The Tank Museum

Tiger Day IX, 28 April. Join The Tank Museum to mark the 75th anniversary of Tiger 131's capture. In 2018 Tiger 131 will only make two appearances in our arena. As the only running Tiger I tank in the world you really can't afford to miss it! Regular and Premium tickets are still available http://tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/bovevt64010

Join The Tank Museum to mark the 75th anniversary of Tiger 131's capture on the 28th of April. In 2018 Tiger 131 will only make two appearances in our arena. As the only running Tiger I tank in the world you really can't afford to miss it! Regular and Premium tickets still available http://tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/bovevt64010

Check out Matilda Diaries - a series of videos chronicling the ongoing restoration of our Matilda II.

Throughout the course of this series we aim to cover some of the questions and challenges involved with the project overall as well as the nitty gritty of dismantling and reassembling a 70 year old vehicle.

Check out Matilda Diaries - a series of videos chronicling the ongoing restoration of our Matilda II.

Throughout the course of this series we aim to cover some of the questions and challenges involved with the project overall as well as the nitty gritty of dismantling and reassembling a 70 year old vehicle.

TANKFEST is the biggest andbest display of armour in the world. Tickets for TANKFEST 2017, 24-25 June, are sellingfast.Book here now!

Two rare Second World War German tanks, a unique French First World War tank and a running Churchill tank have all been confirmed as guests for TANKFEST 2017. As well as these elite guest vehicles, TANKFEST will feature an unrivalled display of historic vehicles, entertainment and a display from the British Army.

Saint Chamond

This Saint-Chamond is the last one of its kind in existence. It has recently been restored to running order by the Musee des Blindes, Saumur, in preparation for the centenary of the first use of French armour on the battlefield in 1917. 2017 is the first time it will run at TANKFEST. Four Hundred St-Chamond tanks were built during the First World War, with the first ones produced in 1917. It was not very effective on the battlefield because of its poor manoeuvrability and by 1918 it had been completely replaced by Renault FT17 tanks and British heavy tanks driven by French Army crews.

Churchill Mk IV or Mk III

The Churchill Trust, a charity which encourages the study of science and technology, will be bringing one of its Churchill tanks to TANKFEST 2017 - the Mk IV and Mk III are the only running ones of their kind in the world. The Churchill tank was one of the most successful British tank designs of the Second World War. The tank was named after the wartime Prime Minister and proved to be just as tough. They saw service from the 1942 Dieppe raid, through to North Africa, Italy and Europe. It will be the first time this Churchill has run at TANKFEST for four years.

Jagdpanther

There are only three running Jagdpanthers in the world and TANKFEST 2017 is your chance to see one on the move. The Jagdpanther was a German tank destroyer built during the Second World War, based on the chassis of the Panther tank. Around 400 were built in total and went into action late in the war, serving on the Eastern and Western Fronts. It was a formidable weapon, fortunately for the Allies production of these vehicles was limited by shortages of raw materials and disruption caused by Allied bombings. The Jagdpanther, which has been generously lent to the Museum by the Weald Foundation and Mike Gibb, last appeared at TANKFEST in 2010.

The Weald Foundation & The Tank Museum – partners in armouredheritage

The Jagdpanther is being broughtin as an arena substitute for Tiger 131, which will not be appearing in thearena displays at TANKFEST this year. Tiger 131 will instead remain ondisplay in the new Tiger Collection exhibition (Opens April 2017) so that visitorscan enjoy this new exhibition in full. Tiger fans can still see Tiger131 in action during the two Tiger Days taking place in April and September 2017.

Sturmgeschutz

This newly restored Sturmgeschutz is making its TANKFEST debut at TANKFEST 2017, there are only a handful still running in the world. The Sturmgeschutz, or assault gun, was a very popular weapon in German service during the Second World War. Many different versions were made but the most common type was based upon the chassis of the Panzer III. Conceived in 1935 the Sturmgeschutz (Assault Gun) was intended to provide mobile, armoured, close support artillery for the German infantry rather than the Panzer Troops. The Sturmgeschutz which will be running at TANKFEST has been lent to The Tank Museum, and beautifully restored, by Steve Lamonby.

