial is that of A M Williams (Arthur Montague) - he too was an officer in the Robin Hoods, and when killed on 15th June 1915, he was the first Robin Hood Officer to be killed at the front.
There will be more from Melvin next week.
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In recent times, Jo Stacey and myself have corresponded about various aspects of the Great War, including the discovery that her ancestor, John Pont, was an Old Contemptible.
Now Jo writes that she and her husband have been away; ‘My husband and I (how regal!) [Well suited – Ed] have been lucky enough to spend a few days in beautiful Vienna, and of course visited the museum of Military History. A fine way to spend 3 euros! (excluding money spent in the nice café). You could be there for days, and I enclose my three favourite photos - the Archduke's car with the eerie number plate, and a two-part display, of a field medic kit, and the slightly larger display of all the medals available to doctors, nurses, and the wounded...
There was also a display from Antwerp, of particular interest to me, and of course presented as a great victory, which felt a little odd...it was fascinating to see everything from a non-British point of view.’
Jo’s reference to Antwerp, you may well recall, is where John Pont – serving with the Royal Naval Division in August/October 1914 became part of the story of the Old Contemptibles.
Jo’s very apt point about reading about the Great War from the ‘enemy’s’ point of view is well made. The British are very Anglo-Centric in our reading and writing when it comes to the 1914-18 war and it is an eye-opener, as it is in Gallipoli, to read about a British defeat from the point of view of the victors.
We have covered the story of the ‘eerie’ number plate on the car before, thanks to Ray Sellers’ previous visit to Vienna. For those who do not know the tale, this is the car in which the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated along with his wife in Sarajevo on 28th June 1914, and which became the catalyst for the outbreak of the First World War.
The number plate being, AIII II8, has been taken to read as Armistice 11.11.18 – as Jo says, quite ‘eerie’ if you believe in fate, karma, coincidence or superstition!
Thank you Jo.
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Next up is Bill Pinfold who has been out and about once again and notes; ‘Another couple of items that may interest you, one WWI and one WWII.
I've been listening to NPR's American Chronicles: A Military History, thanks to an audiobook subscription that my son kindly gave to me. A collection of 111 short radio programmes covering the American Civil War, WWI, WWII and the Vietnam war.
I like National Public Radio. When I lived in New York for a few years it was pretty much the only thing worth listening to on the airwaves, a channel of sanity amongst the other hundreds of noisy or opinionated music and talk stations. In these times when there is a lot to disdain about America's behaviour in the World, NPR is a calming, reasonable and informed voice that helps me to remember my many friends in the US who, I am sure, are not always comfortable with their current government's activities.
As with all things, NPR is not perfect. It can be a bit pretentious at times and the regular (though necessary) fund-raising weeks can be tedious, but they have honourable values, the production quality is excellent and the federal state should do more to provide funding, not try to reduce it. But I digress.
Yesterday, I reached the 59th episode and I commend it as a prime example of NPR's output. It is especially relevant at this time because it is about Alan Seeger, the poet who fought with the French Foreign Legion and who died at the start of the Battle of the Somme. It serves to remind us of the Americans who cared enough to fight early in the Great War, well before their country finally decided to join the fray. The story is told by his nephew, the folk singer Pete Seeger, and it is very poignant as the Spring leads us up to the start of that terrible battle.
I also visited Leicestershire this week and made a point of going to the village of Gaddesby. I recently learned that there had been a huge ordnance storage facility in fields near to the village in the run-up to D-Day, so vast that the Ministry of Supply had provided a narrow gauge railway line to move materials about. That led to me reading that there is an unusual item placed at a junction of the Main Street as a memorial to the local Home Guard. It is the stone base provided for them to site a Blacker Bombard which they would have used in the event of a German invasion reaching the East Midlands.
Here are photos of the one at Gaddesby, now relocated and mounted higher than it would originally have been. In the background is Gaddesby Hall, which housed the HQ of USAAF Station 520, which managed the local storage facility.
