Design
Designed by Leslie Little of Vickers Armstrongs and was submitted to the War Office on February 14, 1938. Since this was a private venture not ask for by the General Staff, there was no "A" number designated for the Valentine. The name may have been paying homage to Sir John Valentine Carden who was a designer of many of the tanks that came before the Valentine.
The War Office took a year to decide as there were concerns about the 2 man turret not being able to be up-gunned. Was based on the A10 and used the same chassis, suspension, engine, and transmission.
Suspension
The bogies were mounted in pairs on each side with 3 wheels each. The front and rear wheels were 24" in diameter and the inside sets were 19.5".
The idler was in the front, while the drive socket at the rear.
Hull
The Valentine's sides were two plates, riveted together, that were joined in the middle. Screwed onto these were the top plates. Later production used riveting for joining the top and bottom plates. The nose and rear plates were riveted to iron stiffeners. There were bulkheads separating the engine and driving compartments from the fighting compartment.
Engine
Behind the rear bulkhead was the engine, gearbox, and transmission. Through multiplate steering clutches and a reduction gear mounted on the hull side the power was sent to the drive sprocket.
Turret
The Valentine's turret was made from cast pieces, front and rear, that were riveted to rolled side plates. In the rear of the turret was a No. 19 radio set.
Crew
The driver was located in the middle in the Valentine. He steered by using a skid type operation with clutches and brakes. These were linked to the rear of the Valentine. There was a hatch above the driver for entry and exit, which contained two episcopes and a small visor. There was an exit below the driver's seat.
The commander only had an episcope to look out of when the hatch was closed. He sat on the right in the turret and also acted as the loader. The gunner was on the left and used his shoulder to elevate the gun.