1company27august1917
1 Company 27 August 1917
The Tanks at 3rd Ypres. 27th August 1917
1 Company, "A" Battalion, and 4 Company "B" Battalion with 41st Brigade, 14th Division, II Corps, 5th Army (OH)
1 and 4 Companies attempted to get 7 tanks into action on 27th August 1917
"A" Battalion, 4 Section (H1) OIC: Capt. Vardy M (H1)
4 tanks, presumably:
A16, 2016, M, “Argus”, 2Lt Kidd
A17, 2683, f, “Achilles”, Lt J.C. Brown
A18, 2018, M, 2Lt Dawkes
A20, 2686, F, “Apollo”, 2Lt Pearson TW
Lt Mockton GH also with 1 Company.
"B" Battalion section - OIC Capt Partington
3 unidentified tanks
One commanded by Lt Coulson (W2)
NOTE: A16, A17 and A20 details from Battalion list in Battalion War Diary (W1) dated to the end of July 1917. A18 is not on this list.
A17 is listed as 2083 on the list in the War Diary, the author believes this a transcription error as A17 is 2683 at Messines.
A18 details from Battlegraph for 7th June 1917 at Messines (W22), all four tanks survived this action and thus probably constituted the section on 27th August.
Orders (W22)
To proceed via the Hooge Gap to Clapham Junction. To start therefrom and support ( ) the 41st Infantry Brigade's attack on Inverness Copse and Glencourse Wood. Each tank was to support half an infantry company. (OH)
Account of Operations (H1) (W22)
Two of the three allocated tanks from "B" Battalion broke down before they left their lying up place. The other five tanks all reached (w22) the Hooge Gap (see note below) by 3am. At 4am the enemy put down a heavy barrage along the line Stirling Castle to Surbiton villas. At 4:45am the tanks attempted to move forward but all had sunk in the mud, some even had mud up to their Sponsons. Lt Brown was in the lead tank (presumably A17) which managed to move forward a short distance but was then hit on the track. (w22) The barrage also knocked out the "B" Battalion tank wounding Lt Coulson and 3 crewmen (W2) and killed Captain Vardy (H1). 13 crewmen in total were wounded (158/839, W22) Only one tank was successfully unditched and rallied, Lt Kidd was wounded by a shell whilst the tank was being unditched (H1) which implies the surviving tank was A16.
A16 and A20 were both in action in September
Note
The Report on operations for 27th August dated 28th August indicates the tanks reached Clapham Junction, numerous photographs exist which show 2018 was knocked out about 1000yds before Clapham Junction.
Summary
intended: 7
At Start: 5
Failed to Start: 4
Engaged enemy: 0
Ditched / Broke Down:
Hit and Knocked out: 1
Rallied: 0
Note
Two of the four tanks that reached the start point was recovered.
Aftermath
2016 was in action with crew A4 on 20-Sep-17 when it was hit and KO. W1a
2683 is possibly the derelict female tank just in front of 2018 (AWM E02327), the tank has been hit on the front right hand track .
2018 was photographed whilst derelict: on 21st September 1917: (AWM E02327) and Post War: (WD number visible on rear of sponson, unable to reference),
2686 was in action with crew A20 on 26-Sep-17. It received a direct hit and was KO near Glencourse Wood. (W1a)
The "B" battalion tank is presumably one of the other derelicts left in the tank Graveyard near Clapham Junction until after the war. (AWM E02327)
Sources
W1 - War Diary No1 / A Battalion Tank Corps / A Coy HBMGC 1916 – 1919 Transcript from Bovington Tank Museum
W2 - War Diary No 2 / B Battalion Tank Corps August 1917, Appendix E, Report on operations of 26th August 1918, in PRO WO 95-113
158/839 - PRO WO158 /839
W22 - Report on operations for 27th August dated 28th August - PRO WO 95-109
H1 - War History of 1st Battalion Tank Corps, Transcript from Bovington Tank Museum
OH – Official History, 1917, Vol 2, Pg.207
S35 - Chris McCarthy (1995) Passchendaele. The Day by Day Account
S37 - Jean-Luc Gibot and Phillippe Gorczynski (1999) Following the Tanks, Cambrai. OOB excerpt.
3rd Ypres Narratives - By date
3rd Ypres narratives - By Unit