Family visit gunner's burial site

The family travelled to see the tank in France

The relatives of a Nottinghamshire solider killed in one of the first tank battles in World War 1 have made a pilgrimage to the spot where he died.

Frederick Tipping's tank was hit by shellfire in the Battle of Cambrai in France in November 1917. He died along with five other crew members.

The tank was unearthed by historians and preserved in a nearby barn.

Now, after 92 years, the family has travelled to see his grave and the tank in which he died.

Frederick Tipping's great-grandson Mike said he wanted to visit the site because the family had always been in the dark about exactly what had happened.

Poignant

Mike said: "I feel as though I know him even better now. I know what he did as a job and I know what he did during the war.

"It was incredible to see that hulk of the tank and touch where he died.

"The poignant bit was to see the corner of the field where the bodies were buried, and to stand there and know how they were laid to rest."

Mike also met the families of the four other crew members who died. All were presented with an original rivet from the tank.

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The family travelled to France to see the tank