Other exciting guest vehicles will be confirmed in due course...

Buy your TANKFEST tickets now!

In 2017 Tiger 131 will only make two appearances in our arena, the first of which will occur on Tiger Day VII on the 29^th of April. As the only running Tiger 1 tank in the world you really can't afford to miss it!

Arena displays focus on Tiger 131 and its contemporaries, including the Matilda I, Valentine, Sherman Fury and Panzer III, as well as some of the vehicle it inspired – the Leopard and the Centurion. With special Tiger-themed talks and tours taking place throughout the day, you can find out how the Tiger was captured, examine unique items and documents from the Archive, and discover more about Tiger 131’s formidable successor – the King Tiger.

Tiger Day is the perfect opportunity to visit The Tank Museum’s new exhibition, ‘The Tiger Collection – the Tanks, the Terror and the Truth’. Opening on the 6^th of April, it will bring together the Tiger tank family for the first time.

Tickets are selling fast, so book online now for cheaper rates http://www.tankmuseum.org/whats-on/events/bovevt53168

From The Tank Museum Workshops:

In February, we had volunteers from the Dutch army assisting us and providing training in the maintenance and repair of our Leopard 1 fleet of tanks, in time for TANKFEST.

With their help we have stripped and inspected the running gear, adjusted the valve tappets on the engine and repaired some of the common faults these vehicles suffer from.

During their stay we held some in depth driver training and systems management training to better understand the vehicles and the maintenance schedule required to run these tanks for years to come.

Saturday 8th October 2016

10am - 5pm

Normal admission fees apply.

Saturday 17th September

Dorset's Finest Ride In Event!

Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th August 2016

10am - 5pm

01929 405096

See the history of warfare in action from Medieval to Modern day with living history encampments, drills, weaponry displays, firearms evolution and period battles.

The Tank Museum

Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th July 2016

Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th June 2016

9am - 6pm

This Easter explore The Tank Museum and experience the biggest day out in

history...

NEW Exhibition - Tank Men: The Story of the First Crews

Explore

The Tank Museum's newest exhibition & discover the lives of eight First

World War soldiers who were among the pioneers of tank warfare. You will be

moved by powerful stories as we mark the Centenary of the tank.

Vehicle Rides taking place every day in an M548 tracked vehicle, extra charge of £3.50pp.

First World War themed family activities everyday around the Museum.

Kids can also let off steam in our outdoor play area and in our new inside soft play

area, adjacent to our cafe. Plus free family trails to keep them absorbed with

teasers and puzzles!

Normal admission fees apply and Annual Passes can be used.

Activities and interactive talks will be taking place across the Museum all week, including remote control tank tactics!

In addition, there will be an opportunity to climb in a Main Battle Tanks, try on replica uniforms, take part in fun-filled family activity trails, learn about the history of the tank and soldiers in desert warfare and take a trip around the museum on one of our many free guided tours and activities offered by our dedicated museum team.

The VCC will be open 12:30pm – 3:30pm every day.

Face Painting:

Taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Diamond Faces will be offering designs suited for all!

Normal admission fees apply.

May Half Term

Victory in Europe

23rd May 2015 - 31st May 2015

This May half-term, to coincide with the 70th Anniversary of VE-Day (Victory in Europe), the Tank Museum will be offering themed talks and activities related to the stories of the Allied victories across Europe. The Tank Museum will also be hosting a 1940's garden party where you can take part in creating flags, bunting and other crafts for the occasion.

In addition to the stories, there will be an opportunity to climb in one of our Main Battle Tanks, try on our replica uniforms and take part in fun-filled family activity trails. Learn about the history of the tank and take a trip around the museum on one of our many free guided tours and activities offered by our dedicated Museum team.

The Tank Museum’s newest exhibition Tank Factory is now open. Explore the issues around who builds tanks and why they look the way they do and what makes a good and bad tank.

