The Second World War resulted in the deaths of around 85 million people. Additionally, tens of millions more people were displaced. However, amid all the carnage people demonstrated remarkable courage, fortitude, compassion, mercy and sacrifice. We would like to honour and celebrate all of those people. In the War Years Blog, we examine the extraordinary experiences of individual service personnel. We also review military history books, events, and museums. And we look at the history of unique World War Two artefacts, medals, and anything else of interest.
Marketing The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum, situated in Bovington Camp, Dorset, is great example of how the modern museum must change to succeed. The Tank Museum’s marketing success has taken time and lots of moving parts. The engine of this growth and innovation has been the museum’s partnership with Wargaming.net, the award-winning developers of the massive multiplayer online game World of Tanks.
UK tourism is big business. According to VisitBritain.org nearly 4 million people currently work in the sector and it’s expected to generate £257.4 billion by 2025 (1). Thousands of attractions from castles and galleries to wildlife parks compete to attract domestic and overseas visitors. There are 2,500 museums alone in the UK (2). What is more, visitor expectations have grown exponentially. Visitors demand more bang for their buck, and will holler loudly on social media and review sites if they don’t get it.
Museum on a Mission
Today’s museums need clarity of purpose, specialist skills and marketing teams to win the war of visitor attraction. The Tank Museum, situated in Bovington Camp, Dorset, is great example of how the modern museum must change to succeed. The museum has a clearly stated purpose, "To tell the story of tanks and the people who serve with them (3)". Its mission can be summarised as “to conserve, develop and interpret the national collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles to educate and inspire people (4).”
The museum started out as little more than a shed that housed a small number of important military vehicles from the First World War. In 1947, the museum opened to the public. By 1981, it had around 120 armoured vehicles in its collection. The arrival of a new curator saw a period of expansion, as the museum refocused its efforts on vehicle restoration and conversation. In the noughties, a second period of expansion saw the restoration of Tiger 131, introduction of the annual Tankfest flagship event, an upgraded arena, new museum entrance, display hall and Vehicle Conversation Centre. Today, The Tank Museum holds the world’s largest collection of tanks, attracts over 200,000 visitors annually, and plays an important educational role (5).
Wargaming.net
The Tank Museum’s marketing success has taken time and lots of moving parts. The engine of this growth and innovation has been the museum’s partnership with Wargaming.net, the award-winning developers of the massive multiplayer online game World of Tanks. Since 2011, Wargaming.net has sponsored The Tank Museum’s main summer event, Tankfest. In 2013, they sponsored the creation of The Tank Museum’s state-of-the-art Education Centre. In 2014, Wargaming.net sponsored the ‘Fury’ exhibition, which celebrated the museum’s involvement in the making of David Ayer’s war movie (6).
At Tankfest 2015, Google partnered with Wargaming.net and The Tank Museum to create the UK’s first virtual reality (VR) military museum experience (7). In recent years, the museum’s Vehicle Conservation Centre has become the gaming hub of Tankfest with an array of activities that are streamed live across various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Wargaming.net offers gamers special premium versions of classic tanks such as The Tank Museum’s ‘Fury’ Sherman for limited periods. Opened in April 2017, World of Tanks supported the Tiger Collection exhibition, which brought together every member of the Tiger tank family in one display for the first time. Wargaming.net also supplied a virtual reality Sturmtiger, when arrangements for the loan exhibit fell through (8). The company has also been instrumental in bringing guest vehicles, such as the Char B1 medium tank and “Bretagne” Panther, from the Musée des Blindés (French Tank Museum), to appear at Tankfest.
Meeting Audience Demand
In a survey by the American Alliance of Museums, millennials (those born between 1980s and early 2000s) said that traditional museums were “static places for exhibiting things”. The survey found that millennials want interactive, immersive and participatory activities from museums (9). Today, technology makes it possible to create these interactive, immersive experiences. However, most museums lack the funds and expertise to harness technology themselves. Instead, they need like-minded corporate partners and sponsors such as Wargaming.net and Google.
