whippettank

Whippets first saw action in march 1918 and were not used at Cambrai in 1917. Most probably taken on the 8th August 1918 when the Canadian and Australian Corps, supported by over 400 tanks, broke the German line east of Amiens at the start of the allied 100 days advance to victory. The tank is presumably from 6th Tank Battalion which advanced through the victorious Canadians in support of the 1st cavalry Division. The whippets and cavalry did not work well together, the cavalry outrunning the tanks when no opposition was met, the whippets outrunning the cavalry when the troopers were stopped by machine gun fire. Source: sites.google.com/site/landships/home/narratives/1918/100d...

Wow great photo! Can you imagine what those people must have thought? They would never have seen anything quite like this before.

I wouldn't be so sure - tanks were a popular spectacle in Lonodn in the latter years of WWI: www.flickr.com/photos/ridgway/145278027/

I see the tanks have their hatches up. In battle they were horrendously hot inside and the engine fumes could almost overcome the crew

The thing that makes it for me is, perhaps predictably, the juxtaposition with the road sign: 'Caution, Drive Slowly'.

Blighters, by Siegfried Sassoon: The house is crammed: tier beyond tier they grin and cackle at the Show, while prancing ranks Of harlots shrill the chorus, drunk with din; 'We're sure the Kaiser loves our dear old Tanks!' I'd like to see a Tank come down the stalls, Lurching to rag-time tunes, or 'Home, sweet Home', And there'd be no more jokes in Music-Halls To mock the riddled corpses round Bapaume.

287 was hit and burnt out whilst in action with 6th tank battalion on 23rd August 1918. Source: sites.google.com/site/landships/home/lists/whippets/whipp... sites.google.com/site/landships/home/narratives/1918/100d...