The Matilda I Infantry tank was a 'child of the late 1920s', when the roll of the tank was as a support for infantry. Designed in 1935 it was effectively obsolete before it came into service in 1937.
With the opening of World War 2 the Matilda I equipped the 4th And 7th Battalions of the Royal Tank Regiment, both battalions taking them to France. Heavily armoured, but with only a Vickers Heavy Machinegun in the one man turret, its use was of limited value against German armour. Those that were in France were lost and the remaining tanks in the UK were used for tank training. A total of around 140 were built.