8 Battalion, A Company, 4 July 1918
Hamel. 4th July 1918
8th Battalion.
A Company – OIC Major BLACKBURN, D.S.O., M.C (H8) Attached 15th Battalion, 4th Brigade, AIF
1 SECTION (?) – Attached 1 Company 15th bttn AIF
H1, 9047, 2Lt Gleaves AS
H2, 9331, 2Lt Dover EL
H3, 9059, 2Lt Prentice FW
2 Section (?)
H4, 9317, Lt Whitehead HMW
H5, 9022, 2Lt Batstone RK
H6, 9012, 2Lt Evans LJ
3 Section (?)
H7, 9015, 2Lt Atherton F
H8, 9324, Sgt Dixon Wynn A
H9, 9045, 2Lt Morgan RE
4 Section (?)
H10, 9439, 2Lt Gibson JW - Crew number an educated guess
H11, 9403, 2Lt Vickers WA
H12, 9393, 2Lt Eastwood H
notes
H3, 9059, 2Lt Prentice FW – This tank listed as 9058 on BHS, this is also the number given in H30’s, BHS (2Lt Hodges OIC), which is also the WD number of the tank being commanded by Lt Hodges on 8th August.
9059 is listed as being handed from A Company to Salvage on the 8th July in 8th Battalions War Diary and thus is a likely identification for 2Lt prentice’s tank.
Orders
Assembly point; in Fouilloy Chateau Grounds (H8)
To co-operate with the 15th A.I. Battalion in the capture of PEAR SHAPE REDOUBT and to proceed to the BLUE LINE (H8)
H11 - Objective: Vaire Wood, high ground and spur on left. (P10d.8.5.)
Narrative
1 Section (?)
H1, H2 and H3 all attacked but only fired on the retiring enemy, H1 expending 14 rounds of SAA and H2 100 rounds. H3 captured an MG beyond the blue line. All three tanks rallied.
2 Section (?)
All three tanks attacked and reached their objective; only H6 fired on the enemy, silencing two MGs, capturing one of them. All three tanks rallied
3 Section (?)
All three tanks attacked and reached their objective; none of the tanks fired on the enemy, all three rallied.
4 Section (?)
9439 (presumably H10) attacked but did not engage the enemy. H12 was delayed due to ditching and engine trouble, it eventually followed the attack but did not engage the enemy. H11 Attacked and ran over an enemy strongpoint at P9d.8.5. thus enabling infantries advance. The tank then proceeded ahead of infantry and ran over another MG nest (2 MG) which was holding up the infantry. It then went to Plateau to right of Hamel, where groups of the enemy surrendered to the tank. H11 then turned to rally but broke a track at P10c.6.8. The tanks guns were placed aboard 9084, (B Coy 13th battalion). The crew returned to the rally point, and the tank was handed to Salvage.
Summary
Total Tanks: 12
Failed to Start:
Engaged enemy: 4
Ditched / Broke Down:
Hit and Knocked out: 1
Rallied: 10
Engaged enemy includes tanks that did not fire their guns but crushed enemy defenses or to which enemy surrendered.
Broke down is H32 which was towed to the rally point (not included in rallied total).
Aftermath
The following tanks were in action on August 8th with the indicated OICS
9012, 2Lt Evans LJ
9015, 2Lt Atherton F
9022, 2Lt Batstone RK
9045, 2Lt Morgan RE
9047, 2Lt Gleaves AS
9317, 2Lt Vaughton SJJ
9324, Sgt Wynni AD
9331, 2Lt Dover EL
9393, 2Lt Eastwood H
9439, 2Lt Gibson JW (indicated as 9493)
9403 not recorded again
9059 is listed as being handed from A Company to Salvage on the 8th July
Sources
8 Battalion Battle History Sheets, transcripts from Bovington Tank Museum.