A tank built by the British firm of William Foster & Co, in service with the Canadian army during World War 1. William Foster & Co have the distinction of having manufactured the first tanks in the world, on behalf of the British government. They successfully built thousands of armoured vehicles for the British army as well as its allies such as Canada and Australia.
William Forster & Co were a venerable producer of British farm implements, with its origins going as far back as 1846. During the Great War, they were selected to build the first prototype tanks and the company used its expertise in the design of farm equipment, including farm tractors to great advantage to produce the first successful designs.
The first tanks were essentially farm tractors with armoured plating riveted to the sides, as can be seen in this picture.
Despite how primitive these tanks were, they helped restore mobility to the battlefield which had been lost through the stalemate of trench warfare.