The
Royal Armoured Corps Tank Museum in Bovington
by James H Reeve
and with additional material by Knut Erik
Hagen
The
small village of Bovington, near the south coast of England, is the home of the
Royal Armoured Corps Tank Museum, the biggest collection of armoured fighting
vehicles in the world. The First World War section contains no fewer than eight
British Tanks and one French, and includes a full-size reconstruction of an
early Tank attack on a German trench.
Bovington
became the centre of British Tank training in 1917 when it became clear that
large-scale Tank production was to go ahead and that large numbers of troops
would have to be trained in their use. Previously, most training had taken place
in Norfolk, some 200 miles to the Northeast, but the new site had several
advantages: the land was of little agricultural use, an important consideration
during wartime; the site was relatively remote, which was useful from a security
point of view, but had good rail links to London and the Channel ports from the
nearby, rather bigger village of Wool; the area had already been used to train
Australian infantry, and the trench systems they had dug were ideal for the
Tanks to practise handling and tactics.
(There
was another stated advantage, which might not find favour today. The moorland
extends down to the coast, about 5 miles to the south. It was felt that any
stray shells would go harmlessly out to sea or explode against the cliffs. The
local geology is extremely unusual and rich in fossils, and it was in these rock
strata that the first dinosaur remains were officially recorded. In fact the
area is the birthplace of palaeontology. Nowadays, proposals to pepper the
cliffs with high explosives would meet serious opposition, but in 1917 there
were more urgent priorities.)
Throughout
the War Bovington was the main base for the Tank Corps in Britain, working in
tandem with its sister establishment at Bermicourt in France.
At
the Armistice, the question arose of what to do with the many hundreds of
British Tanks, in various states of repair, scattered throughout Britain,
France, and Germany. Most were by then mechanically obsolete, and some military
thinkers believed that the whole concept of the Tank had had its day. Some were
convinced that they would never be needed in a future war, and some cavalry
officers simply resented them and wanted to see the horse regain its old
supremacy. The surviving Tanks therefore suffered various fates: some Mk Vs were
sold to the White Russian regime, and some Whippets sold to Japan; several were
sent to British towns to be used as monuments and War Memorials; some ended up
in the USA for evaluation, and some in Canada for training purposes; a couple
even ended up giving rides to tourists in seaside resorts; but the majority were
broken up for scrap.
A
proportion went direct to breakers throughout Britain, but some went via
Bovington, and in 1919 it was decided to keep and preserve a few examples. Thus
the Tank Museum was born.
What follows is a description of the WW1 section at the Museum, which is more than just a hall full of Tanks. If you don’t want to spoil the surprise, skip the next six paragraphs and go straight to the actual exhibits.
From
the admission desk, you pass through a series of tableaux that, accompanied by
sound recordings, build up to the first exhibit.
You
enter a room where a recruiting sergeant is enlisting men (and boys) for the
British Army. You then leave the room and step into a street in a French village,
where wounded men on stretchers are being treated by a nurse. The wall behind
you represents the trucks of a freight train (quarante
hommes, huit chevaux) in which you have been transported to the Front, and a
soldier is checking supplies unloaded from the train. As you walk round the
corner the buildings show signs of war damage and the road becomes rutted and
strewn with rubble. At the next corner you enter a large and very impressive
reconstruction of a British trench system, with a man on the fire step, a
“shell shock” case taking shelter in a dugout, a corpse at the bottom of a
scaling ladder, and an officer in his dugout discussing on the telephone a
forthcoming attack involving a new and highly secret weapon.
The
next room contains details of the Battle of The Somme, casualty figures, and so
on, while an extract from the poem Strange
Meeting by Wilfred Owen is heard from a loudspeaker:
I
am the enemy you killed, my friend.
I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.
Let us sleep now . . .
From
there, you move to a section of typical German bunker, much better constructed
than the British, and with a very comfortable dormitory to one side, in which a
German soldier is relaxing in comparatively luxurious surroundings. He clearly
doesn’t suspect what is about to happen. We soon find out.
As
you emerge from the bunker into the open trench the first sight is of two
terrified Germans looking in horror at something above you and to your left. As
you turn, you see that you are under the bow of a Tank Mark 1 that has crushed
the barbed wire and is projecting over the side of the collapsing trench.
Realistic cries of horror from the Germans accompany this sight.
The
Mk 1 is in the early camouflage scheme and has life-sized British infantry
figures alongside and behind it. On the opposite side of the trench is a German
42cm howitzer.
You
are now in the WW1 Hall, and can move through the exhibits in more or less
chronological order. Audio handsets are supplied on entry, and you are prompted
to select the appropriate commentary at each exhibit.
