He attended a Church near Poole Quay.Īfter conscription was introduced, Cyril enlisted in the army in February 1916 and went on to join the secret organisation that were to take the first tanks to war. The crew escaped unharmed.Ĭyril William Coles was born at Canford, Dorset in 1893, the son of a corn miller. There were some Germans in the dugouts and I shall never forget the looks on their faces when they emerged and saw my tank.’Īfter this initial success, Daredevil was hit by artillery fire and knocked out. ‘I managed to get astride one of the German trenches in front of the wood and opened fire. Mortimore was tasked to attack enemy strongpoints at Delville Wood and then provide support for the assault on the village of Flers. I’d been very frightened indeed, both before and after the day, but on that particular morning the whole thing seemed unreal, besides which we all had the utmost confidence in our new weapon - the tank.’ ‘Looking back on it, I don’t think I was frightened. Like other recruits to the new tank unit, he was entering a complete unknown. Mortimore, known as ‘Morty’, was 23 years old when he commanded his Mark I tank at the Battle of Flers Courcelette. This was the first tank in history to see action on a battlefield. on 15th September 1916, Lieutenant Harold Mortimore led his tank Daredevil across No Man’s Land.

First time tanks were used in battle