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Author Topic: Bovington Tank Museum  (Read 18585 times)
Manky Monkey
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« on: August 08, 2016, 09:56:39 PM »

My sister & her family are over here from Canada at the moment, so we had a day out together yesterday.
Went to the tank museum at Bovington, near Wareham in Dorset. I've been past it loads of times cos it's right opposite MonkeyWorld, but I've never been in before.
13 quid per adult but that gives you entry for a year, so you can go back as many times as you like, although the ticket says proof of ID will be required. I wasn't really expecting it to be very interesting, but all 4 of us agreed it was a fascinating place. Lots of interactive stuff for kids & dozens & dozens of different tanks in big, well lit purpose built buildings. All sorts of displays showing manufacture, armament, engines etc -even an American Sherman tank cut in half so you could see just how cramped it was for the crew inside.
It's the centenary of the introduction of the very first tanks during World War 1 in 1916, so there was a large area given over to recreations of the trenches with nearly a dozen surviving tanks of different models on show. Peering inside them, they must've been truly terrifying things to work in, though not as scary as one crashing over the top of your trench. Some very interesting information on a group of 8 crewmen, following their individual stories through the war. 
Some of the German 2nd World War machines, like the Tigers, were huge. I used to make plastic models of them when I was a kid, but you don't realise just how fearsome they were till you see them in the steel.
The museum was involved in the production of the recent Brad Pitt film "Fury", featuring the crew of a Sherman. They supplied the tank of the title & several others, as well as crewing them & making sure the actors operated them convincingly. The Sherman's on display with some of the scenery from the film. There was also a section on modern weaponry as used in the Gulf wars, Afghanistan etc.
We visited during the annual Warfare through the Ages weekend, with several different re-enactment groups doing their thing. The American civil war was in full swing when we arrived. There were also outside driving displays of various armoured personnel carriers & a pair of German built Leopard tanks, given to the museum by the Canadian army.
A great day out, whether you agree with warfare or not. The human interest side of it all was fascinating. Well worth a look. I didn't take a camera, so here's just a few fuzzy phone snaps.
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Manky Monkey
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« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2016, 09:57:58 PM »

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« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2016, 09:59:09 PM »

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« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2016, 10:00:16 PM »

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« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2016, 10:01:26 PM »

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« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2016, 10:02:37 PM »

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« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2016, 10:03:48 PM »

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« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2016, 10:05:00 PM »

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« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2016, 10:06:28 PM »

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« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2016, 10:07:42 PM »

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« Reply #10 on: August 08, 2016, 10:08:58 PM »

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« Reply #11 on: August 08, 2016, 10:10:17 PM »

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« Reply #12 on: August 08, 2016, 10:11:32 PM »

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« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2016, 10:12:55 PM »

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« Reply #14 on: August 08, 2016, 10:14:02 PM »

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