Lance de Mole

Lancelot Eldin de Mole was born in Kent Town, South Australia, on 13 March 1880, son of William Frederick de Mole, civil engineer and surveyor, and Emily, nee Moulden. In 1885 family moved to Melbourne.

De Mole became a draftsman and in 1897 went to Western Australia to do survey work with his father. Here he came up with an idea for a vehicle with tracks which could navigate uneven terrain easily. De Mole submitted sketches of his idea to the British War Office in 1912, but it was rejected.

De Mole enlisted for active service with the 10th Battalion on 26 September 1917 and while serving overseas continued to lobby the British government about his design for an armoured tracked vehicle. Whilst his invention was never adopted or acknowledged as an antecedent of the tanks employed by the British Army, de Mole was awarded £965 for expenses and appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1920.

After returning to Australia, de Mole became an engineer in the design branch of the Sydney Water Board. He continued to work on ideas for various inventions throughout his life.

De Mole died in Sydney in 1950.