The Tank Museum

Built during WWII, the Centaur III is closely related to the Cromwell IV (in short, the Centaur was fitted with the 400hp Liberty L-12 MKV engine, whereas the Cromwell had the upgraded 600hp Rolls Royce Meteor engine fitted - with both vehicles being externally similar.)



This particular vehicle, part of the Bannister Collection, was adapted and modified into a Dozer prior to D-Day when the British military required a vehicle that was fast, but could bulldoze through rubble of bombed out cities and make a path for other tanks.



The vehicle has since been fully converted back to a gun tank, has featured in HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, & BBC Documentary D-Day to Berlin - and proudly appears at Tank Museum events regularly (pictured here at TANKFEST 2025.)

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The Tank Museum

FV4018 Centurion BARV



The Centurion Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle (BARV) was developed in Instow in Devon in the late 1950s. Twelve were built by converting old Centurion gun tanks at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Leeds. The Centurion can wade in water up to 9ft 6ins deep. Notice the lip, around the top of the hull that prevents water from splashing over and the big rope bumper at the front for pushing. Also the track guards are made from steel mesh so that water can pass through easily.



The crew includes one man trained as a diver who can work under water, attaching tow ropes to sunken vehicles or clearing away wreckage. The FV4018 replaced the ageing Sherman BARV and itself was replaced in service by a new vehicle called HIPPO.



Our exhibit originally entered service in 1946 as a Centurion Mark II gun tank – before being upgraded

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The Tank Museum

Caption this!

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The Tank Museum

The wreck of a Soviet T-28 on Putlos Ranges on Germany’s Baltic coast.


The T-28 was a multi-turreted heavy tank intended for infantry support. As such the main gun was a 76.2mm KT-28 howitzer optimized for firing high explosive shells at unarmoured targets rather than an anti-tank gun. Two smaller turrets held 7.62mm DT machine guns. At least one of these has been destroyed on this tank, the soldier is standing where it used to be.


This photograph – taken in May 1946 - belonged to Trooper 14409739 Leonard Smith of 1st Royal Tank Regiment.

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In Italy on the 17th May 1944, Churchill crews from 51st Royal Tank Regiment take a break before moving off.


These were official photographs kept by Lance Corporal E. Perkins. In his album he notes: ‘I knew them all, several didn’t make it home.’


The 51st were veterans of Tunisia by this point, and would fight in Italy for the rest of the war. They were equipped with the Churchill between January 1943 and 1945, then converted to specialised armour, using the Sherman Crab flail tank and Churchill Crocodile flamethrower.

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The American Bradley IFV has been a workhorse of the US Army for over 40 years, providing mobility and protection to their infantry. It’s not lacking firepower either, with its Bushmaster chain gun for infantry and light vehicles, and TOW missiles to tackle any heavy armour it meets in the field.


Its age has led to various efforts to replace Bradley, but so far none have fulfilled the Army’s requirements, and the Bradley will remain a fixture of the battlefield for some years to come.

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This photo shows the 165mm gun on the Centurion Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) being used in its intended role – demolition.

The range here isn’t certain, but it was accurate enough to hit a bridge like this at 1400 yards. The round weighed 64lbs (29kg).

The AVRE was hugely versatile. We can see the dozer blade and above it the cradle used to hold a fascine or a roll of trackway. We can’t see whether it’s towing a trailer, but it could.

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One of the most famous PIAT actions of WW2 occurred 82 years ago today - 16th May 1944 at Monte Cassino – resulting in a Victoria Cross for Fusilier Francis ‘Frank’ Jefferson, 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers.

Dug In a defensive position, and armed with only a PIAT, Jefferson took the initiative as German StuG III assault guns moved forward toward his company.

Moving forward under fire, Jefferson stood up and engaged the lead StuG at 20 yards, penetrating the armour just below the gun and setting the ammunition on fire.

The recoil force of the spring surprised him, knocking him to the ground. He reloaded, ready to engage the next StuG – but wisely, it withdrew.

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🔍️This Char B1, No. 313 Escaut, was abandoned after being hit by artillery fire whilst retreating to Beaumont, 16th May 1940 - 86 years ago today.

Looking at the gun in the hull of the Char, it appears to have been jammed with a shell to effectively deactivate the gun.

📽️Want to know how the Char B1 fared against the Panzer III? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFp8v...

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This is P6 – one of the first six Chieftain prototypes to be built, and the oldest known Chieftain that survives today.

P6 never entered regular service with the British army – rather, it was delivered to the Fighting Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (FVRDE) at Chertsey, Surrey, in November 1962, and was used for a variety of experiments.

Chieftain has always been regarded as Britain’s first Main Battle Tank, in that it fulfilled the roles of both medium and heavy tanks.

P6 is the oldest known Chieftain left in existence, having been rescued from a scrap yard in 2011 – and is now safely housed in our Vehicle Conservation Centre, here at The Tank Museum.

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