![]() ![]() It looked good with excellent photographs but, being in French, was of little practical use to someone – like me – whose knowledge of French has not advanced since their schooldays. At that time, it was available only in the French language and it was in softback. “I remember seeing an earlier edition of this book on the first major tank battle at one of the military bookfairs field at Tunbridge Wells about three years ago. Below are two reviews written when the English version of the book was first published. Proceeds from the sale of the book have been applied to the cost of the monument and museum project. The book is now out of print and when offered for sale in bookshops or on the Internet, attracts many prospective purchasers. ![]() It has created a world-wide interest way beyond our original expectations. Eighty years later we attempted to walk in their tracks and footprints by ‘Following the Tanks’! Naturally the discovery of ‘Deborah’ D51 was literally the culmination of all our hopes. Another important reason for the choice of book title was to indicate that at Cambrai, tanks were the spearhead of the heroic charge with the infantry following behind. Also, with the help of the digital and information technology, the sharing of research information may well provide valuable links to provide more conclusive evidence. No doubt it remains open to further research, as many past records slowly come to light in the various archive departments and museums. Amongst these were the Tank Museum of Bovington, ably guided by David Fletcher who was a key man in our researches, the Imperial War Museum, and the National Archives in Kew. In spite of our determination, some records may have even escaped our examination at the different archive centres. The fact that many documents have disappeared or have been destroyed over the years, while others will be in unknown private collections or even still hidden in attics, encouraged us even more to achieve our ambition. It was not always an easy task and sometimes impossible to reach a positive conclusion. The book title ‘Following the Tanks’ was selected to indicate that we have tried to retrace the fate of these modern knights and their tanks who went ‘over the top’ during November and December 1917. ![]()
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