Deborah Tank

The Story of Deborah

The Crew of Deborah

Royal Tank Regiment Site

"I am having a bitter evening now, as four of my men have also gone, all finer fellows than I shall ever be". 2/Lt Frank Heap MC // Tank Commander.


I had visited the wreck of this Mark IV tank in Flesquières earlier this year and the story behind her and her crew is amazing. Recently I returned with the RTR as part of their Cambrai 105 events.


This tank and her crew fought with great gallantry during the second wave of the attack at Flesquières leading infantry on to five objectives ending after five direct hits from a German field gun.


Deborah was discovered buried in the small French commune of Flesquières and her raising was led by Phillipe Gorcynski in 1998.


Her crew are buried in the Flesquières Hill cemetery above alongside hundreds of others who fell in the battle there.


"Deborah lies here still, a machine of war, but it was her crew as ordinary men through their extraordinary feats along with those others of D company and subsequently the 4th Royal Tank Regiment who changed the nature of warfare for ever"