This is the story of a unique World War One tank called "Deborah", now a National French Monument, discovered on the battlefields in France. The short film explains Deborah’s journey to her final resting place in a new tank museum in Flesquieres in France – beside the Commonwealth War Graves site of her crew.
The 27 tonne tank was uncovered by local resident Philippe Gorczynski MBE in Cambrai, France in 1998 after lying dormant for over eight decades.
Filmmakers Producer and Director Associate Professor Fiona Graham, and Camera Operator Senior Lecturer Paul Ottey have been working with communities in France and the UK to tell the story of the rare Mark IV tank, her crew and the 1917 Battle of Cambrai. “I think what really appeals to people is that Deborah is no longer a war-making machine, she’s a peace-making machine bringing communities and people together,” said Fiona. “The aim was always to bring the story back from the battlefield to engage communities and schoolchildren in World War One through Deborah’s unique story as there is no one quite like her”.
The innovative approaches to narrative have helped new generations understand the Battle of Cambrai and tank warfare from a community perspective in museums and British and French schools and heritage sites including AHRC’s Living Legacies event in Belfast.
The research project uses 4K and drone digital film technologies and techniques. Fiona would like to thank Philippe Gorczynski for their 15-year friendship and amazing access to Deborah, relatives of the tank’s crew, The Friends Of Deborah, The Royal Tank Regiment, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Erasmus, AHRC, Staffordshire University, Nord Tourisme, Office de Tourisme de Cambrai, and Valerie Lancel from newspaper La Voix du Nord.
