The Royal Armoured Corps Tank Museum Has Expanded and Improved

Three famous German tanks of WWII, from left: Tiger I, Panther, and Tiger II on exhibit at RAC Museum. The Royal Armoured Corps Tank Museum Has Expanded and Improved by Richard M. Ogorkiewicz The Tank Museum at the Royal Armourcd Corps Centre at Bovington Camp - the British equivalent of Fort Knox - is the oldcst tank museum in thc world. Thousands of people have visited the museum, including more than a few readers of ARMOR. However. anyone who visited the museum a few years ago would hardly recognize it today because of its expansion and improvcrnents. The nucleus of the museum's extensive collection of tanks and other armored vehicles was created more than sixty years ago with the decision to preserve some of the original WWI tanks. During the 1920s the collection grew, and expanded in the 1930s with the addition of experimental vehicles that had completed their trials. During the early days of WWII, when invasion threatened Britain, museum officials dispcrscd the collection, and several of the WWI tanks took up duty again as pillboxes at vital road junctions. Othcr priceless vehicles were cut up to meet the na-lion's demand for scrap steel. Merci-fully, some of the most valuable vehicles survived and they now provide a trcasured link with the earliest Jays of tank development. Little MSllic, the first tank ever, built in 1915, is one such survivor. Othcr examples of WWI tanks include six of the original, trapezoidal-shaped British heavy tanks of the 1916-1928 era. These range from the Murk I, which was the first type of tank to see action in September 1916, to the Anglo-American hlark CIII and the Murk ZX, the latter representing the first attempt to build an armored infantry carrier. Post-WWI tanks housed in the museum's collcction include a V'ick- 22 ARMOR - November-December 1988

An M4 Sherman (1 05 mm. howitzer) and a British Churchill infantry tank guard the new entrance to Britain’s Royal Armoured Corps Tank Museum at Bovington Camp. Many of the vehicles previously on display outdoors have been moved inside since the completion of new buildings. (Photos by permission of RAC Tank Museum.) em Mcdiiiiii, which was the most numerous tank built anywhere in the world during the 1920s. The Royal Tank Corps used this tank in its pioneer experiments in mobile armored warfare. Another interesting tank on display is the bidepeitdeitt, an experimental heavy tank with five turrets. This represents the most extreme example of a between-the-wars craze for multi-turreted tanks. The WWII tanks and armored vehicles have been assembled in a new exhibit that includes not only British, but U.S., German, and Russian tanks, as well as French, Italian, Japanese, and Swedish armored vehicles. There are now more than 180 vehicles in this exhibit, and it continues to grow as newer models are donated by the British Army, or through exchanges o f duplicate machines with other museums. In addition to the collection of the earliest tanks and armored vehicles, the RAC Tank Museum houses a Ve w Ti) he W2 1 IC( mc CC PO t hc nu At Fr mt in Br rec 1 thc t0l tec mi mc ‘el CC frc cu mi I ARMOR - November-Deceml I ry comprehensive collection of Students from the Royal Military WII tanks, including the famous College of Science (See “Graduate y r I& which, at 76 tons, was the Studies in Combat Vehicle Technol-aviest tank to see action in that ogy,” Sept-Oct 1087 ARMOR) are ir. also frequent visitors. *he museum’s comprehcnsive col- :tion of post-WW1 tanks and ar-xed vehicles includes the British ncprcror of the 196Os, the heaviest st-WII tank to see service, and : Chiefrun, still the most merous tank in the British Army. nong the newer acquisitions is a ench-hilt Panhard AML 90 ar-xed car captured by the British the Falkland Islands, and a ,azilian-built Engesa EE-9 Cas-vel armored car, used in the cent Iraq-Iran war. h e inclusion of such vehicles in : museum makes it not only of his-rical but of current military and :hnical interest. As such, the m u m is a source of general infor-ition about the development of ar-Ircd vehiclcs and is visited Fularly by Royal Armoured Corps :nlre personnel, as well as those )m other military establishments. Such visits uphold the original purpose of the museum, lo provide a basis of instruction for members of the Royal Tank Corps and other components of British forces. In 1947, the museum opened to the public and has become one of the most popular British museums, with more than 200,OW visitors each year. During the past few years, the museum has undergone a considerable expansion. Now, most o f its vehicles are under cover. As far as possible, each vehicle is displayed against a contemporary background. which helps visitors acquire a better appreciation of its capabilities and characteristics. The museum owes much of its military and public success to a succession of dedicated curators, all of whom have been retired olficcrs of the Royal Tank Regiment. The 5er 1988 23

Mark V heavy tank fought with the 8th Bn. of the Tank Corps in WWI. This vehicle is still in running order. museum has recognized the present curator, LTC George Forty, by naming one of the new display halls alier him. In addition to its great array of tanks and armored vehicles, the museum also contains other historical and technical materials. These include medals won by tankers in action, uniforms of different periods of the Royal Armoured Corps, and the first gas turbine engine designed and h i l t for tank use in 1954. The museum also has an extensive reference library and a hook shop, which contains what is probably the most extensive stock of books on armor. For the past five years, the Society of Friends of the Tank Museum. a voluntary organization, has backed the cxpansion of the muscuni. The society’s several hundred members assist in vehicle restoration and in their opcration on special occasions. The society is also in-strumcntal in fund-raising activities for the museum. nical instruction on armor to the British forces and educational recreation to the gcneral public. It is a prime point o f interest t o visiting tankers and one well worth seeing when you come to England. Among the museum’s operational tanks is a Mark V o f 1918 vintage, as well as several WWII tanks. These vehicles frequently participate in demonstrations of armored equipment. and provide a valuable historical perspective with later models. Other uses for these operilble tanks, especially the later models. includc support of such current defense technology activities as the study of tank seismic (sound) signatures. The Royal Armoured Corps Tank Museum more than meets its dual role of providing historical and tech-Richard M. Ogorkiewicz is a professor at the Royal Military College of Science and a consultant on armored vehicle technology. He is the author of two books and more than 300 articles on armor, including 76 in ARMOR. He is a consulting editor of International Defense Review and president of the Society of Friends of the Tank Museum. 24 ARMOR - November-December 7 988