Behind
the Mk 1 is “Little Willie”, the first prototype. It is the genuine article,
and is in almost perfect condition. Next to it is an original Hornsby Tractor,
one of the machines that led to the Tank concept. Its engine is exposed, and
that, along with its elaborate suspension, makes it a very challenging project
for the modeller.
Next
comes a Mk II, which has the side cut away, allowing a full view of the interior.
A complete dummy crew is in position, and at the push of a button each member
describes his role in the Tank. The Mk II saw action despite not being fully
bulletproof, and you are led to inspect the holes where a shell passed
completely through the Tank without causing serious damage.
The
Mk IV has its sponson doors removed, and Perspex screens allow you to put your
head and shoulders inside to inspect the interior. This Tank was in running
order until the 1970s, and there is colour film of it being operated by
re-enactors. Sadly, it is no longer working.
A six-pounder gun is displayed separately nearby.
The
Mk V is next, painted in a tan colour. This vehicle is said to be in running
order, although I’m not sure when it last had an outing.
Across
the hall is a Mk IX, with both doors open and full access to the interior with
the exception of the cab and engine, for obvious reasons.
Further
along is the only surviving Mk V**, a female. There is full access to the
interior, again except for the cab and other areas that would not stand constant
contact from visitors. Access is from both side and it’s possible to pass
right through the vehicle. A commentary with sound effects comes through a
loudspeaker. It is important to remember to mind your head, and that’s in a
Tank that isn’t moving.
Alongside
this is a Whippet, in excellent condition although with no access, and the final
vehicle is a Mk VIII, with no access but with views of the inside.
All
the major British Marks are therefore represented. The sad exception is “Mother”,
the very first of the rhomboidal Tanks, which was preserved until 1942 but was
then broken up for badly needed scrap metal.
The
WW1 collection doesn’t end there by any means.
There
is an FT17 with cast turret. Stamped in the hull are the words non-protégé,
which means that it is not armoured and must therefore be a rare prototype.
Also
on display are a German 77mm Feldkanone with full history, a Ricardo engine, and
a section on T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), who joined the Tank Corps under
a pseudonym after the War and was killed in a motorcycle accident not far from
the camp.
In
cases around the hall are uniforms, medals, items of memorabilia, and many
models of WW1 Tanks of varying degrees of accuracy and in all sorts of
materials, some of them made by Tankers during the War. There is little mention
of non-British Tanks, but there are a couple of models of A7Vs in the cases.
The
last exhibit is a simulated firing-range, where for £1 you can test yourself on
a Vickers machine-gun.
In
the next hall, you are officially in the inter-war period, but there are some
armoured cars of near-WW1 vintage, including a 1920 Rolls-Royce (temporarily not
on display) and a Peerless.
A
little further along are more interwar armoured cars that are closely based on
WW1 designs, some differing only in having updated wheels and tyres. For the
very serious student of Wilson, Tritton, Stern, & co., you’ll find their TOG not far away, as well as the multi-turreted Independent,
which, despite the presence of King Tigers and Jagdpanzers, is still the
heaviest Tank in the Museum, and, at the other end of the scale, a tiny French
tankette-cum-universal carrier modelled closely on the Ford Two-man.
It’s
a magnificent Museum, and the WW1 collection is unparalleled. There are helpful
guides on hand, and photography is permitted throughout. The staff are very
friendly and helpful. There is a reference and archive department, and
appointments can be made to gain access.
If
you wish to make a prolonged study for modelling or commercial reasons, remember
that, although the Museum works closely with the Army at the base nearby, it is
a registered charity and an independent commercial concern, so any extensive
research or filming involves a fee. It is essential to contact the Museum if you
want to do anything other than do the tour and take a few photos for your own
use.
The
village of Wool is only five minutes away by car. It has, of course, changed a
great deal since 1916 but is very pleasant, and many of the views seen in
contemporary photographs can still be seen today, including the bridge that was
famously demolished by a Mk II. You can walk in the footsteps of the first
Tankers.
Wool
is on the main railway line from Waterloo Station in London, and there’s a
direct train from Manchester and the North of England to Bournemouth, less than
20 miles away on the same line. By car, use the M3 motorway out of London, and
from the North the M5 takes you to Bristol, about 60 miles away. The roads are
excellent, but it is a very popular tourist area in the summer, so if you intend
to visit in the summer months expect some traffic congestion and make sure you
book some accommodation, since it can be difficult to find anywhere at short
notice
Wool
is the most convenient place to stay, but there are lots of small hotels within
a short radius. I recommend www.stilwell.co.uk
and www.finglebridge.co.uk
The
Museum’s own website, www.tankmuseum.co.uk
has links to accommodation in the area, and, of course, more details about the
exhibits, charges, and location.
It’s
no exaggeration to say that Bovington is Mecca for devotees of the first British
Tanks and everyone should make it their ambition to make the trip.
