Mother was the nickname of the first rhomboid tank, a gasoline-engined British behemoth designed to cross five-foot treches in 1916. Later iterations would have top turrets until the whole evolved into what we now call a tank. (Click on the picture to biggerize it.)
As an old tanker, I’ve always been fascinated by Mother. Due to her tiny compartment (most of the interior was taken up by the engine, the side guns and their ammunition) the crew of eight must have had a dreadful time: the constant noise, the nauseous fumes, the continual vibrations. And the rocking ride.
And for all her menacing appearance, a machinegun could puncture Mother’s boilerplate “armor.” For that matter, just one intrepid infantryman with a hand grenade or two slipped through a side opening could disable the whole thing, and everyone in it.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 