Nathan Shipstone, one of our apprentices up in Buxton, has helped build a 10 foot replica of the World War I Tank to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. James Young, another of our apprentices, was also on the Team.

July 1st was the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The first use of tanks on the battlefield was the use of British Mark I tanks at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette (part of the Battle of the Somme). This was a revolutionary major engineering and technical feat.  To acknowledge this historic event the group of SETA apprentices fabricated a realistic 10 foot by 4 foot replica made from mild steel plate of that type of tank.

The challenging work was done over 5 months under the guidance of their welding and fabrication tutor. Apprentices developed and used fabrication and welding skills in the SETA Training and Skills Academy while on their first year block training. This was done at the same time as they were doing their other apprenticeship technical training and qualifications.

It should be noted that before starting their training the apprentices had no prior skills and experience in this field which makes the final result that much more impressive.