South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 07 September 1946

Tank Warfare

Mexboro’ Rotarian’s First-hand Impressions

Rotarian J. B. Brooke Smith. Vice-president of the Mexborough and District Rotary Club, was speaker at the weekly luncheon on Tuesday, the subject being the Roval Armoured Corps, in which he served during the war.

Rotarian Smith, who saw a good deal of action in North Africa (where he won the French Croix de Guerre) and Italy (where he was wounded tie Liri Valley battle), gave an illuminating outline of the function of the armour in modern warfare. The President, Rotarian A. Whoton, presided.

Rotarian Smith said the R.A.C. was created from the Royal Tank Corps and by the beginning of the war included all the Regular and Territorial units of the Roval lank Regiment and the mechanised cavalry regiments. Each division had its reconnaissance units whose task it was to probe the enemy position with Armoured cars, and the heaviest tanks (the type in Rotarian Smith served) had the job with supporting arms of developing the break-through and exploitation was then carried out by the Armoured Division. Other functions which they discharged at various times were carrying out reconnaissance, , in force, counter attacking, covering a withdrawal and holding and supporting positions.

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