A World War I Tank Revealed 90 Years Later
"World War I Memorials in France"
World War I Tank Mark IV Deborah, D51, stands in a barn in Flesquières, flying the flag of the Tank Regiment.
© Mary Anne Evans
From Fromelles, a drive south of 50 miles (84 kilometers) takes you around Arras and Cambrai to the small village of Flesquières, deep in farming country.
This is a visit for real enthusiasts as you have to make a special appointment to see the tank. For six years, Philippe Gorczuynski, a local hotel owner, historian and author, searched for a tank which an elderly lady had remembered being pushed by Russian prisoners into a huge hole near the café her family ran. Along with professional help, he eventually discovered the tank, Mark IV Deborah, in 1998 and had it dug up.
This was just the start of the story and he began to research into the lives of those who died in the tank during the important Battle of Cambrai, November 20th, 1917. The battle was the first test for this new form of weapon which was to have such a decisive effect on modern warfare.
Philippe Gorczuysnki bought a barn in the village and has installed the tank there with a small private museum in a small adjoining building. Deborah stands in the barn, isolated, battered and partly destroyed. But oddly, it’s a more impressive sight as you can imagine it just after the battle. If you are interested it’s well worth the effort to make the appointment with Philippe Gorczuynski who brings the long-gone and the more immediate past startlingly alive. It’s a wonderful mix -- a tale of heroism on the battle field and a present-day detective story of how he discovered the tank and researched the lives -- and deaths -- of its occupants.
13 bis, rue du Moulin
59267 Flesquières
Nord, France
A World War I tank discovered at Flesquières
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