Further info about Station 520 is at https://masterbombercraig.wordpress.com/w-c-ajl-craig/gaddesbey-hall-residence/
Bill’s article aroused my curiosity, as I freely admit to not knowing what a Blacker Bombard’ was. A little research, found that it was an attempt at producing an anti-tank weapon that the Home Guard would have used to stop a German Panzer invasion – think Captain Mainwaring and Corporal Jones – when you look at these two photos that I found on-line.
Bill’s first comments about Alan Seeger, the American poet, made me realise that I knew of him, but that I knew nothing about him. If you don’t want to listen to the radio programme, here is a short synopsis of his life.
Alan Seeger’s promising poetic career was cut short when he died serving in the French Foreign Legion during World War I. He is best known for his war poem, “I Have a Rendezvous with Death,” and has often been compared with Rupert Brooke, a contemporary English soldier-poet who also died in World War I.
The son of Charles Louis Seeger, a businessman with sugar refining concerns in Mexico, Alan Seeger was born in New York City, and grew up in a wealthy and cultured home in Staten Island. His sister, Elizabeth, and brother, Charles (who became a noted musicologist), were close in age. Seeger attended the Staten Island Academy and then the Horace Mann School in Manhattan until the age of 12. His family then moved to Mexico City; in 1902 Alan returned with his brother Charles to New York to attend the Hackley School, in Tarrytown. Following his graduation from the Hackley School, Seeger attended Harvard University, where he graduated in 1910.
After living in New York, Seeger moved to Paris, and when war broke out between France and Germany in 1914, Seeger enlisted in the French Foreign Legion to defend his beloved France.
Apparently seeking the utmost of excitement in life, Seeger also had a fatalistic streak, and seemed attracted to the possibility of his death.
Seeger’s poem “I Have a Rendezvous with Death” tells of an expected meeting between the narrator and Death himself. Though the narrator of the poem regrets leaving behind life’s pleasures and love, he does not fear or abhor death. Instead he is stoic, making the rendezvous a matter of honour.
[Information from the Poetry Foundation. – Ed]
I HAVE A RENDEZVOUS WITH DEATH – Alan Seeger.
I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air—
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.
It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath—
It may be I shall pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered hill,
When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flowers appear.
God knows 'twere better to be deep
Pillowed in silk and scented down,
Where Love throbs out in blissful sleep,
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,
Where hushed awakenings are dear ...
But I've a rendezvous with Death
At midnight in some flaming town,
When Spring trips north again this year,
And I to my pledged word am true,
I shall not fail that rendezvous.
Alan Seeger, KIA 1916.
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Jonty Wild has just been on a most wonderful sounding tour to the deep southern end of the Western Front, and is looking at the possibilities of repeating it again, perhaps next year. If this happens, I will let TL readers know as it will be open to you to join the tour.
Jonty writes; ‘The End of the Western Front.
I have just returned from a Battlefield Tour to the southern end of the Western Front, organised by Herts At War in association with the Herts Constabulary Great War Society. We were fifty-one travelers guided by the very knowledgeable Paul Reed (The Old Front Line and author) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Obviously we as Brits usually concentrate on the British areas in France and Belgium where battles were fought before the stalemate began, and then the northern end of the 450 plus miles of trenches of the Western Front. However, as I am sure you all know, throughout the war, and especially at the start, the French were by far the largest and most significant of the Allied forces, so to try and understand the war and our contribution, it is important to have some knowledge of the French experience of the war.
We visited Verdun, the Alsace and the Vosges mountain range. This was where the French fought the Germans, with no direct help from us or anyone else until the Americans arrived and fought in 1918. I found the tour fascinating, especially the race to occupy the top of the mountains, ending in stalemate and with trenches just a few yards apart at the top, and great loss of life.
These are just a few photographs from the trip, if they excite your interest, then consider registering a ‘no commitment’ interest in our 2027 Tour for the 110th anniversary of the Hertfordshire Regiment’s catastrophic battle at St Julien (Belgium) on 31st July 1917 (email jontywild@hertsatwar.co.uk ‘
Here is a selection of Jonty’s photos.
