The Explorers' Club, № DXVI

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Battle of the Somme, Part V
15-22 September 1916: The Battle of Fleurs-Courcelette—The first tanks were introduced to break through the stalemate of trench warfare; developed under the aegis of the Royal Navy's Landships Committee, the term "tank" was used as cover, so as not to give away the secret of the new weapon.

Commentary: The "Little Willie" was the Landships Committee's first prototype, intended as a proof-of-concept design & development mule, not for combat.

Lest we forget.