In laminated composite materials fibre-matrix debonding, as an initial damage mechanism, can initiate a damage sequence that can result in catastrophic failure of its structure by promoting intermediate damage mechanisms. This paper presents an in-depth experimental investigation into each of these damage mechanisms and how they transition from one state to the next, beginning at the micro-scale with fibre-matrix debonding and crack coalescence, to transverse ply fracture at the meso-scale through to formation of macroscopic delamination.