A New Reality
Sponsorship works best when the parties involved share similar values, target the same audiences and have closely aligned objectives. Wargaming.net have created a variety of educational activities, from dedicated websites, augmented and virtual reality experiences to education centres. One of the game developer’s stated aims is “to promote an interest in history and show that education can be an engaging and even enthralling experience.” The virtual recreation of the Sturmtiger for The Tank Museum’s Tiger Collection exhibition is just one example of how Wargaming.net is working with military museums across the world to create amazing, interactive “mixed reality” experiences. Together, institutions like The Tank Museum and companies like Wargaming.net are changing visitor experiences from something static and one-dimensional into something interactive and immersive. What’s more, the experience is no longer confined by geography, physical exhibition space or artefact availability. The digital world knows no bounds. Of course, the ability to create more engaging, memorable visitor experiences delivers commercial benefits for the museum and its sponsors from brand building and increased visitor numbers to selling more premium features on your game platform and merchandising. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Education
In 2017, 6,924 schoolchildren and accompanying adults visited The Tank Museum as part of formal education programmes, an increase of over 1,500 from the previous year. The museum runs activities and events that relate to science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) for primary and secondary schools. It has also developed partnerships with a number of universities. The museum’s educational programmes help anchor the institution within the local community, engage with completely new audiences and preserve the history of armoured warfare for generations to come (10).
The Tiger Workhorse
Today, Tiger 131 is the world’s most famous tank. It is also The Tank Museum’s most popular exhibit. Captured in April 1943, Tiger 131 was inspected by King George VI and Winston Churchill before being shipped to the UK where it went on public display. Next, the tank was subjected to an extended period of testing and evaluation. In 1951, Tiger 131 was sent to The Tank Museum. After a long period as a static exhibit, restoration work started in 1990. By 2003, the tank had been returned to running order, making it the world’s only operational Tiger 1. In 2014, Tiger 131 featured in the Hollywood war movie ‘Fury’. The last time a genuine Tiger tank had appeared in a film was 1950. In 2017, Tiger 131 was centre of attention again when the museum opened its Tiger Collection exhibition. The tank has also appeared in a number of history documentaries. The Tank Museum now runs two dedicated Tiger Day events every year. In 2017, these events attracted 4,500 visitors to the museum. Regular ‘Ride the Tiger’ online auctions and raffle ticket sales generate much needed income for on-going preservation and maintenance work. Tiger 131 merchandising, from t-shirts and mugs to World of Tanks special packages, make sure the vehicle earns its keep (11).
Merchandising
Retail marketing and merchandising has an important role to play at The Tank Museum. Naturally, it encourages secondary spend, money generated over the price of museum entry. Retail marketing also improves the customer experience, increases perceived value and strengthens brand engagement. As part of the museum’s recent makeover, the restaurant, gift shop and product mix of souvenirs have been better aligned with the museum’s brand values, personality, narrative and visual identity.
The Tank Museum gift shop and online store offer a wide selection of branded merchandise from mugs, books, wall art and apparel to model kits (12). In partnership with a number of manufacturers, the museum has created unique souvenirs such as branded versions of the classic board games Monopoly and Cluedo. Shoppers can buy a wide selection of Tiger tank themed items such as Tiger 131 premium lager, COBI Tiger 131 model kits and a reproduction of the Tigerfibel, the original Tiger tank crewmember’s manual. The gift shop’s design, layout and choice of merchandise aims to surprise, delight and extend the visitor experience. The gift shop enables visitors to continue learning about the history of the various exhibits. It also creates an opportunity to transform the one-time visitor into a lifelong ‘Friend of the Museum’.
Overcoming Geography with Social Media
The Tank Museum is Dorset’s highest ranked visitor attraction on TripAdvisor and has won numerous tourism awards. However, the museum’s location in rural Dorset also poses a challenge. It takes the average visitor 2-hours to travel to the museum. To extend its reach and build lasting relationships, The Tank Museum has turned to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
In 2017, the museum’s YouTube subscribers reached 100,000 with over 7 million views of its content. Today, the museum has over 208,000 subscribers with a view count of 32.5 million. YouTube is particularly effective at reaching young men aged between 15 and 25. Traditionally, this is a difficult demographic for organisations within the heritage community to attract. In 2017, The Tank Museum was the most ‘liked’ military museum in the world on Facebook with 300,000 followers. The total reach of the museum’s content through Facebook was over 37 million users for the year. The museum’s Facebook page also integrates with its online store and YouTube channel. Currently, the museum also has 26,500 Twitter followers (13).
According to the online traffic statistics from SimilarWeb, the museum’s website receives around 280,000 visitors annually. 83% of all traffic is direct or from search. Just 8.42% comes from social. However, it’s a different story when you look at the online store analytics. This site receives 100,000 visitors per year. 41% of the site traffic comes from referrals and 11.23% from social media with YouTube being the most effective (14). To increase engagement, promote learning and generate additional income, it makes sense for the museum to experiment and invest in social media. After all, people are naturally passionate about their hobbies and interests. Unlike many organisations, who fail to understand the basic premise of social media, the museum has found that ‘likes’, ‘follows’ and ‘views’ can translate into visitors, supporters and sales.
