Solomon Camouflage Scheme 1916

If we can trust Henriques' comment (and he gives a detailed account of many aspects of the early tanks), it would appear that the Mk.I's at Elveden had a lot of green colouration, perhaps multiple hues as are seen in the Hassall painting. The "pink" colour was likely a reddish ochre shade, which can sometimes be seen in a vivid sunset. However, neither he, nor Robinson, mention any green in the colour scheme repainted soon after arrival in France. A Bavarian non-com, observing the tanks on Sept. 15, commented that they were "grey with green stripes, forming the impression of a house of reeds". The limitations of his point of view on the battlefield must, however, be considered. A drawing which accompanied his report depicts a scheme which does not resemble any photo of Mk.I. camouflage. The best evidence I have seen suggests that the tanks were repainted in a scheme of yellow ochre, grey, and multiple shades of brown with black bands or stripes. However, the tanks were repainted in haste, and may have retained traces of their Elveden colours. The wood-framed grenade roofs were fitted in France, after the tanks had been repainted. The wire-framed roof on the Elveden tank was a unique type, not seen in France.

A number of the models show the hull roof, sponson roofs, inner rear horns, and steering tail as camouflage painted. I have not seen a photograph which would support this. The tanks were provided with a painted cover for overhead concealment when bivouaced. Cecil Lewis (in Sagittarius Rising), flying with the RFC over the Somme in 1916, comments on brown tanks carrying red petrol tins, but it is not clear that he is specifically describing their roofs.

While the photographic record is far from complete, and a moderate degree of variation exists in the "Solomon" patterns, I don't think that "anything goes" when depicting this camouflage. A number of identified Mk.I's have photos of at least part of their scheme, and the unphotographed portions can reasonably be inferred from photos of other tanks, particularly those within their own company.