In today's podcast, we look at the remarkable story of Tank F41 "Fray Bentos" which took part in an attack on the heavily defended German lines near Hill 35 just outside Zonnebeke in August 1917. The attack failed but for three days and nights, Fray Bentos and its crew performed one of the greatest defensive actions of the Great War.
Our journey begins at Oxford Road cemetery near Wieltje, where we hear about one of the greatest cricketers to play the game, Colin Blythe, before we visit the grave of Clement Robertson VC, the first man of The Tank Corps to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Great War. We hear about Robertson's remarkable actions during the fighting of October 1917.
Two months before Robertson won his VC, the crew of Frey Bentos performed an incredible rearguard action in the face of fanatical German firepower while fighting near Pond Farm, just outside Ypres. The story of Capt Richardson and his crew of "tankies" is quite remarkable and led the men to become the most highly decorated tank crew of the Great War.
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