The Vickers Mk. I Was first used in a Tank with the Mk. I Heavy Tank from 1916 - the first true production Tank. These were crewed by men of the Machine Gun Corps. They were subsequently used in most Tanks up to the Second World War, particularly those built by the Vickers Company.
Early tanks came in both 'Male' and 'Female' versions. The Male was fitted with 6-pounder quick-firing guns, and four Hotchkiss Light Machine Guns. The Female Tank was fitted with 4 Mk. I Vickers MGs in sponsons on each side (two per side), as well as two Hotckiss MGs in the front and rear doors.
The Mk. II was a development of the Mk. I but, for several reasons, was relegated to training purposes only. The weapons arrangements were as for the Mk. I (4 Vickers MGs on the Female variant).
All subsequent Marks of Tank used only Hotchkiss and Lewis guns. It wasn't until post-Great War Tank developments that the Vickers was reintroduced into Tank use and specific AFV variants were produced.
