Relics from the Great War: The Bovington Tank Museum
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Port
Portland (Weymouth), England, United Kingdom
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
Local Sightseeing,All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$109.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 3¾ hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
The Tank Museum in Bovington houses the world's most comprehensive collection of armored fighting vehicles, from World War I tanks to the latest main battle tank of the British Army -- the Challenger. The museum has a collection of almost 300 vehicles from 26 countries. There are also displays of medals, uniforms and personal articles.
Tanks were first seen in Dorset in 1916. The War Office required a secluded site on unproductive land, and the Dorset Heath was perfect. Tank crews were trained in driving and maintenance before heading to France. In 1919, the tanks came back from France, and hundreds of them covered the land around Bovington, awaiting the attention of the scrap industry. A few were rescued from this fate and, when Rudyard Kipling visited Bovington in 1923, he suggested establishing a Tank Museum. After the Second World War, the collection soon expanded and was opened to the public in 1947. Many of the new exhibits were Allied or enemy tanks, giving the collection an international flavor.
Today, the Tank Museum enjoys worldwide fame. It tells the story of tanks and armored warfare illustrated through scientific and technological developments, woven together with the story of human endeavors on the battlefield, giving accounts of life during wartime as well as technical details and interesting facts.