Tankopedia
WW1MediumMedium TankUnited Kingdom

Mark IX

In service 1918 - 1919

The first purpose-built armoured personnel carrier - a rhomboid hull emptied out to carry thirty infantrymen.

Built byMarshall, Sons and Co., Gainsborough

Mark IX
British Mark IX armoured personnel carrier — Tank Museum, Bovington, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Development history

Designed by Lieutenant G J Rackham, the Mark IX stripped the sponsons from the rhomboid layout and used the space for a troop compartment with large oval doors on each side. Only a handful were finished before the Armistice, and one was famously converted into an amphibious Duck with flotation drums for trials on Hendon reservoir in November 1918. As the first armoured troop carrier in history it is the ancestor of the modern APC and IFV. One survives at Bovington.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. Mark IX troop carrier

    1918

    Standard build with side doors and benches for thirty infantrymen.

  2. Mark IX Duck

    1918

    Amphibious conversion with flotation drums, trialled on Hendon reservoir in November 1918.

  3. Mark IX ambulance

    1918

    Fitted out to carry stretcher cases forward of the aid posts.

Notable actions

  • None in combat