A TEENAGER wowed onlookers and took social media by storm this time last year after arriving to her high school prom on a tank.
Lillie Link, of Thorpe, wanted to make a statement when she arrived for Tendring Technology College’s Year 11 prom at Colchester Community Stadium.
Her mother Louise Link and uncle Graham Simpson suggested the idea of arriving on a tank as a surprise.
A video of the arrival went viral and was watched more than 14 million times in TikTok.
Louise said: “People at the prom were shocked and said no-one’s ever done something like that before.
“That’s when Lillie got the idea to post it to TikTok and it went viral straight away, I don’t really understand TikTok myself to be honest.”
Graham has been involved with tanks for more than 15 years and got the idea to start collecting military pieces from a friend.
He has a collection of five tanks, including the FV107 Scimitar that Lillie arrived in for her prom.
The FV107 Scimitar is part of a family of tanks called the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) or CVR(T).
And the night was a real family affair with Lillie's cousin Jessica driving the tank.
Graham said: “All my pieces have come from England and it’s just a hobby I’ve developed over time, my children love them too so that’s great.
“The idea to drive Lillie to the prom came about at an engagement party when Louise suggested it.
“My daughter Jessica is the real star of the show, she recently got her H licence allowing her to drive vehicles like tanks on the road.”
@lil_link_ no one can top me😎😎😎 #prom #prom22 #armytank ♬ original sound - Angel
The H category is for tracked vehicles such as tanks, tractors, tracked buggies and crawler types.
Jessica said the licence is especially helpful in her line of work on the farm.
She added: “It’s just something different, my brother went to his prom in the same tank.
“I got my H licence a few months ago and have practiced driving a few times on the field, but driving to the prom was only my second time on the road.”
Lillie’s audience on TikTok was in awe of the whole ordeal and asked questions about getting on and off a tank in a prom dress.
A further post showed family members helping her enter and leave the hulking vehicle.
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