Through Mud and Blood to the Green Fields Beyond, Fear Naught

Discussion in 'RAC & RTR' started by SDP, Aug 13, 2015.

  1. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    That is what my Dad used to say and I guess he picked up the phrase when he served with 3rd Battalion The Royal Tank Regiment in 1944-5.

    I've resisted the temptation to Google it, but the phrase often used is From Mud, Through Blood to the Green Fields Beyond.

    I'm wondering which is 'correct' in the context of those who were there in 1944-5. Any veterans or others in the know who can cast more light on this difference in phraseology?
     
    CL1 likes this.
  2. robins2

    robins2 Active Member

    I had the opportunity to serve with a RTR member while in Germany in the 60's, he said their motto was through the mud and blood version,

    upon checking further the RTR colors are listed as Green, red, brown, although it may be possible the individual regiments had different variations (just to muddy the waters a bit)
     
  3. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    SDP

    AS always with the Army - variations abounded - 1st Tanks used - "from the sands of the desert - through the mud - and blood- to the green fields beyond

    - 2nd Tanks dropped the "from the sands " etc - 3rd Tanks - and others used the older "Fear Naught

    The 1st Tanks colour is shown on the Africa Star

    Cheers
     
  4. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Liddell-Hart's The Tanks Volume I (p108) attributes the unofficial motto to Fuller and quotes the 'from mud, through blood, to the green fields beyond' version.

    Personally, I wasn't aware of it until now, I'd only heard 'through mud and blood to the green fields beyond'. Every day's a school day!
     
  5. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Tom

    That's a fascinating reply. Do you mean that they actually added the words Fear Naught at the end i.e. as in my title for the thread?

    Steve.
     
  6. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    SDP

    as far as I am aware the term "Fear Naught" goes all the way back to the WW1when the Tanks were introduced to the battlefield- you may recall that initially - all

    Tanks came under the ROYAL NAVY for disguise and security purposes and were called "Water Tanks " when released from the NAVY - they adopted the "Fear

    Naught " term - and has stuck…..

    Cheers
     
  7. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Without pulling it off the shelf again, 'Dreadnought' was suggested as a motto for the landship fleet but the pongos adapted it to 'Fear Naught'.
     
  8. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    I didn't realise the two terms were so closely related in that name-developmental way. As you say, something to learn every day.
     
  9. S54

    S54 Junior Member

    'From mud, through blood to the greenfields beyond'! Our colour's are red, brown and green, by all accounts Gen Hugh Ellis went into a haberdashery on the eve of the battle of Cambrai (20 Nov 1917) and chose these colours. Rumour has it they were the only colours they had left! He had a flag knocked up and in the early hours the next morning he appeared in H Bn RTC's (later 8RTR) area and climbed aboard a tank called 'Hilda', the crew hoisted the flag on top and off they went into battle.
     
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  10. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    S54

    Good to see you again. Have you seen your former COs incredible Centurion build on the Armortek web site?

    Apologies to all about this post being off thread but I started the thread anyway! :)
     
  11. S54

    S54 Junior Member

    Not yet, I'll have a gander dreckly!
     
  12. S54

    S54 Junior Member

    Chroist just had a look................................awesome!
     
  13. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    I've been following the build on an almost weekly basis. Getting difficult to tell between the real one and the model.

    Will hopefully be meeting Stephen at Bovington in October during the modelling show where he is organising the Armortek competition with Dick Taylor as one of the judges.
     
  14. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Just went for a shower .
    I noticed our towels drying on the landing.
    I wasn't a tankie but I thought I'd share.
    Might raise a smile.

    2020-07-15 20.35.24.jpg
     
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  15. AG HART

    AG HART Member

    The correct version is "From Mud Through Blood to the Green Fields Beyond" however, the incorrect "Tank Park" version was always "Through the Mud and the Blood to the Green Fields beyond. This however is not the official motto of the Royal Tank Regiment, which is "Fear Naught". As previously mentioned "Dread Naught" was initially considered but rejected as being too "Navy". Also as previously mentioned, for years it has been believed that the colours (Brown, Red & Green) were chosen in the French fabric shop by General Elles just before the Battle of Cambrai and that was all that was available. It now seems that this is simply myth and fiction, and that the colours were chosen some time before the Battle of Cambrai. A recently retired former Lt Col of the RTR has become a full time historian and has discovered documents that show this to be the case.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2022
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  16. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Fascinating, and it appears both versions can be considered correct depending on context. That certainly squares with what dad said (my post #1 refers).
    By "recently retired...Lt Col...RTR...full time historian", are you referring to Dick Taylor or A N Other?
     
    Chris C likes this.
  17. AG HART

    AG HART Member


    From the Royal Tank Regiment Website.
    Colours of the RTR
    Until now, the popular belief has been that these originate from the eve of the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, when General Hugh Elles, commanding the Tank Corps, resolved to personally lead his tanks into battle. He wanted to fly a distinguishing flag from Hilda, the tank in which he was to ride. To make one up, all he could find in a local shop were some strips of green, brown, and red material. However recent research by Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Gareth Davies has revealed that the colours were likely establish somewhat earlier. It would seem that in late July 1917, at the very time the Tank Corps was formed, General Elles sent a proposed design for a Tank Corps flag to General John Capper, the newly appointed Director General of the Tank Corps in London. General Capper gave his approval of the design in a letter dated 8 August 1917. General Elles’s proposal is as yet untraced. Sir Basil Liddell Hart states in The Tanks Volume 1 that General Elles and one of his staff called in at a draper’s shop in Cassel to select colours for the flag, but only green, brown and red silk were available. This would indicate that it was prior to or just after the opening of the Third Battle of Ypres on 31 July 1917. Cassel, too, is 20 miles west of YPRES, but considerably further from Cambrai and would have been a reasonably logical stop if General Elles was visiting the Ypres area. Whatever the case, the colours quickly came to represent the Tank Corps’ early struggles – ‘From mud, through blood, to the green fields beyond’. The Regimental flag is always flown with green uppermost. The colours are now worn on the rank of all RTR soldiers in combat uniform with the green on the left when viewed from the front.
     
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  18. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Lt Colonel Davies is on Twitter (@bermicourt). I hadn't realized he had accomplished that. Fascinating research on his part!
     
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