‘Tanks In Action’ will take place every weekday at 1.00pm. See our vehicles thunder into action and watch in awe as they demonstrate their firing capabilities. Complete with live expert commentary, you will discover how tanks work, their sounds and smells and what their uses are on the battlefield.

Tracked Vehicle Rides will take place every day from 11.00am – 4.15pm, in our specially converted M548 tracked vehicle (£4pp). Converted in-house to hold 16 people at one time, our M548 is the perfect vehicle for the whole family to jump on board together!

Our extended collection of vehicles will be open to view in the Vehicle Conservation Centre following the conclusion of our ‘Tanks In Action’ displays. It will be open 1.30pm – 4.30pm every day during the holidays for the opportunity to view the museum’s reserve collection from our viewing platform.

Your admission ticket includes a FREE annual pass and entitles the holder to return to the museum free of charge as many times as you like during the year! (Excluding Tiger Day, Tankfest, and Warfare Through the Ages; our Special Event Days).

Don't Miss...

• Tanks in Action - weekdays at 1.00pm!
  
• Craft Activities
  
• Face Painting - every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from Diamond Faces
  
• Tank Museum Modellers - See their static model displays and get tips on how to create your own model, Monday-Friday.
  
• Vehicle Rides all week - just £4 per person!
  

Normal admission charges apply and annual passes are valid for this event.

*For a limited time, the Museum is running an eBay auction to win one of two places on this experience.*

Are you a Tiger 131 fan? Want to get closer to this vehicle than ever before? Then this is the experience for you.

You will get an insight into the preparation involved in getting Tiger 131 ready for its appearance at this years Tiger Day. The experience includes a ride in Tiger 131 and assisting in the health check required to get this vehicle up and running. This is your chance to get up close and personal with the Tiger!

Raffle tickets are just £5 for your chance to win this incredible experience.

Buy your Tiger 131 Workshop Experience Raffle tickets here.

Details

Date: Wednesday 29th April 2015

Location: Museum (Tank Story Hall) & Workshops

Time: Arrival at 8.30am – Full day experience, expect to be finished around 4.00pm.

Age & Height Limit: Must be 17 or over, and at least 1.4m (4.6ft) tall

Please note this experience is hands on - expect to get dirty! Coveralls will be provided, though please wear suitable clothing underneath and steel toe cap shoes. The Tank Museum will provide coveralls and Personal Protective Equipment.

Programme

8.30am - Tea / Coffee in the Museum Restaurant meet Workshop Manager & Tiger Tank Team. Health and Safety Brief.

9.00am - Head to Tiger 131 in Tank Story Hall, Workshop Manager gives a short talk on the vehicle.

9.30am - Commence pre start safety checks:

Includes, installing batteries, lifting engine decks, checking oil levels, turning the engine over using the inertia starter, checking fuel levels, etc.

11.00am - Start the engine, more checks, warm up period, Tiger drives to workshop, your chance to ride in the vehicle.

12.00pm - Lunch in Museum Restaurant with Tiger Tank Team.

1.00pm - Return to the workshop, tour of workshop.

1.30pm - Commence short service.

Includes Cleaning oil spill, drivers compartment, clean turret floor, general grease to manual, check final drive levels, check all track pins, clean outer hull etc.

3.00pm - Tea and cakes with workshop staff.

3.30pm - Look at history of Tiger 131 photos in Workshop Manager’s office followed by any questions.

4.00pm - Free time to look around museum and visit the Tank Museum shop.

Health & Safety

Person must be over 17 years of age.

At least 1.4m (4ft 6’’).

Must be able to climb on vehicles unaided.

Fit and able to enter the vehicle through a cramped hatchway.

Has no allergy to oil, grease, fuel vapour, antifreeze odour.

Is not afraid of heights ( a lot of standing on the vehicle).

This experience is not suitable for people who are claustrophobic.

No cameras allowed on or inside the vehicle. Any photos taken on the day, are for personal use only.

No spectators.

