TANKS IN WAR.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18552, 30 November 1925, Page 9

TANKS IN WAR.

EVOLUTION OF ARMOURED CAR. H. G. WELLS'S "LAND IRONCLADS." (bt caslj—nuts* associatioh—coftbight.) (AOSTBAUAX AXtD S.Z. CABLI ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, November 27. Sir Maurice Hankey, Secretary, to, tho Committee of Imperial Defence, giving evidence in Captain Bentley's tank claim, threw interesting sidelights on the late Lord Kitchener's attitude. Sir Maurice declared tnat Kitchener was tremendously occupied, working as hard as anyone worked before, and did not appear receptive of suggestions. Regarding tho caterpillar idea, the first draft, of the proposals for mechanical war devices was written by witness at Christmas, 1914, and forwarded to Kitchener and others. The draft was sent to the "War Council, but after the first experiments, in February, 1915, Kitchener became very lukewarm and sceptical, saying that he ■ thought the tanks would be shot down j by artillery. Witness never heard Captain Bentley's name mentioned' through-* out these experiments, , Under cross-examination, Sir Maurice said that Kitchener was communicative ! to his intimates. Though he dominated the War Council, he listened to' advisers and would hare certainly mentioned it to someone if he had been impressed by any tank dnvention. Sir William Tritton, of the Ministry of Munitions, who was awarded the largest sum in connexion with tho tank invention, gave evidence that Kitchener was the least interested of all at the trials. Ono phrase of Kitchener's was: "It as a pretty mechanical toy r " Colonel Johnson, Superintendent of the Tank Design Department, said that the idea, of armouring a vehicle built on the caterpillar principle was made available to the world by H. G. Wells's article on land ironclads, published in 1903,