Clear-Sighted Strategy
Heritage and tourism are highly competitive markets. In order to compete, institutions like The Tank Museum must have clear-sighted, long-term commercial strategies that enable them to pursue their objectives. In order to remain relevant, museums must diversify, adapt and make the most of their assets. Back in 1998, The Tank Museum began to build the infrastructure it would need to succeed in the future. It has expanded its education programme, demonstrations and events. These activities have steadily increased visitor numbers from home and abroad. In order to attract a younger audience, the museum has established an extremely successful on-going partnership with online game developer, Wargaming.net. They have provided much needed funds and technical expertise to build a new Education Centre and pioneering virtual reality experiences. The museum has not been shy about sweating its assets. A restored Tiger 131 is forever in the spotlight. Finally, the museum has used the Internet and social media to overcome the challenge of its rural location to reach new demographics. According to the Charity Commission, The Tank Museum generated an income of £5.8 million in 2017 (15). This money will help ensure the story of the tank and people who serve with them continues to be told, now and in the future.
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Sources:
1. Britain’s visitor economy facts, Visitbritain.org website: https://www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts
2. The Museum Association website https://www.museumsassociation.org
3. The Tank Museum Limited, Trustees' report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017, Page 2.
4. The Tank Museum Limited, Trustees' report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017, Page 2
5. The Tank Museum website, Museum History page, https://www.tankmuseum.org/about-us/history
6. Wargaming.net website news pages https://worldoftanks.com/en/news/press/wargaming-sponsor-education-center-tank-museum-bovington-england/ and The Tank Museum website news pages https://www.tankmuseum.org/year-news/bovnews53146
7. War History Online website, Wargaming Unveils its First Virtual Reality Tank Battle Reenactment, https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/wargaming-unveils-its-first-virtual-reality-tank-battle-reenactment.html
8. Deep South Media, Tank museum leads with world with augmented reality, Nik Wyness, Head of Marketing, The Tank Museum, webpage: https://www.deepsouthmedia.co.uk/8519-2/
9. American Association of Museums, Demographic Transformation and the Future of Museums report, Elizabeth E. Merritt, founding director. Download a PDF copy of the full report: https://www.aam-us.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Demographic-Change-and-the-Future-of-Museums.pdf
10. The Tank Museum Limited, Trustees' report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017, Page 5.
11. The Tiger Tank website https://blog.tiger-tank.com/
12. The Tank Museum’s online store: https://tankmuseumshop.org
13. The Tank Museum Limited, Trustees' report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017, Page 5.
14. SimilarWeb provides a free online tool that generates real-time website traffic statistics.
15. The Tank Museum Limited, Data for financial year ending 31 December 2017, Charity Commission website: https://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1102661&subid=0
The Ghosts of Tangmere
In this blog post, we visit Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, once a frontline RAF fighter base during the Battle of Britain and home to the UK's airspeed records.
What to do on a cold, wet, windy November day? Well, you could take a trip back in time to the Battle of Britain or the post-war golden age of aviation. Once a frontline RAF base and home of the world airspeed record, the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum is situated just outside Chichester off the A27. Admission is currently £9.00 for adults, £3.00 for children, £7.00 for seniors and a family ticket (two adults, two children) £21.00. There are also discounted rates for service personnel and groups – see the website for more information.
Planning Your Visit
On arrival, one of the museum’s friendly volunteers furnished me with a map and briefly explained the layout. The museum is organised into a number of halls plus the NAAFI cafeteria, memorial garden and outside exhibits. Ask reception to book your ride in the English Electric flight simulator. I started my tour in the Battle of Britain Hall, which contains a large collection of artefacts, documents, photographs and paintings. The hall is somewhat dominated by the excavated remains of Sergeant Dennis Noble’s Hawker Hurricane fighter. You can listen to a recording of James Nicolson, the only RAF fighter pilot to win the Victoria Cross during World War Two, telling his story. Moving onto Middle Hall, you will find a varied collection of items including a chunk of the Mohne Dam, famously breached by the Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron (Dambusters) back in 1943.
