Bovington holds the largest collection of First World War tanks
to survive anywhere. The two that you can see here are the Mark II female on the right and
the Mark IV male on the left (go to FAQ to find out about male & female tanks). The Mark II
actually fought in the Battle of Arras in 1917,
The big gun in the corner is a German 21cm Mortar which was captured by British forces
during the Great War. Over to the left of that is a case containing the medals of Major
General Sir Hugh Elles who commanded the British Tank Corps in France.
Moving round we see the Mark V tank of 1918; a genuine veteran of the Battle of Amiens it
is still in running condition and is painted in the markings of 8th Battalion, Tank Corps.
The Museum isn't all tanks; just round from the Mark V we have one of the big Ricardo
petrol engines used in these tanks and a 57mm gun. Beyond that, hiding behind the
showcase, you can also see the gun sponson from a Mark I tank, standing on a special
sponson trailer. This was how they moved tanks by rail in the early days.
Now we can go down to the other end of this hall.
