Guy Martin builds W W1 beast in tribute to Brit engineers
TV’S Guy Martin is known for his daredevil antics – but when he built a 30-tonne First World War tank from scratch he discovered what fear is really like.
The speedfreak motorcycle racer and mechanic spent five months making an exact replica of the British Mark IV tank – first unleashed 100 years ago tomorrow at Cambrai in Northern France.
It was a tribute to the brilliance of the engineers who made them and the courage of the eight-man crews who drove them in to battle at only 4mph.
Though protected inside the steel hull, the soldiers used sign language because of the deafening noise and risked carbon monoxide poisoning from engine fumes.
When the beast was built Guy got behind the controls to share their hell.
“It’s hot. It stinks,” he said, “it takes two of us to drive it. And you’re going nowhere fast.
“That’s all very well when you’re driving around a car park but with six more people in it – and you’re getting shot at – it’s a different matter.
“I’ve nothing but respect for those guys 100 years ago.”
Guy, 36 – whose project is shown on a special Channel 4 show tonight – was born in Lincolnshire, where agricultural engineers William Foster & Co designed and built the revolutionary 26ft long by 10ft wide machines.
Their first use at the Battle of Cambrai on November 20, 1917, struck fear into German soldiers. They fled, bewildered by the mysterious machines clanking towards them with all guns blazing.
The assault by 376 tanks – intended to break the bloody stalemate at Passchendaele and Ypres – pushed five miles in to enemy territory.
Tribute
But within 24 hours 179 were out of action. Most had broken down, with only 60 lost to enemy fire.
The firm went on to build 1,220 tanks but only seven originals survive across the world. None are working and most are rusty shells.
Guy admitted: “I’m a bit embarrassed about how little I know about World War One. I didn’t even know tanks were used.
“I had such a gap in my knowledge that I wanted to learn more before next year’s 100th anniversary of the Armistice.” No original plans exist, so Guy’s team created a 3D computer-aided design
based on photo- graphs provided by German model expert Thorsten Brand – as well as using a Haynes Workshop Manual. The steel chassis was welded together by a team at JCB’s factories in Staffordshire.
Then Herts- based engineers Chasestead Ltd manufactured more than 360 components, from gun mounts to p e r i s c o p e s , using computer technology the original makers could hardly dream of.
Gearbox parts were salvaged from scrapped farm vehicles. And 3,000 fake rivets were used for authenticity.
The only difference to the real thing is the engine. No original Daimler engines exists so Guy used an old Rolls-Royce one bought 25 years ago for £100 by tank enthusiast Stephen Machaye.
The replica was built by volunteers at the Norfolk Tank Museum at Forncett St Peter, which Stephen runs.
After testing the engine, with the roof off so they could escape in case of fire, Guy drove it for the first time.
He said: “We didn’t get very far, maybe 100 yards, before it pulled its bearing out of the chassis. Getting that back in again was a massive job.”
The team worked on and the finished tank was named Deborah II after one discovered buried on Cambrai battlefield in 1998 by a local historian.
Finally, last Sunday, Guy’s team achieved their dream. After taking part in the Armistice service in Cambrai, Guy drove her in a moving re-enactment of the first battle – starting at the same spot. He said: “I won’t ever forget driving this incredible tank across the historic babattlefield on such a sig significant day. It was a ve very emotional experience as we stood quietly and re remembered those who d died at Cambrai.” The project also gave G Guy a chance to learn the history of the machine. He said: “The whole reason it was called a tank was because when the first ones were being built at William Foster & Co people would ask ‘What is it?’ and because it was top secret they were told, ‘It’s a water tank.’ “When I first looked at this challenge, I thought ‘This is a big ask. We’re not going to see this happen.’ I’d say this is the biggest thing we’ve undertaken. “We’re not restoring or modifying one, we’re building an exact replica of a Mark IV Tank... from scratch. It’s a massive undertaking and JCB was the main reason this was able to happen. “They built the main part of the tank, and then the lads at the Norfolk Tank Museum put all the engine together. “It was an extraordinary and thrilling experience.” Guy Martin’s WWI Tank is Channel 4 tonight at 8pm.