THE TANK

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 30 November 1925, Page 6

THE TANK

CAPT. BENTLEY’S CLAIM. Pe» Prea« Association— Copyright LONDON, November 27. Sir Maurice Hankey, .giving evidence on the tank claim, threw interesting sidelights on Lord Kitchener s attitude. He declared that Lord Kitchener was tremendously occupied working as hardly anyone worked before, and did not appear receptive io suggestions regarding the caterpillar idea. The first draft of the mechanical war devices was written by witness at Christmas, 1914, and forwarded to Lord Kitchener, and others were sent to the War Council, but after the first experiments in February, 1915, Lord Kitchener became very lukewarm and sceptical, saying he thought the tanks would be shot down by the artillery. Witness never heard Bentley's name mentioned throughout these experiments. Under cross-examination Sir Maurice Hankey said Lord Kitchener was communicative to his intimates. Though he dominated the War Council, he listened to his advisers, and would have certainly mentioned it to someone if he had been impressed by any tank invention.

Sir William Tritton. who was awarded the largest sum in connection with tank inyention, gave evidence that Lord Kitchener was the least interested of all at the trials. One phrase of Lord Kitchener’s was: “It is a petty mechanical toy.” Colonel Johnson, Superintendent ot the Tank Design Department, said the idea of armouring a vehicle built on the caterpillar principle was made available to the world by Mr H. G. Wells’s article on “Laud Ironclads'' published in 1993.