Landships II

surreysniper · Corporal

Mk1 Female Tank number 13A "We're all in it"

LincolnTanker · Commander in Chief

Hi Mark, welcome to the forum,

Here's a link to one of the posts for that tank :-

http://landships.activeboard.com/t32444887/lt-hw-hitchcock-commander-mk1-female-hmls-were-all-in-it/

�

If you put we're all in it in the topic search box you'll find more posts.

Good luck with your searches,

�

Chris.

�

added this� http://landships.activeboard.com/t42733690/a-company-hsmgc-mark-i/

-- Edited by LincolnTanker on Tuesday 16th of August 2011 10:41:58 AM

tanks3 · Major

Hi Surreysniper,

�

Welcome to the forum.� Can you post any more details about your grandfather - name, number, service details or anything you may know about him? I am sure there will be several of us interested

�

Tanks3

surreysniper · Corporal

He shot for Surrey as a cilivian before ww1 winning many cometitions. Later in ww2 for home guard was the best team in England, 2nd in GB. Shot in competitions against�Australia & America.

In ww1 went to the MGC, was in the HB MGC ( HMLS 13A) He was CORNELL F 32089�

I am putting his book together so all info & background will be a great help to my family. Regards Mark

tanks3 · Major

Surreysniper,

Thanks for the additional info. Very interesting. Do you still have any of your grandfathers shooting medals and how do you know he was part of A13's crew?

Most interested

Tanks3

surreysniper · Corporal

Hi. He told my father, (now in his 90's) his accounts / stories from his time at the front which i have got him to write down before he dies. I have many rare unpublished photos from the time of him in uniform etc and his papers from the war. Trench art and medals.

The problem i have found as i'm sure many have before me, is that only officers, or those that rescued officers were ever mentioned in any 'offical' army records. That's what makes my grandfathers record so special.

Do you know, or have any infomation about the first units going to the front and training that they did before leaving England.

Gwyn Evans · Legend

Very interesting to hear about your relative and best wishes with your book. To show what can be done I'd suggest you look at http://www.firsttankcrews.com/

Also try this: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=84579&hl=tank*

The second link identifies the tank as having serial 544. From my database I can tell you a little more about this tank. My database says "A13 A Bn; In tank park at the Loop 1.10.16; Took part in Battle of Ancre 13.11.16; undamaged but badly buried; Lt HITCHCOCK" Sources are an account in the A Battalion box at The Tank Museum Archives, Bovington, Dorset and also a reference "2006-09-5-3-3-1", which is a reference for a document in the archive at the National Army Museum, Chelsea.

Good hunting.

Gwyn

surreysniper · Corporal

Hi Gwyn.�Tank museum gave me the account of Hitchcocks awarded action, sadly, that's just about all they had for me.

My grandfather took part 'in action' with HMLS up to june 3 , 1917 when they were disabled in 'no-mans land', he was rescued from the tank, (we understand by a Canadian) suffering head injuries, (the leather helmet did'nt do much) and sent to Etaples base hospital.

-- Edited by surreysniper on Wednesday 17th of August 2011 10:31:19 PM

-- Edited by surreysniper on Wednesday 17th of August 2011 10:32:14 PM

tanks3 · Major

Surreysniper,

Gwyn has beaten me to it with his recommendations. The only other suggestion I have is to try and see if your relatives burn papers survive by either going to TNA or try Ancestry. Stephen Pope, author of the website first tank crews may also be able to help. You can contact him via his site.

Please keep us upto date with your research and do let us know when you are publishing your book.

Good luck

Tanks3

firsttankcrews · Major

For surrey sniper

Mark
Welcome to the website - sadly I can't find any record of his serrvice through either ancestry or the naional archives.
Based on his number (32089), and the records of others, he enlisted in November 1916 and was called up in March 1916 to Bisley. He would have been allocated to A Company in late May and then sent to Elveden for training, A Company moved to France in mid September.

I didn't think A Bn was in action on 3rd June - but the records could be wrong! They were in action on 7th June at Messines

Can you tell us more about him - his bravery needs to be celebrated

Stephen Pope

surreysniper · Corporal

Hello Stephen,

What i can tell you is�he was posted for duty 28 March,1916. left Southampton on 14th sept ,1916 Heavy Section MGC 'A' comp. .. starts Active service in France Sept 1916.�

later after his injury in june 1916, he rejoined �' A' Bgn. on the 13 August, 1917. �Had leave to uk in Oct 1918 . (at this point the reporting goes to 1st Bn Tank Corps). back a month later. ends his active service on �jan 26, 1919.

Any details you can give me will be of great help putting his jigsaw together.

-- Edited by surreysniper on Friday 19th of August 2011 09:50:59 AM

firsttankcrews · Major

Mark

To date, I have not researched the crews of A and B Company - but that is an omission on my part which is unsupportable.
I will open two new pages on the website to make amends - please bear with me and we will make sure that his service is recorded for all to see

Stephen

Gwyn Evans · Legend

Mark

To help with one point: A Battalion Tank Corprs became 1st Battalion Tank Corps on 1 January 1918. All the Tank Corps battalions had their designations changed at that date (B became 2nd, C 3rd etc).

Gwyn

firsttankcrews · Major

Mark - good news and bad news.

First the good
Page 105 of Trevor Pidgeon's recently published book "Tanks on the Somme" has a report on the action by OC A Company. Maj Cecil Tippetts which includes the names of the crew

Bad news: Gnr F Cornell is not listed

The crew shown were
Lt Herbert Hitchcock who was killed; he was the son of a civil servant who worked in the War Office.
40429 Cpl Alfred Taffs who was awarded the MM for his bravery. He was later Sgt in the Tank Corps and subsequently commissioned into the KSLI.
32175 Gnr F Ainley - possibly named Fred
40066 Gnr William Miles who was killed - he came from Coventry
32092 LCpl Sydney A Moss who was wounded
38166 Gnr WA Stanley who was wounded
38046 Gnr Albert W Tolley and
M2/106388 LCpl Reginald Bevan ASC who was the driver and who was awarded the MM.
He transferred to the Tank Corps and was later commissioned as a Tank Engineer

We know that every crew had a spare crewman so this could well have been your grandfather

Stephen

surreysniper · Corporal

Thanks stephen. I have found more info. on him since my last post. At one stage he was working from Tank HQ. But the unit he was teamed up with is still unclear, It is possible he was with another landship but the was was in A company. You know the men in the other land ship at the time? Cheers Mark

firsttankcrews · Major

Mark - sadly not

Trevor states that two other tanks from No 5 Section were due to take part in the attack . One broke a gear and the other sank into the mud - neither tank is identified.
The Landships site provide the same detail
https://sites.google.com/site/landships/home/narratives/somme1916narratives/november1916

Stephen