I have just joined this site today and I am very impressed .Last October I had the opportunity to visit the remains of the WW1 tank Deborah in France close to where it was found. It is stored in a barn at present. We arranged to meet a representative of the owner outside the barn one morning, he spoke no English and we no French so he left us to roam around and while we were there showed us inside a small outbuilding which serves as a museum for all the pieces locals have recovered from the surrounding fields. We were able to pick and examine some amazing finds. There is also a German field gun next to the tank similar to the one that hit and knock out this tank hence the big hole, front offside. I have more photos if anyone would like to see them but I am having difficulty uploading, so only a couple at a time!
more pictures uploading now!!
The last photo is not mine but shows her before being lifted from the mud.
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Here are the best of the rest, but my upload is slow! The picture of her being lifted from the mud is not mine but i thought it was of interest.
The bald gentleman seen in some shots was the Frenchman that met us outside with the key to get in.
In the shot showing the hanging plastic sheeting can be seen through the opening of the barn a small outbuilding which serves as a small museum of items pick up locally. The last three show a floor display in another site on the same trip showing a section of track and what i believe was a crewmans outfit and tables upon tables of helmets and other equipment. -- Edited by kevH on Saturday 14th of July 2012 09:25:45 PM
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The photo that may show a Tank Crewman's uniform certainly doesn't show a British uniform - the helmet looks like a leather flying helmet Germans wore during training (an early protective helmet), the jacket certainly isn't British and the overalls look rather leather-y and thick whereas the British ones were a khaki drill cotton
I thought that display looked familiar. It's a long time since I've been, but it's the museum at Peronne. See picture. They are gen Tank track plates, but the rest of the display is to do with aviation, so that is indeed a German airman's outfit. However, I think some of those aviator helmets found their way to the A7V crews. There is a photo at the back of my mind somewhere. Will check.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
At first, A7V crews wore the type of leather helmet used by aircrew and by drivers and mechanics of transport units. This seems to be the one with the crest or ridge on the top (Pic 1). The special tank troops version (Pic 2) was introduced in May, 1918.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
I think KevH is a lucky man because when I visited Deborah I met also the representative of the owner I doen't understand a single word in French due to my Flemish language but I saw a panel with a camera with a diagonal bar ; even a Chinese or a Russian not using our occidental alphabet had understood "please no photographs".I believe it's a fault ,an affront to Monsieur Gorczynski.
I suppose he managed,like for me,a possibilty of seeing the tank although he was very busy with the hotel Beatus and now anybody else can find plenty of stolen photos on the Web.Don't forget the tank like the barn and all material on display are private property.
