tankflag

The Flag of the British Royal Tank Regiment! Fear Naught!

The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps, it is part of the Royal Armoured Corps.

tankflag
With our flag and tank we hope to Remember
the soldiers of The Royal Tank Regiment!

 

The formation of the Royal Tank Regiment followed the invention of the tank. Tanks were first used at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme in the First World War. They were at first considered artillery, and crews received artillery pay.At that time the six tank companies were grouped as the Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Corps (MGC). In November 1916 the eight companies then in existence were each expanded to form battalions (still identified by the letters A to H) and designated the Heavy Branch MGC; another seven battalions, I to O, were formed by January 1918, when all the battalion were changed to numbered units. On 28 July 1917, the Heavy Branch was separated from the rest of the Corps by Royal Warrant and given official status as the Tank Corps. The formation of new battalions continued and, by December 1918, 26 had been created though only 25 battalions were equipped with tanks, as the 17th had converted to armoured cars in April 1918. The first commander of the Tank Corps was Hugh Elles. The Corps saw much action at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917.

'From mud, trough blood to the green fields beyond'

'Brown, Red, Green'

Support the Royal Tank Regiment!

Source: wikipedia

 
'Arthur Cole penned this poem to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai, it is also a tribute to the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, their motto is below' 20th November -7th December 1917 ‘
 
Tanks-The Battle of Cambrai' “
 
From the mud, through the blood, to the green fields beyond” That unforgiving war, brave men being slaughtered, gas, mortar, barbed wire, gave them no quarter. No man's land, would be their final resting place, their war games played out, some shot in disgrace. After years of stalemate, thousands they perished, fighting for freedom, an existence to cherish. Conventional warfare, were orders of the day, this war of attrition, on foreign fields far away. Tactics would change, Haigh gave the order, tanks would now lead, more blood, and slaughter. At the battle of Cambrai, is where they would shine, their objective to breach The Hindenburg Line. Those juggernauts roared, breaching defences, crushing barbed wire, destroying enemy trenches. Advancing five miles, it was a tactical success, however, with half the tanks lost, no further progress. The battle raged on, heroes laid down their lives, through blood, mud and gore, fighting to survive. TankieS entombed, crumpled metal their shrine, whilst praying to God for intervention divine. 'Cambrai' and tanks, to history now confined, both casualties of war, forever entwined. Tankies now serving, lest we forget, brave heroes of old, always in their debt.
 
#arthurspoems #tanks #battleofcambrai #worldwarone #bravetankies
 
Arthur Cole-All Copyright Reserved