Television presenter Guy Martin, Channel 4, The Norfork Tank Museum and JCB collaborated to create a replica World War One tank
In the summer of 2017 I unwittingly stumbled into a secret. I was on a visit to the Norfolk Tank Museum and in front of me, tarped down, was the unmistakable rhomboid shape of a World War One tank.
It turned out that hidden away was a replica hull of one of the MkIV tanks first used in the Battle of Cambrai on November 20, 1917.The tank was going to be built for a Channel 4 programme by mechanic and all-round daredevil television presenter Guy Martin.
I was assured by Stephen MacHaye, director of the museum, that if I could keep my discovery to myself until the programme aired on November 19 I could come back and get the full story.
The idea behind the ambitious project was to commemorate the soldiers of the First World War, celebrate the innovative engineering of the time, participate in remembrance ceremonies and also allow Guy Martin to take his tank driving test.
It was hoped that the tank would be able to take part in the Remembrance Day parade in Lincoln, where prototypes of the tank were assembled. However, amid safety concerns, plans for this aspect of the challenge mov…