French/American memorial at Thiaucourt.
American memorial at Montsec.
French memorial at St. Mihiel.
German trenches.
French tranchee de soif.
Trench lines
American cemetery at St Mihiel.
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A week last Friday, there was a very good turnout of 22 folk for the tour of the WWII Fighter Control Room at RAF Digby.
Our host and guide, Andy Oakes was very knowledgeable and welcoming and I believe that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
The WAAF's are not as good looking as they were in 1940!
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IN THIS WEEK – April 1918.
Last week I wrote about two major Great War events that occurred in late April in 1915, namely the first use of gas by the Germans and the first Gallipoli landings which spawned ANZAC Day for the first time on 25th April 1916. However, there was another momentous event, which is of great interest to us here in Lincoln, the birthplace of the tank.
The first tank-versus-tank battle in history took place on 24th April 1918 near the French village of Villers-Bretonneux, during the German Spring Offensive of the First World War. Tanks had already been used for nearly two years, but always against infantry, wire, and fortifications. At Villers-Bretonneux, however, armoured vehicles would confront one another directly for the first time, marking a turning point in mechanised warfare and foreshadowing the armoured battles that would define future conflict in the twentieth century.
By April 1918, the German Army had launched a series of offensives intended to break the Allied line before American forces could arrive in strength. Villers-Bretonneux, east of Amiens, was strategically important because it overlooked rail lines supplying British forces. On the morning of 24th April, German infantry advanced toward the village supported by a small number of A7V tanks, the only type of tank Germany had manufactured during the war. These machines were large, boxy, and heavily armoured, mounting a forward 57 mm gun and multiple machine guns. Although formidable, they were few in number and mechanically unreliable. Nevertheless, their appearance on the battlefield was psychologically significant, particularly because British troops had previously enjoyed a near monopoly over the use of tanks.
Opposing them were British Mark IV tanks from A Company of the 1st Battalion, Tank Corps. The Mark IV existed in two main variants: “male” tanks armed with 6-pounder guns in side sponsons, and “female” tanks armed only with machine guns. Lieutenant Frank Mitchell commanded a male Mark IV, accompanied by two female tanks. As German infantry advanced under morning mist, three A7Vs moved forward in support. One of these, often identified as “Nixe,” led the formation, while the other two followed at some distance.
Visibility was poor, and both sides encountered one another unexpectedly. The two British female tanks quickly found themselves at a disadvantage. Their machine guns could not penetrate the armour of the German vehicles, while the German 57 mm gun posed a serious threat. Under fire, the female tanks withdrew, leaving Mitchell’s male Mark IV alone to face the advancing A7Vs. The situation was unprecedented: two opposing tanks manoeuvring against each other across churned, shell-torn ground.
Mitchell ordered his driver to halt and fire. The Mark IV’s 6-pounder guns, mounted in side sponsons, required the entire vehicle to be aligned carefully to bring the guns to bear. The rough ground made accurate firing difficult, and the tank rocked violently after each shot. The German A7V fired first but missed. Mitchell then advanced slightly to steady his vehicle, allowing his gunners to aim more effectively. After several rounds, British shells struck the lead A7V. One hit damaged its steering gear, while another reportedly penetrated armour and caused casualties among the crew. The German tank began to tilt as it attempted to withdraw, eventually becoming immobilised. Surviving crew members abandoned it under fire.
The remaining two A7Vs, observing the fate of their companion and under pressure from British artillery and infantry, withdrew rather than continue the engagement. This brief but decisive exchange constituted the first tank-versus-tank combat in history. Mitchell’s Mark IV, however, did not escape unscathed. German artillery began targeting the lone British tank, and the crew endured heavy shelling. Eventually, after supporting nearby infantry, Mitchell’s vehicle was hit and damaged, forcing the crew to abandon it later in the action.