There are two places available for this experience, one will be allocated to the raffle winner and the other to the winner of the eBay auction.

Please Note: When buying raffle tickets, customers will not receive a hard copy of their tickets. Instead they will be sent an email and reference number confirming their purchase.

All proceeds go to The Tank Museum's Endowment Fund.

Raffle Terms and Conditions

Online ticket sales will close a midnight on 13th April. Winner must be available on 29th April 2015 to claim their prize from The Tank Museum. Travel to the Museum will be at the winners’ expense. This date is not transferable. Prizes are only transferable at the discretion of The Tank Museum. Health and Safety conditions as listed above. Height restriction: the winner must be over 1.4m. By entering the draw, you are consenting to receive communications from The Tank Museum. Standard terms and conditions apply.

Promoted by Richard Smith, The Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, BH20 6JG. Registered with Purbeck District Council in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005.

Royal Patron to cut the ribbon with WW2 factory worker on 26th March

Bovington, Dorset- March 2015: The Tank Museum announced today that its new exhibition, which explores the design and manufacture of British armoured vehicles from 1916 to the present, will be opened by Tank Museum Patron, HRH the Duke of Kent alongside Mavis Jones, a factory worker during the Second World War. ‘Tank Factory’ forms part of the continuing transformation, of the nearly 70 year old Museum.

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the exhibition will tell the often overlooked story of the men and women who built these complex war machines and how the demands of factory life affected the workforce and wider society. The display will also showcase an impressive line-up of vehicles and through a series of themed bays, cover a variety of topics including Materials, Armour and Weapons and Testing.

The exhibition covers issues around who builds tanks and why they look the way they do, what makes a good and bad tank and, via a touchscreen interactive, the public have the chance to design their own armoured vehicle. ‘Tank Factory’ is housed in one of the older museum buildings – a perfect backdrop as it is in fact an old factory building – re-erected at the site in the 1998. The main centrepiece is a production line of Centurion tanks, arguably the best tank Britain ever made.

The story of Mavis Jones, who will be opening the exhibition alongside the Duke of Kent, is one of the personal stories featured in the exhibition. Mavis joined Newton Chambers in Sheffield, a tank factory, at the age of 16 as a tracer in the drawing office. She met her husband, Lieutenant Eddie Jones while he was training nearby for D-Day and they were engaged in three weeks.

Curator David Willey says, “We hope this exhibition brings a new story and perspective into the museum displays; how such amazing machines are designed and made and of course tell the story of the people who put them together – often with great pride and satisfaction in their work.”

Warfare Through the Ages

from Medieval to the Present Day

19th September 2015 - 20th September 2015

See the history of warfare in action from Medieval to Modern Day with living history encampments, drills, weaponry displays, firearms evolution and period battles.

Medieval, Napoleonic, First World War, English and American Civil War, are just some of the periods in history you'll see brought to life by skilled re-enactors.

There will also be TWO arena displays each day, showcasing some of the finest Tank Museum vehicles. See our First World War battle re-enactment as well as a demonstration of Second World War and Cold War tanks.

This Easter Holiday, to coincide with the opening of our brand new exhibition ‘Tank Factory’, the Museum will be showcasing the science and technology behind the design, build and operation of armoured vehicles.

There will be talks, tours, and trails around the Museum as well as the opportunity to climb inside one of the Museum's Main Battle Tanks. Follow our FREE Easter Egg Hunt around the Museum for a tasty reward!

Our Tanks in Action arena displays will take place every weekday, where you'll have the chance to see our vehicles thunder into life.

Tracked Vehicle rides in a specially converted tracked vehicle will take place every day in the arena between 11.00am and 4.00pm (£3pp). The Vehicle Conservation Centre will be open every day, 1.30pm - 4.30pm.

Don't miss...

•Tanks in Action - weekdays, 1.00pm.

•FREE Easter Egg Hunt.

•Face Painting - every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from Diamond Faces.

•Tank Museum Modellers - Monday-Friday

•Vehicle Rides all week - just £3 per person