The Valentine tank was designed as a private venture by Vickers-Armstrong Limited. It is said the name of the tank came from the proposal being submitted to the War office near St. Valentines day in 1938.
The proposal was put aside at first due to concerns with the size of the turret and crew area. By July 1939 the first orders had been placed for 275 from Vickers-Armstrong, with a further 125 from Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd and 200 from Birmingham Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd.
The delivery date for the first orders was May 1940 which was achieved and coincided with the loss of most of the British front line equipment in France.
The Valentine was based on Sir John Carden's earlier tanks being the A9 and A10, which by 1937 were considered to be inadequate as infantry support weapons. The A10 was produced as a heavy cruiser tank.
Features taken from the previous models included an AEC six cylinder petrol engine and the transmission. The suspension was also kept. The hull and turret were more compact which meant a three man crew only.
No pilot vehicle had been made before the first orders and on testing the tank the war office found the engine cooling needed work and the tracks to be unreliable. Valentines continued to be produced even while these faults were being rectified due to the need for armaments. Canada began to participate in production of the Valentine after spring 1940.
Valentines were issued to armoured divisions in lieu of cruiser tanks and also to armoured brigades for infantry support.
The Valentine was unusual as it was well armoured and slow as per an infantry tank but at the same time having the weight and size of a cruiser tank.
Valentines went through many types (eleven in all) and were produced until May 1945, becoming Britains most produced tank of the war. 6855 were produced in England with a further 1420 in Canada. The Valentine was Britain's largest export tank to the Soviet Union, 2394 from Britain and 1388 from Canada being sent.
A Valentine II in Russia. Valentines served from the defence of Moscow onwards in the Soviet Union with most being used in the Southern fronts to avoid the colder conditions. The Soviets were particularly impressed with the Valentine due to it's small size and reasonable armour coupled with very good reliability.