The fighting around Villers-Bretonneux did not end with this duel. Later that day, British Whippet medium tanks counterattacked German infantry in the same sector, demonstrating the growing tactical experimentation with armoured forces. These lighter, faster vehicles inflicted significant casualties but also suffered losses, highlighting both the potential and vulnerability of early tanks. By nightfall, Australian and British infantry launched a coordinated counterattack that recaptured Villers-Bretonneux, stabilising the front near Amiens.
Although small in scale, the tank duel at Villers-Bretonneux had outsized symbolic importance. It demonstrated that tanks would not merely support infantry but would eventually confront one another directly. The engagement also revealed key tactical lessons. Armament mattered: the British male tank’s cannon proved decisive against the machine-gun-armed female tanks’ inability to engage armoured targets. Mobility and visibility were equally crucial; both sides struggled with rough terrain, limited sightlines, and the need to reposition entire vehicles to aim effectively. These challenges would influence later tank design, encouraging rotating turrets, improved optics, and better suspension systems.
The encounter also underscored the psychological dimension of armoured warfare. Infantry on both sides reacted strongly to the presence of tanks, often clustering around them for protection or withdrawing in fear. The destruction of a tank by another tank demonstrated that armoured vehicles were not invulnerable, shaping expectations for future engagements. Within two decades, tank-versus-tank combat would become central to military planning, particularly during the Second World War.
In retrospect, the clash at Villers-Bretonneux appears modest: only a handful of tanks firing at relatively short range. Yet it represented the birth of a new form of combat. For the first time, armoured machines designed to break trench stalemates turned their weapons on each other, inaugurating an era in which battles between tanks would play decisive roles on battlefields around the world. The events of 24th April 1918 thus stand as a milestone in military history, marking the moment when armoured warfare began to evolve beyond its experimental origins into a defining feature of modern war.
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This week’s finale comes once again from Chris at Colour by CJS.
Corporal William Arthur Keefe.
William was born in Shoreditch, London in 1889, and he joined the army in 1906.
William married Ethel Smerald in 1913, and the couple had two daughters, Vera (born in 1914) and Marjorie (born in 1916). It is Vera in this photo with her father.
William never met Marjorie as she was born after his death.
William served in 4th Battalion, The London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), and he was killed in action on 26th April 1916, and buried in Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery in Belgium.
William Keefe was 26 years old.
Postscript
Ethel was one of an estimated 240,000 British women who received a widow’s pension as a result of the First Word War. In addition, it is estimated that between 350,000 to 400,000 children qualified for support (until their 16th birthday) as a result of losing their father in the war.
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In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 3rd May.
1915
13932 Private V Bradder, 2nd Battalion, aged 34. Buried in Rue Petillon Military Cemetery, France.
8184 Private G Tripp, 2nd Battalion. – Ditto. –
14720 Private Edward Hirst, 1st Battalion. Buried in Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France.
1916
3383 Private George Williams, 2nd/4th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Stamford Cemetery, UK.
Second Lieutenant Eric Mouat Biggs, 2nd Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Albert Communal Cemetery Extension, France. ** [See below]
1917
Nine men of the Lincolnshire Regiment are recorded as having died on this day in 1917.
1918
42877 Private Leslie England, 2nd Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France.
53225 Private A W Simpson, 2nd/5th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Arneke Cemetery, France.
48977 Private H Reader, Depot, aged 40. Buried in Longueau British Cemetery, France.
43161 Private Herbert Severn, 7th Battalion, aged 42. Buried in Bagneux British Cemetery, France.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
With regard to the 1916 casualty, Eric Mouat-Biggs was born in Cheltenham on 20th June 1896. In August 1914, when he was 18 years old, he went to work for London County and Westminster Bank.
In early 1915 Mouat-Biggs left his job as a clerk at the bank's Bedford branch in order to take up a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was later commissioned into the Lincolnshire Regiment. Second Lieutenant Mouat-Biggs was killed in action on the Western Front on 3rd May 1916. He was 19 years old.
Eric Mouat Biggs.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Until next week,
All best wishes
Jonathan
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
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