Object details

Category
Equipment
Related period
First World War (association)
Materials

whole: metal

Catalogue number
EQU 4578

Object associations

Related content

The first official photograph of a tank going into action at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, 15 September 1916
© IWM (Q 2488)
First World War

How Britain Invented The Tank In The First World War

The concept of a vehicle to provide troops with both mobile protection and firepower was not a new one. But in the First World War, the increasing availability of the internal combustion engine, armour plate and the continuous track, as well as the problem of trench warfare, combined to facilitate the production of the tank.
British soldiers eat hot rations in the Ancre Valley during the Battle of the Somme.
© IWM (Q 1580)
First World War

The Food That Fuelled The Front

By 1918, the British were sending over 67 million lbs (30 million kg) of meat to the Western Front each month. Daily rations were meant to include fresh or frozen meat, but many meals would have consisted of tinned food, which became a familiar aspect of the British soldier’s diet.
The Underworld: Taking cover in a Tube Station during a London air raid, 1918 by Walter Bayes
IWM ART 935
First World War

The Air Raids That Shook Britain In The First World War

During the First World War, Britain came under attack from the air, putting civilians in the firing line for the very first time.   At the start of the war, Britain was ill-prepared to deal with the threat from enemy airships and aircraft. Traditionally its home defence focussed on defending the coastline rather than its airspace and with most of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) operating overseas, few aircraft remained to defend Britain.