Commanders in First World War were not buffoons, claims expert

FIRST WORLD War commanders were not buffoons who willingly sacrificed their men as depicted in Blackadder, inset, according to a historian.

David Willey said some senior officers had been subjected to “Blackadder-style mocking” but insisted many were courageous soldiers who led their men into battle.

Mr Willey, who is the curator of the Tank Museum in Dorset, said Hugh Elles who led the Tank Corps at the Battle of Cambrai was one such man. The museum is celebrating the centenary of Elles leading his men into battle by taking their replica Mk IV tank to the Cenotaph in London on November 19 – the day before the anniversary.

Prior to the battle, Elles famously bought the last fabric available in a French draper’s shop and had it stitched together to use as a flag. The colours were brown, red and green, which was interpreted afterwards as: ‘From mud, through blood and to the green fields beyond’, in recognition of the Tank Corps’ exploits at Cambrai.

The “Cambrai Flag” is one of the most significant exhibits on display at the museum and was flown from a tank by Elles himself as he drove into battle. The assault gained more ground in the first three hours of fighting than the British had gained in three months at the Battle of Passchendaele. It was the first time that tanks had been used in large numbers.