McManus is the ill-tempered Irish left-side gunner of the "Black Bess". Mistrustful, cynical, and highly vocal, he verbally chastises the new and inexperienced driver Edwards upon their meeting, and again when he stalls the tank after taking the controls for the first time - each time he has to be pacified by Finch and Townsend. His pessimism is likely a result of his extended involvement in the war, as he as known to have been witness to countless offensives.