The World’s First Caterpillar Track
UK 1908
A demonstration by the R. Hornsby engineering company of Grantham of a revolutionary all-terrain vehicle. No credits. German titles.
Print: BFI

“Mud has defeated many a conquering army. In the days of horse-drawn transport or ponderous and hugely heavy steam powered engines, R. Hornsby and Sons nippy little petrol-driven caterpillar track must have seemed like the technological development of the century. In this promotional film, delivered by the company to a commercial and military audience in a spirit of optimism (…), the little vehicle is put through its paces, making light of its load over clay, mud, soft sand, marshy land and streams. It leaves its rival, a horse-drawn load, stuck in a bog and ends the display turning gleefully on the spot in a celebration of manoeuvrability.”
Bryony Dixon
Screen online