ONE of the most important men in the history of the tank is to be remembered a century after the most significant moment of his long career.

The Tank Museum in Bovington is to celebrate the occasion that Hugh Elles led the Tank Corps at the Battle of Cambrai.

Staff are taking their WWI replica Mk IV tank to the Cenotaph in London on November 19 – the day before the anniversary – to honour the tank men who fought 100 years earlier.

Prior to the battle, Elles famously bought the last fabric available in a French draper’s shop and had it stitched together to use as a flag.

The colours were brown, red and green, which was interpreted afterwards as: ‘From mud, through blood and to the green fields beyond’, in recognition of the Tank Corps’ exploits at Cambrai.

The ‘Cambrai Flag’ is one of the most significant exhibits on display in The Tank Museum and was flown from a tank by Elles himself as he rode into battle.

The assault gained more ground in the first three hours of fighting than the British had gained in three months at the Battle of Passchendaele.

The first day of the battle was seen as such a success that church bells rang out in celebration across Britain.

It was the first time that tanks had been used in large numbers, with more than 400 attacking over a front five miles across and catching the Germans completely by surprise.

Museum curator David Willey wants to use the centenary of Cambrai to rehabilitate some of the reputations of WW1 commanders who he says have suffered from ‘Blackadder-style mocking’.

“Elles had been selected by Haig to command the tanks because he was a great leader but also as a Royal Engineer he better understood the machines,” he said.

“The Blackadder view and the prevailing national myth suggests the leaders of our men were incompetent and would willingly sacrifice them.

“They were of course men of their time with faults like all of us, but the idea that somehow Britain had more than their fair share is just untrue – and these were the men that led the British army to ultimate victory.

“Elles is a good example of the imaginative and inspirational leaders Britain had in the First World War and it is time to rehabilitate their reputation.

“For the centenary we will be creating videos and displays and taking our replica Mk IV to London – the same tank used at Cambrai.”