12 January 2021
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The Churchill Mark III* has been successfully repaired
An appeal to supporters of The Tank Museum at Bovington has raised over £5,000 to cover the cost of repairing an important British World War II tank.
Last year, a major failure stopped the iconic Churchill Mark III* tank in its tracks, while it ran during The Tank Museum’s Tiger Day event. The Museum turned to its supporters to raise the estimated £5,000 bill to repair the tank to running order, in time for it to run at TANKFEST 2021 in June.
Head of Collections, Chris van Schaardenburg said, “We are incredibly grateful for this contribution from our supporters at a time when we appreciate that finances are difficult for everyone – not just this Museum.”
The Tank Museum is currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, with the costs of the pandemic being been put at £2.5m so far for the Dorset charity – which relies on paying visitors to fund the work required to care for its unique collection of vehicles.
Chris van Schaardenburg added, “In working order, this vehicle plays an important role in allowing us to tell the story of the men who fought in these machines during the Second World War. With these funds we can now pay for new parts to be forged which will be installed by our Workshop team.”
The tank is in the long-term care of The Tank Museum but is owned by The Churchill Trust - a registered charity with common objectives. The 20-year partnership between The Tank Museum and the Churchill Trust allows the museum to operate and maintain the vehicle in running condition so that it can be displayed appropriately to the widest possible audience. At the conclusion of the partnership term, it is intended that the vehicle will be gifted to The Tank Museum.
The repair work and the story behind The Tank Museum’s partnership with The Churchill Trust will be covered in the Museum’s popular YouTube series, Tank Workshop Diaries.
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