Airspeed Records
Making your way back towards the main reception area, you enter Merston Hall, which houses two world airspeed record-holding aircraft. In 1946, Edward Donaldson clocked up 615.78mph in the Gloster Meteor. In 1953, Neville Duke achieved 727.6mph in the bright red Hawker Hunter. The Merston Hall also contains a Supermarine Swift, Canberra cockpit, replica Spitfire prototype and Hawker Hurricane. Next door, in the Meryl Hansed Memorial Hall you will find an English Electric Lightning and Mk 5 Hawker Hunter.
The Tangmere Hall, as the name suggests, tells the story of the airfield from 1917 to 1970. There are exhibits on the SOE (Special Operations Executive) and Lysanders that delivered agents into occupied Europe, the Royal Flying Corps (forerunner of the RAF), Bomber Command, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). The abysmal November weather meant that I didn’t get a chance to tour the memorial garden or air raid shelter.
Blue Phantom
Outside, you will find a McDonnell Douglas Phantom, a couple of Harriers, a de Havilland Sea Vixen, Lockheed T-33A, Gloster Meteor and a Westland Wessex helicopter. In the covered shed, currently being restored, is a de Havilland Vampire. Additional facilities include a small military aviation library and Neville Duke Hall, available for group lunches. The museum is a charitable trust, staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers.
Ghosts
During my visit, I noticed one of the volunteers taking a group of Scouts around the museum. Each time the volunteer asked the group a question, a sullen chorus of “Don’t know” was the response. The Scouts reminded me of Harry Enfield’s sulky comedy creations, Kevin and Perry. These gloomy, apathetic children made me bristle. However, I guess all they saw were the dusty ghosts of a lost generation, and ruins of a once mighty aircraft industry. To be honest, I don’t envy them. After all, they have inherited a country that has been in terminal decline since the war. Let us hope, the lessons of our history can still inspire them to build something better.
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Visit the Home of Fighter Command
In this post, we visit the former Headquarters of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, The Bentley Priory Museum in Stanmore, a suburb of Northwest London. It was here that Sir Hugh Dowding oversaw the air defence of the UK during the dark days of 1940.
They say that good things come in small packages, well, that’s certainly true of the Bentley Priory Museum. Nestled in the leafy, North London suburb of Stanmore, the Bentley Priory Museum is housed in a Grade II listed building that was once the Headquarters of RAF Fighter Command. It was from here that Air Chief Marshal, Sir Hugh Dowding directed the Battle of Britain in the dark days of 1940.
The RAF officially left Bentley Priory in 2008. Renovation work on the beautiful Mansion House was completed in 2012. The museum finally opened its doors to visitors in 2013. You can buy admission tickets from reception, which also doubles as a small gift shop. Adult single admission costs £8.80 at the time of writing with family tickets, and senior and armed services discounts available. After purchasing your ticket you will be furnished with a simple map of the museum layout. Before starting your tour proper, it’s advisable to watch an excellent ten-minute film that briefly explains the leadership role of Air Chief Marshal, Sir Hugh Dowding, Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Command, during the Battle of Britain. The film is screened in the anteroom of Hugh Dowding’s office. Sadly, due to a number of thefts, visitors can no longer enter Dowding’s office, but you do get a tantalising glimpse into the room during the film.
Dowding oversaw the development of the world’s first integrated air defence system. The complex system relied on early Radar technology for detection, Filter and Operations Rooms to process incoming data, and RAF Group Headquarters to direct intercept fighter aircraft. This brilliant combination of organisational ability and technological innovation made the Dowding System so decisive during the Battle of Britain. After watching the film, make a point of taking a look at the two-page letter from Dowding to Prime Minister Winston Churchill that hangs on the wall by the film room door. The letter rationally argues the case for holding back a significant proportion of the RAF’s fighter squadrons from the battle for France. Had Dowding not written the letter, and Churchill agreed with its conclusions, then the defeat of Allied forces in France might have meant Britain’s capitulation to Nazi Germany. After all, there would have been no Fighter Command left to fend off the Luftwaffe.
Moving down the hallway into the Rotunda, visitors are greeted by an amazing collection of portraits, medals, pilots log books, original World War Two artefacts and Battle of Britain memorabilia. As well as providing wonderful vignettes of “The Few” (a collective noun for Battle of Britain pilots), the Rotunda uses wall panels and touchscreen terminals to tell the bigger picture of the conflict, the people and technologies deployed. A small collection of items that once belonged to Neville Duke immediately caught my eye. Squadron Leader Neville Duke, DSO, OBE, DFC and two bars, AFC and FRAeS was a celebrated fighter ace and later became a famous test pilot. On 7 September 1953, Duke set a new world air speed record of 727.63mph flying a Hawker Hunter.
