Memorial plaque to birthplace of the tank

Plans for an armoured combat vehicle were hatched at meetings at the beginning of the First World War at Lincoln’s White Hart Hotel in what is now known as the Tank Room.

Those top-secret gatherings led to the production of a prototype tanked called Little Willie, which was built by Fosters of Lincoln in 1915. 

The relevance of the White Hart and the city in the development of the tank was marked yesterday with the unveiling of a plaque from the World Origin site by TT racer and TV presenter Guy Martin who also brought the huge replica tank that he built to uphill Lincoln, Deborah II.

Being accredited as a World Origin Site confirms a location as the place of invention, discovering or a world first and those meetings in the Tank Room revolutionised warfare as the tank broke the stalemate of the battle of the trenches and shortened the conflict.

The full-size replica Deborah II was built for the Channel 4 documentary Guy Martin’s WWI Tank back in 2017 and is usually housed a Norfolk Tank Museum.

Deborah II’s visit to Lincoln was originally planned in 2017 but abandoned due to safety concerns. On that visit the tank was due to driven up the High Street, but it was stationary on Tuesday outside the White Hart.

Crowds gathered in Bailgate to see the plaque unveiled by Guy Martin. Picture courtesy White Hart Hotel.

Deborah II’s visit to Lincoln was originally planned in 2017. 

Bottom picture of Guy Martin’s WWI Tank on Channel 4 courtesy of Northone Television.