Gun Carrier Mark I
In service 1917 - 1918
The world first self-propelled gun: a tracked carrier that took a 60-pdr field gun across shell-torn ground.
Built byKitson and Co., Leeds
Development history
Devised to solve the problem that artillery could not follow a tank advance over cratered ground, the Gun Carrier held a 60-pdr gun or 6-inch howitzer that could be fired from the vehicle or unloaded for ground use. Forty-eight were built and they saw limited action in 1917, mostly at Ypres, before being reassigned to carrying supplies - a role in which they proved far more useful, one carrier moving the load of hundreds of men. It is the direct ancestor of every self-propelled gun that followed.
Photo gallery
Period photographs with source and licence details.
Variants
One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.
Gun Carrier Mark I (60-pdr)
1917Carried the 60-pdr field gun, the standard fit.
Gun Carrier Mark I (6-inch howitzer)
1917Alternative mounting for the 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer.
Gun Carrier salvage version
1917Guns removed and the deck used for ammunition and stores; the role in which the type proved most useful.
Notable actions
- Third Battle of Ypres