The writer Rudyard Kipling visited Bovington in 1923 and, after viewing the damaged tanks that had been salvaged at the end of the First World War, recommended a museum should be set up.[2] Accordingly, a shed was established to house the collection but was not opened to the general public until 1947.[2]
George Forty, who was appointed director of the museum in 1982, expanded and modernized the collection. He retired in 1993 after which he was appointed an OBE.[3]David Fletcher, who had been a historian at the museum since 1982, retired in 2012 and was also appointed an MBE "for his services to the history of armoured warfare".[4]
The museum established its own YouTube channel to teach about the tanks in January 2010.[5] Early episodes were largely one-take affairs of museum staff talking about specific tanks in the collection and their role in history, with notable series led by Fletcher called "Tank Chats." The channel has more YouTube subscribers than famous museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Louvre; and has gained over 100 million views across its videos by April 2023, the first museum channel to hit such a milestone.[6]
During the Russo-Ukrainian War the tank museum was able to provide blueprints and track samples of Soviet equipment allowing Cook Defence Systems to manufacture said track for use by Ukraine.[7]
Exhibition halls
WW2 Story Hall
World War I Hall (Tank Men)
As well as containing the majority of the museum's World War I tanks the hall tells the story of the men who crewed the first tanks between 1916 and 1918.[8]
This hall contains the Battlegroup Afghanistan exhibition. The men of the Royal Armoured Corps were involved in some of the fiercest fighting since the Second World War.[11]
Tanks For the Memories - Tanks in Popular Culture Exhibition
New for 2023, “Tanks for the Memories: The Tank in Popular Culture”, was created for the 100th anniversary of the Tank Museum. It is an exhibition looking at how the tank has become a cultural icon through the manufacture of multiple toys, games, models, and the production of works of art, books, comics, video games and films.[13]
This hall holds some of the most important tanks and AFVs in history, with a supporting collection housed in a multimedia exhibition. It follows the story of the tank, from its invention in 1915 through the 20th century and into the future:[14]
The Memorial Room was created in partnership with the Royal Armoured Corps Memorial Trust and commemorates the sacrifice of almost 13,000 Royal Armoured Corps soldiers who died in service since the Corps was founded in 1939. The Memorial Room houses the Books of Remembrance, a digitised and searchable version of the Roll of Honour, and videos about those who fought in the RAC.[15]
The Vehicle Conservation Centre
The interior of the Vehicle Conservation Centre
The Vehicle Conservation Centre provides cover for more of the collection and puts on view vehicles that had previously not been seen by the public:[16]
The museum's collection includes Tiger 131, the only surviving Tiger I tank in operable condition, which appeared in the 2014 film Fury, and the replica Mark IV tank built for the film War Horse.[17][18]
