The tank was a brand new idea. early prototypes, such as the one illustrated to the left, were slow, cumbersome and prone to breakdown. Often the soldiers following the tanks into battle would overtake the advancing tank!

Convinced of the need to develop something that would break through the German trenches Field Marshall Haig was persuaded to order the construction of 1000 tanks. To the right is an image of one of the most advanced tanks produced for the British Army during the First World war.