Band of Brigands: The Extraordinary Story of the First Men in Tanks

"Tanks were one of the great but unknown, and unreliable, innovations of World War I. Manned by a motley 'band of brigands', amongst them mechanics, plumbers, motorcyclists, circus performers and polar explorers, they were developed in great secrecy, prepared as a surprise advantage for the frontline of trench warfare. The men of the British Tank Corps went on to see battle at its most brutal. Tasked with crushing and burning the enemy to carve a path for the infantry, they fought in stifling armoured boxes packed with petrol and explosives, aware that at any moment a shell-hit might incinerate them all.