The Tank Museum in Dorset has been awarded a £20,000 grant from the Museums Libraries and Archives Council’s PRISM fund. The popular attraction will use the grant to preserve and continue the restoration of its iconic German Tiger 131 tank.
This ongoing project, which has also been generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, began in 1998 and in 2004 saw the Tiger returned to running order for the first time since the War.
Of the 1,300 originally built, only a handful of Tiger tanks survive in museums and exhibitions world wide, and Tiger 131 is the only one in running condition. It was captured in Tunisia in 1943 by the 48th Royal Tank Regiment and was the first Tiger to be captured intact by the Allies. Whilst in Tunis the vehicle was visited by Winston Churchill and King George VI, before being sent back to the UK for public display at Horse Guards in London. In 1951 the Tiger was officially handed to the Tank Museum, where it has become one of the most famous exhibits.
The Tank Museum’s curator, David Willey, said; "This £20,000 PRISM award will enable further work to be carried out to assess the impact of running this unique historic vehicle and provide the unique opportunity to return the tank to a more original condition since it was first disassembled as part of its evaluation during the Second World War."
The investigation work will provide The Tank Museum and the wider heritage sector with the opportunity to evaluate what benefits can be gained by running a mechanical historic item. "Wear during running causes an inevitable loss of originality but running a vehicle can massively increase its interpretation value and reveal new information and maintain relevant skills", David added.
MLA Director of Programme Delivery, Hedley Swain says: "MLA is very pleased to be able to provide PRISM support to this important project. This type of initiative is vital for the development of our understanding of important objects and towards bringing history to life for all to enjoy."
Director of The Tank Museum, Richard Smith says: "The Museum is very appreciative of this award. Restoring the Tiger is not just of importance to our Museum, it is an iconic symbol of tank technology and military might and is a powerful example of what our citizen soldiers had to meet and defeat in WW2."
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Notes to editors:
- The Fund for the PReservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM Fund) was established in 1973 and supports the acquisition and/or conservation of any object or group of objects illustrating the history and development of any branch of science, industry, technology and fields therein.
- The Tank Museum holds and exhibits a collection of almost 300 armoured vehicles from 26 countries. It is the most wide-ranging collection of tanks and armoured vehicles in the world. The collection includes the only working example of a German Tiger I tank and a British World War I Mark I; the world's oldest surviving combat tank.