Deborah and the war of the tanks

Deborah is a British First World War tank that rose from the grave after taking part in one of the most momentous battles in history.

In November 1917 she played a leading role in the first successful massed tank attack at Cambrai.

Eighty years later, in a remarkable feat of archaeology, the tank’s buried remains were rediscovered and excavated, and are now preserved as a memorial to the battle and to the men who fought in it.

John Taylor’s book tells the tale of the tank and her crew and tracks down their descendants to uncover a human story every bit as compelling as the military one.