The Tank Museum

The Tank Museum
	File:Bovington Firefly.jpg M4 Sherman on the move at a display at the museum
	Location of The Tank Museum within Dorset
Established	1947
Location	Bovington, Dorset, United Kingdom
Type	Military Museum
Public transit access	Wool railway station
Website	www.tankmuseum.org

The Bovington Tank Museum (now known as The Tank Museum) is a collection of armoured vehicles in the United Kingdom. With almost 300 vehicles on exhibition from 26 countries it is the most wide-ranging collection of tanks and armoured vehicles in the world. It includes one of the only two working examples of a German Tiger I tank and a British World War I Mark I; the world's oldest surviving combat tank.

The collection is held at the Bovington army camp in Dorset in South West England. It is about 1 mile (2 km) north of the town of Wool and 12 miles (20 km) west of the major port of Poole – grid reference SY829883. The camp trains all sections of the British Army in tracked vehicle driving as well as repairing and maintaining the vehicles in its workshops.

The museum may be reached by bus from the Wool railway station. In good weather and if one has good stamina, one can walk to the museum, which is about 1.5 miles from the train station.

History

In 1916 the British War Office established the Bovington camp as a tank crew training facility. At that time the Army was introducing tanks into the First World War in an attempt to break the stagnation of trench warfare. In 1919 the tanks returned to Bovington from France. Many of them were fit only for scrap. However, a small number of the least damaged vehicles were put to one side so that tank crews and designers could have an idea of the tank's early heritage.

In 1923, the writer Rudyard Kipling visited Bovington and recommended a museum should be set up. The collection grew greatly after the Second World War, as many Allied and captured Axis tanks were added. In 1947 it was opened to the general public. The Tank Museum has continued to expand and today it is primarily seen as a means of educating and entertaining the general public, with the exhibition being geared in this direction. Many of the tanks are in complete working order and can be seen in action throughout summer months in special displays.

Exhibition halls

The exhibition is currently split into five sections: the World War I Hall, the Inter War Hall, the World War II Hall, the Tamiya Hall and the British Steel Hall. Expansion work to provide an additional 5,000 square metres (54,000 sq ft) of space and modernised facilities is going on through 2008.^[1]

World War I Hall

—Contains the whole British tank development from Little Willie to the Mark VIII "Liberty", plus an example of the British Mark V; one of the few World War I tanks still in working order. Also featured is an illustration of the life of the soldier and writer T. E. Lawrence, who lived at nearby Clouds Hill cottage and served in the Tanks Corp at Bovington for a short time.

Also featured: Mark I, II, IV, V (female & male), VIII, and IX tanks.

Inter War Hall

—Highlights the rapid progress made in tank design during the period leading up to World War II.

Also featured: Vickers A1E1 Independent, Peerless Armoured Car, Rolls-Royce Armoured Car, Lanchester 6x4 Armoured Car, Carden Loyd tankette, Tank Light MK IIA, Cruiser Mk I.

World War II Hall

—Is the biggest section, with tanks from most nations involved in the conflict. It includes a German Tiger I tank bearing turret number 131 which was captured in Tunisia in April 1943 which has been fully restored to running condition by the workshops at Bovington. It is the only Tiger I left that is capable of running under its own power. It also has the last surviving DD Tank with its canvas screen, and the only one still in working order.

Also featured: Panzer I, II, III, IV, Panther, Tiger I, Tiger II, Jagdpanzer 38(t), Jagdpanther, Jagdtiger, SdKfz 251, Char B1, Somua S35, Cruiser Mk III, Comet I, Matilda Mk I, Matilda II, Churchill VII, TOG2, A33 Excelsior, A38 Valiant, T14 Assault tank, Ram Cruiser Mk II, M24 Chaffee, M3 Grant, M4 Sherman, Sherman Firefly, M10 Tank Destroyer, M48 Patton, M26 Pershing, T17 Staghound, Hamilcar, DUKW, SU-76, T-26, T-34, KV-1, SU-100

Tamiya Hall

—Sponsored by the scale model manufacturer. It features post war Main Battle Tanks (MBT) such as the British Centurion, the American M60 and the Russian T-72.

British Steel Hall

—Highlights the Chobham armour used in the Gulf War against Iraq and plays tribute to the Centurion tank which, during its 46 year career (1945 - 1991), proved to be one of the best British tanks ever produced.