
An extraordinary survival story of how eight British soldiers were able to survive a three-day onslaught inside a stricken tank has only now been revealed in detail.

For three days and two nights the nine British servicemen endured German machine gun fire, snipers, grenades and heavy artillery attacks after their tank became stuck in the barren swathes of no man's land.

If that wasn't bad enough, they also came under fire from their own side.

In 1917 the tank was a relatively new invention and the British couldn't risk the Germans getting their hands on one, even if it meant the loss of its crew.

For three days and two nights, war hero Robert Missen (left and right) and his crew endured German machine gun fire, snipers and grenade and heavy artillery attacks after their tank got stuck

A Mark IV tank, similar to the Fray Bentos, is pictured stranded in the mud at Passchendaele. The Bentos' captain was a grocer with the licence to sell the famous tinned meat before the war, remained stranded in a bomb crater

Remarkably, eight of the nine-man crew survived the onslaught and crawled back one by one to the British lines after repelling numerous enemy attacks.

They were all given gallantry medals and as a result became the most decorated tank crew of the war.

The Mark IV tank, named Fray Bentos — as its captain was a grocer with the licence to sell the famous tinned meat before the war — remained stranded in a bomb crater on the battlefield at Passchendaele afterwards.

The incredible story can now be told after historians at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, uncovered one of the crew's written account of the action in its archives.

Left: An aerial picture of No Man's Land shows the Fray Bentos visible beneath the Y of 'Fray' on the map. Right: Heroic gunner William Morrey

A Mk IV tank stranded in the quagmire of Passchendeale. Fray Bentos was called into action during the Third Battle of Ypres on August 22, 1917

In his account Sgt Missen wrote: 'We kept on firing and killed several Boche close to the tank, we expected the infantry to come up any time'

They also found Sergeant Robert Missen's personal effects including his uniform and Bible, which have gone on display at the museum.

Fray Bentos was called into action during the Third Battle of Ypres on August 22, 1917.

On board were Captain Donald Richardson, Second Lieutenant George Hill, Sgt Missen and Gunners William Morrey, Ernest Hayton, Frederick Arthurs, Percy Budd, James Binley and Ernest Braedy.

As it advanced it entered the crater sideways. At that moment the driver, Lt Hill, was thrown off his seat. Capt Richardson took over the controls but was unable to prevent the hulking tank ditching in the soft mud.

Capt Richardson took over the controls but was unable to prevent the hulking tank ditching in the soft mud. Sgt Missen is pictured inset

Another aerial shot shows the Fray Bentons stranded in the middle of No Man's Land, where it sustained constant attacks for three days and two nights from both sides

This wedding picture show Sgt Missen after he marriage to Miss M Cole in 1926 after the end of the First World War

In his account Sgt Missen wrote: 'Budd and Morrey were hit at the same time. Budd was unconscious for about two hours. Mr Hill hit in head and neck, Morrey arm and leg.

'I got out of right sponson door to put on one side of the unditching gear but I heard bullets hitting the tank and saw some Boche about 30 yds off firing at me, I got in again.

'Braedy had got out of the other side to help me, and they shot him and he fell under the side of the tank that was sinking, Arthurs said he was dead.

'We kept on firing and killed several Boche close to the tank, we expected the infantry to come up any time.'

Sgt Missen's bible. He joined the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1909 then moved to the Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps and Tank Corps during the war

David Willey, curator of the Tank Museum, said: 'Many amazing stories of stoicism and bravery have emerged with the First World War anniversaries, but you still cannot help but be taken aback by the tale of Fray Bentos.

Sgt Missen wore an almost medieval-looking protective mask to protect his face from flying shrapnel

Over the next 60 hours Germans attempted to reach the tank but were repelled.

Its main guns were rendered mostly useless because of the angles at which they were pointing so the men used their personal weapons to see off wave after wave of attack.

An enemy soldier even climbed on top and dropped a grenade inside but one of the plucky Brits threw it back before it exploded.

Seven of eight surviving crew were all injured in the exchanges, mostly by bits of flying metal pinging off the sides of the tank.

Sgt Missen said: 'Captain Richardson told me to go back and warn the infantry not to shoot us as we should sooner or later have to clear out of the tank.

BATTLE OF THE TANKS: HOW THE MARK IIs SHAPE UP VS MARK IVs A Mk IV tank similar to 'Fray Bentos' is still on display at the Tank Museum at Bovington The earlier Mark II tanks were vulnerable machines that provided little protection to their crews during the early mechanised battles of the First World War. As they were taking to the battlefield in May 1917, more powerful tanks were being developed back home, with the Mark IVs entering active service just one month later. One of the main improvements was the improvement in armour, with Mark IVs made of steel around half-an-inch think, more than double the size of the Mark IIs armour. But how else did the vehicles stack up against each other? Mark II Length: 26ft Width: 8ft 4ins Height: 8ft Armament: 'Male' - Two six-pound Hotchkiss guns, four 0.303ins Hotchkiss machine guns 'Female' - Four 0.303ins Vickers machine guns, one 0.303ins Hotchkiss machine gun Weight: Around 28 tonnes Speed: 3.7mph Range: 28 miles Number produced: 50 Mark IV Length: 26ft 5ins Width: 8ft 4ins Height: 8ft Armament: 'Male' - 2 six-pound guns, six hundredweight Mark I 23 calibre gun, three 0.303 inch Lewis machine guns 'Female' - 5x 0.303 inch Lewis machine guns Weight: Around 28 tonnes Speed: 4pm Range: 35miles Number produced: 1,220 Advertisement

'We were all getting stiff from wounds. I got out of the right sponson door and crawled back to the infantry.'

One by one the crew followed, even carrying with them the Lewis guns so they didn't fall into enemy hands.

David Willey, curator of the Tank Museum, said: 'Many amazing stories of stoicism and bravery have emerged with the First World War anniversaries, but you still cannot help but be taken aback by the tale of Fray Bentos.

'Eight men, stuck in a tank for three days and nights in no-man's-land, being continually shot at with bullets and hot metal flying around inside.

'Temperatures reached 30 degrees C (86F) and dropped down to freezing at night. The men were forced to drink water from the radiator to stay alive.

'To lose just one man during this siege was quite remarkable; their heroism and calmness under sustained attack was astonishing, especially when you consider how many serious injuries there were.

War hero Sgt Missen is surrounded by many of his tank comrades at his wedding in 1926. The keen sportsman retired on his birthday by putting on a bowler hat and saying: 'Now show me civil life'

On display at the tank museum are myriad of Sgt Missen's personal effects, including his war medals and ID tags

'We have been left a number of Missen's personal effects including the Bible he had with him, his uniform, medals, identity tag and cigarette case.

'And here at the museum we have an example of the tank that these men were in, so it is possible to see how cramped and intimate the space in which the drama took place.'

Sgt Missen joined the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1909 then moved to the Heavy Branch Machine Gun Corps and Tank Corps during the war.

He served in the Royal Tank Corps until 1936. The keen sportsman retired on his birthday by putting on a bowler hat and saying: 'Now show me civil life.'

Ernest Braedy's body was never found and Percy Budd was killed a year later aged 22.

Capt Richardson later fought at the Battle of Cambrai, in a tank named Fray Bentos II. That tank was put out of action and captured by the Germans, who took it to Berlin, where it was put on display.

His son served in the Royal Tank Regiment in the Second World War and was killed at El Alamein.