Gwyn Evans will be speaking about tank production during the Great War. He will explain how firms were mobilised almost from a standing start to produce the new weapon of war in quantity. In doing so he'll look at the issue from the perspective of the Army, industry, and the Ministry of Munitions and how their interests both aligned and conflicted. He will conclude with some thoughts on the tank shortages that occurred during the final stages of the war.
Gwyn has held a lifelong interest in tank history and has been researching tank production in the Great War for some 20 years. Among other things, his research has explored the relationship between William Foster & Company of Lincoln and its subcontractors, the identity of the Mark IV in Lincoln ('Daphne', a female tank that saw action at Passchendaele in 1917), and the supply chain for tank components. He was the tank consultant for the Channel 4 documentary "Guy Martin's Great War Tank".
'Deborah II', Guy Martin's Great War tank at the Norfolk Tank Museum (photo: Chris Hunt).
Main Image: Photograph Q70957 from the collections of the Imperial War Museum showing a British Mark IV tank production at William Foster & Company's Wellington Foundry in Lincoln.