Along Whitehall Place are some impressive figures which
make up the memorial statue to the Royal Tank Regiment. The five crew members were unveiled by Queen
Elizabeth II in June 2000. It is a
fitting tribute to such bands of brothers who fought together since tanks were
first used in 1916. This particular group are part of a five man
WW2 Comet tank which was staffed by a Commander, Gunner, Loader, Hull Machine
Gunner and Driver.
The regiment’s
official motto is “Fear Naught”.
The inscription on the base reads: “From Mud.
Through Blood. To the green
fields beyond.” This inscription is
referring to a flag made by General Hugh Elles (1880-1945) in the 1917 Battle
of Cambrai, France. He led 350 tanks
into that battle and he wanted his men to be able to identify his tank. The flag was made up of three colours: Brown
for mud, Red for Blood, and Green for the fields - “From Mud. Through Blood. To the green fields beyond.” Thereafter
these were adopted as the Regiment’s official colours.
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