Mephisto and the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux

My Great-uncle Ted - Corporal Edward Pearce (51st Battalion AIF) - was wounded in the Australian counter-attack that retook Villers-Bretonneux, on 25 April 1918. He had previously been wounded and gassed at the Battle of Passchendaele the year before, and was a veteran of the Gallipoli campaign, but his wound at VB kept him out of combat for the rest of WW1. He returned to Australia in October 1918, and was met on Station Pier in Port Melbourne by his wife, whom he had not seen for 4 years. Two days later she died of Spanish influenza, leaving him alone with two children to raise. His four brothers who served were not so lucky. Bert (Auckland Regt NZEF) was wounded at Gallipoli, and died of wounds at Alexandria on 17 August 1915. Richard (15th Battalion AIF) was killed at Gallipoli on 27 August 1915, Stan (5th Battalion AIF) was killed at Pozieres on 20 August 1916 and Carl (1st Australian Battalion Imperial Camel Corps) was killed at the 1st Battle of Amman in Palestine on the morning of 30 March 1918. Of the four brothers, only Bert has a known grave. Ted's story isn't all doom and gloom. He remarried, and had a long and mostly happy life. At a family gathering in the 1960s, when I was a child, I asked Uncle Ted why he always sat leaning to the left. He answered succinctly, "Because the effing Germans shot my effing a*** off at Villers-Bretonneux." My grandmother immediately scolded him, "Ted! Language, in front of the children!" Uncle Ted said nothing in reply, just grinned, and gave me a wink. I think he can be forgiven for that minor transgression. For the record, Uncle Ted's service record euphemistically states his wound received at Villers Bretonneux as gsw right thigh.

The Battle of Villers-Bretonneux occured on the night of 24-25 April. The 25th is our Anzac Day, a day of national remembrance. Our national memorial is situated on the high ground as is our Western Front museum. The general who planned and led the battle was the great, Brigadier Pompey Elliott who sadly committed suicide, a victim of PTSD. The battle was a masterpiece of sustained night attack without a heavy prelim bombardment. I had the honour of being at V-B on the 100th annivetsay in 2018 and laying a wreath. Very emotional service.

When the tank was out side the old museum in the valley, I used to go and play in Mephisto as a child, I grew up next to a soldier who was involved in its recovery from the battlefield and this is how it ended up in Queensland. Fond memories, standing in the tank looking at those engines and it's massive gearbox.

All the Brisbanites jumping in to support our favourite tank. Gotta admit it's a random place for it to end up, but we are strangely proud of it.

I've been to the Anzac Museum at that village and stood for a photo under the Mural in the adjoining primary school that reads "Do not forget Australia". As an Aussie it is very humbling. The village has Australian street names like Emu road or Kangaroo street. I've also gone to the massive monument outside the town where they hold Anzac day services. Interesting enough, the "Night" attack was early morning Anzac day, 25 April. Three years to the day of the Gallipoli landings. The date and time for the attack would have been poignant to say the least, to those diggers. They were never going to lose. Although the fighting lasted the whole day before the two pincers finally met.

I feel like there should be a team of Jawas operating this thing.

I remember my mum taking me to the Brisbane exhibition ground. I recall seeing Mephisto. I also remember thinking “that’s not a tank!. I’ve seen them on TV and they don’t look like that!”

I had the good fortune to visit Mophisto when I took leave and went to Australia with a shipmate of mine in 1989. My shipmate had cousins in Brisbane and Mophisto was on our list of things to do. I hadn't been restored yet, at that time it sat open in a small city park covered in decades of graffiti. Children were climbing all over it with only a small plack to let the odd visitors from The United States Navy to read. I'm glad to see it's finally in a museum.

I’m a brisbane local and I’ve been to the museum and visited that tank so many times as a kid. Shame I didn’t find out the historical significance until a few years ago

Thanks History Guy, as someone from Brisbane I know Mephisto well. Great to see this

Took my sons 5 and 7 to visit the Queensland Museum for the Apollo 11 exhibit last year. They saw Mephisto on the way in and were captivated. When they are older I’ll have to make sure they understand tanks in the context of war. Sometimes war is necessary, but it’s best avoided.

When I was just a kid in the 1960s I was lucky to have visited the old Queensland Museum when they were doing a spot of cleaning Mephisto. Actually allowed to play inside the beast and imagine being in a tank battle. It was just a shell with lots of holes where the gun ports were. A worker had left rubbish in the back. It was hot and smelly then so it was probably almost unbearable with a full crew and a working engine. A great memory and probably not shared by too many.

My Great Great Grandfather was a involved in the capture and relocation or Mephisto. In itself the story of Mephisto's voyage to Brisbane Australia is very entertaining as it was told buy my Grand father and then my Father. Very proud of the Aussies who captured it.

Standing in the line of fire, 32 will lead the way Coming over trench and wire, Going through the endless gray This has been the obligatory Sabatonposting comment, please enjoy your day.

In the Hundred Days Offensive one of the leading units was the Australian Corps, led by Lt. Gen. John Monash. General Monash developed the concept of the combined arms offensive, which included infantry, artillery, armor, and aviation, and which was able to break through the trench defenses. The allied assault on the first day was described by Hindenburg as "The black day of the German army."

Wonderful vid. Two members of my family lie in the ground at Villers-Bretonneux. The Australians retook the ground but, like every other battle of WW1, there was a terrible cost. I’ve seen Mephisto, too, when it was on loan to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra some years ago. It’s stories like these and the recent anniversary of VE Day that remind me how vain and paltry the current cries of injustice and suffering are compared to those things our grandparents and great grandparents endured in a world where the value of human life was comparatively so low and the safety net for the sick, maimed, widowed and orphaned was virtually non-existent.

As a Brisbanite I to was fortunate enough to clamber all over Mephisto as a youngster and it was sad to see it rot away out in the open uncared for for years ... and then some idiots decided it would be a great idea to get paintbrushes out and paint over it with a ridiculous fantasy pattern of colours. It was 'rescued' from the Queensland Museum by the people who run the Railway Workshops Museum at Ipswich before the absolutely brilliant staff at the Australian War Memorial were able to get it shipped to Canberra. For several years they went over every inch of Mephisto and restored her painstakingly to her former glory based on pictures and reference materials they had. Mephisto is now back in a new enclosure/display at the Queensland Museum where they are now taking much better care of her ... but we can't climb on it anymore like we used to as kids ;) Great video History Guy! Thoroughly enjoyed it and the background presented. The Battle of Villers-Bret is a fabled one in our Military History, one that is still remembered. The recent Centenary of WW1 has allowed the story of these battles and the men that fought them to be retold and re-discovered by many who were never taught this part of our hsitory in the past few decades. This video is a great compliment to that.

I have visited the town, and as an Australian it is an extremely moving place. Especially the local school. I reccomend all australian's visit the town if they have a chance.

Former Army Cavalry Scout here. I worked closely with Tank crews as our organization of elements included, at least my 1st year serving, 2 platoons of Cav Scouts & 2 platoons of tanks. One of the common mantras you can here from Armored service members is "take care of your vehicle, it will take care of you". We'd spend 90% of our down time fixing, rearming, cleaning, re-fixing, babying & cooing, etc... our vehicles because, though it's been around 100 years since armors inception into warfare, some things never changed. They seem to spring leaks or simply break *while still parked in the motorpool*. Loved this episode THG, thanks for the vid!

The German tank, Mephisto, was kept at the old Queensland museum in Brisbane, before moving to the new museum. I and many children have climbed over Mephisto. The tank is part of our childhood, and have wonderful memories of the tank and its history. Thank you for telling her story.