Commemorative plaque at the First World War Tank Corps Memorial in Pozieres (Somme), France
The Tank Corps Memorial is located on the Albert-Bapaume road north-east of Pozieres village. It was in 1919 that the Tank Corps applied for permission to put up a memorial on this site. They proposed to erect a granite obelisk on a plinth with four models of tanks at each of the four corners of the obelisk's base. The proposal was accepted by the British Battle Exploit Memorials Committee and by the French authorities. The memorial was unveiled by Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas L. N. Morland in July 1922. Two bronze plaques on the memorial are inscribed with the names of battles on the Western Front in France in which the tanks were used from September 1916 to the Armistice in November 1918. "1916 - 1st Somme - Ancre" is inscribed on the first plaque. "1918 - 2nd Somme - River Lys - Hamel - Marne - Moreuil - Amiens - Bapaume- Arra- Epephy - Cambrai- St Quintin - Selle - Mormal Forest" on the second. It was from near the memorial's location that tanks first went into action with the British Army as a new, surprise weapon against the Germans and only a few miles south of this memorial tanks were used at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette from 15 to 22 September 1916. One interesting feature of the memorial is the boundary "fence" around the obelisk. In the application to build the memorial, a fence was suggested as a way of keeping cattle away from the plinth of the memorial and this fence was to comprise ten upright 6-pounder tank gun barrels with tank chains. The small-scale replicas of some of the tanks used and positioned at the four corners of the memorial are Mark IV and V Heavy tanks and a Mark I Gun-carrier tank and a Medium A Whippet. From the Tank Memorial there are excellent views across the battlefields in all directions except back toward Albert as this view is blocked by trees. However, the elevated viewing platform at the 1st Australian Division memorial on the other side of the village can be used for views of Albert.
Size: 3840px × 5760px
Location: Route de Bapaume, D929, 80300 Pozieres, Somme, France, Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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