Lieutenant Walter Gordon Wilson designed the gearbox and developed workable tracks for the tank. William Foster, the agricultural machinery company identified with William Tritton, built the prototypes. The designs were put together at the White Hart Hotel in Lincoln. The vehicle had to cross a trench four feet wide, a little over a metre. This requirement tied the engineering work to the obstacles a vehicle would face in trench warfare.
Chapter · 5:40-6:43
Wilson, Tritton and the first tank designs
Wilson's gearbox and tracks, Tritton's agricultural machinery firm and a four-foot trench-crossing requirement gave the tank a practical design.