On the 18th May 1915 the Tyneside Scottish Brigade paraded on the pastures in front of Alnwick Castle to be inspected by His Grace the Duke Of Northumberland.
TS Brigade inspected by His Grace Duke of Northumberland 18th May 1915
To commemorate the occasion a Beating of Retreat was held in Alnwick Castle. The occasion had an international flavour with the presence of the Somme Battlefield Pipe Band (SBPB) from Peronne in France. The SBPB commemorate the fallen in both World Wars by each individual member of the band wearing a uniform of a Scottish Regiment.
The massed Pipes and drums consisted of the Tyneside Scottish Pipe Band, Somme Battlefield Pipe Band, and the Northumbria & Lothian Borders ACF Pipe Bands.
Massed Pipes and Drums enter Alnwick Castle
Massed Pipes and Drums march on
Massed Bands Music Display
Highland Dancers
Massed Bands March Off
Somme Battlefield Pipe Band march on
Somme Battlefield Pipe Band marching display
Somme Battlefield Pipe Band
Somme Battlefield Pipe Band Pipers
Somme Battlefield Pipe Band
Somme Battlefield Pipe Band march off
Combined Bands
Massed pipes and Drums form up
Massed Pipes and Drums March on
Massed Pipes and Drums Highland Cathedral
Video of the Tri-Service Pipes and Drums, Somme Pipes and Drums and 101 Regiments Tyneside Scottish Pipes and Drums playing Highland Cathedral at last nights beating retreat in Alnwick Castle.
The stalemate on the Western Front dominated by trenches, fortifications and the machine guns created the problem of how to breach the enemy front line and achieve a breakthrough.
The problem - Fortifications and the Machine Gun
Winston Churchill formed the Admiralty Landships Committee in February 1915, tasking them with developing a war engine able to cross a 5-foot (1.5 m) trench. Initial experiments by an agricultural firm, William Foster & Co. of Lincoln, using imported American tracks failed. William Tritton, a director of William Foster & Co, and Lieutenant Walter Gordon Wilson, a Royal Naval Reserve Officer, came up with a new design. On the 9th September 1915 the No 1 Lincoln Machine, nicknamed Little Willie made it's first test run.
Little Willie Bovington Tank Museum
The trials with Little Willie ledto the development of an effective track system, however the low profile was not adequate for the Western Front. This led to the development of a rhomboid shaped vehicle which would become the go forward design in World War One.
The shape of the vehicle was necessary as a long track was required to enable the crossing the wide trenches prevalent on the Western Front battlefields. The guns were at the side in sponsons. German defensive parapets could be up to 4 feet high, a turret on top would have been top heavy when moving across the defences. The prototype was ready by December 1915, and the term tank began to be used in order to maintain secrecy and disguise it's true purpose.
The first tank was demonstrated in early 1916 and impressed David Lloyd George, Minister of Munitions who arranged for his ministry to take responsibility for their production. The first order for tanks was placed on 12 February 1916.
On the 15th September 1916, the tank was used in battle for the first time at the Battle of Flers Courcellete on the Somme.
British Mark I Tank Bovington Tank Museum
Tanks were classified as Male, mounting 6 pounder guns, or Females mounting machine guns. Minor improvements were made to the first tanks leading to the introduction of the Mark II in January 1917.
British Mark II Tank Bovington Tank Museum
British Mark II Tank Bovington Tank Museum
Tanks would have a crew of 8. A commander, driver, two gearsman, two gunners and two loaders.
Tank Commander
Gearsman
The Mark IV tank, which was an up armoured Mark II went into production in May 1917, going into action at the Battle of Messines Ridge in June 1917.
British Mark IV Tank Bovington Tank Museum
The first use of large numbers of tanks was the Battle of Cambrai 20th November to 7th December 1917.
A new design was introduced in 1918, the Mark V which was first used in the Battle of Hamel in July, and they were used during other battles during the 100 Day Offensive. Some went to Russia when the allies intervened in the Russian Civil War in 1919.
British Mark V Tank Bovington Tank Museum
The first German tank, the Sturmpanzerwagen A7V did not go into production until October 1917. It was equipped with six 7.92 mm MG08 machine guns and a 5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt cannon, with a crew of 18.
German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Tank Bovington Tank Museum