Next, you move into the ballroom that overlooks the manicured Italian Gardens. The ballroom served as an Operations Room from 1937 to March 1940. The Operations Room was then moved to an underground bunker just before the Battle of Britain started. A mock-up Spitfire cockpit proved very popular with the younger visitors. The ballroom can accommodate around 120 people, so ideal for corporate events and private functions.
A critical part of the Dowding System of air defence was the Filter Room. The Filter Room at Bentley Priory has been lovingly recreated as part of the Museum’s exhibition galleries. Mainly staffed by members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), the Filter Room collated information coming from the radar stations dotted along the coast. Only once enough data had been collected to reliably plot the track of enemy aircraft would the information be passed along to the appropriate Operations Room to organise a welcoming party of Spitfires or Hurricanes. Filter Room information was also used for air raid warnings and anti-aircraft batteries.
Finally, take a look at the Queen Adelaide Room and grand staircase before heading for the museum’s café for tea and cake. The museum volunteers are immensely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. The museum provides a range of primary and secondary school learning experiences such as Plot the Battle of Britain. A tour of the museum takes about an hour and a half, so why not double up with a visit to the Battle of Britain Bunker at RAF Uxbridge or the RAF Museum, Hendon, just 11 miles away. The museum has ample parking for cars and coaches but isn’t so easily reached by public transport. The nearest Tube station is Stanmore, but you’ll need to get a bus from there or be prepared for a 40-minute walk.
Sir Hugh Dowding is one of the lesser-known Allied commanders of World War Two. Sadly, Dowding was the victim of political manoeuvring within the RAF and at Westminster, not helped by his own brusque personality. He was replaced as head of Fighter Command in November 1940. He retired from the RAF in 1942. Certainly, it’s a great shame that Hugh Dowding is not better known for his extraordinary contribution to the technical advancement of the RAF and the defence of Britain.
Visit my Flickr account to see our photo gallery of the Bentley Priory Museum
The Museums of RAF Davidstow Moor
In this post, we visit a former Coastal Command airfield, RAF Davidstow Moor, Cornwall, and its two fascinating military history museums that stand in the shadow of a cheese factory.
Cornwall is full of surprises. Hidden a couple of miles from Camelford is a disused World War Two airfield that is now home to a monstrous cheese-making factory and two tiny military museums. RAF Davidstow Moor was once a three-runway airfield (between 1942 and 1954) and then a Formula One racing circuit before being completely abandoned. Today, at 294 metres above sea level, it’s a windswept home for grazing sheep and the dairy industry.
Coastal Command
Between 1942 and 1945, RAF Davidstow Moor was home to B-24 Liberators, B-17 Flying Fortresses, Bristol Beaufighters and Vickers Wellingtons. These aircraft attacked U-boat pens, covered the western flank of the Normandy landings and hunted German submarines and E-boats. As part of Coastal Command, RAF Davidstow Moor also played an important air-sea rescue role flying Lockheed Hudson, Supermarine Walrus and Vickers Warwick twin-engine multi-purpose aircraft.
Davidstow Moor RAF Memorial Museum
In a rather curious arrangement, the Davidstow Moor RAF Memorial Museum and Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum are right on top of one another, although completely separate enterprises. Located in the former sergeants' shower block, later used for pig farming, the Davidstow Moor RAF Memorial Museum is dedicated to the airfield’s history. Although tiny, the museum contains a wide selection of authentic artefacts, photographs and documents related to the airfield’s wartime activities and personnel. It also houses an impressive collection of crash site-recovered aircraft fragments (over three thousand) and the history of each event. Visit the museum’s website for more information: http://davidstowmemorialmuseum.co.uk/
Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum
Adjacent to the Davidstow Moor RAF Memorial Museum is the Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum. The larger of the two museums, the Cornwall at War Museum is spread across something like 17 buildings of various sizes. Each building is numbered, and tours start at the Roxy Cinema, where a rather long (25 minutes) but amusing homemade film explains the museum’s evolution. As you progress around the site, you’ll learn more about Cornwall’s military history, RAF Davidstow Moor and each building’s original use and restoration. There are buildings dedicated to the Royal Navy, RAF Operations, the Royal Marines, World War One, Battle of the Somme, the Homefront, Air-Sea Rescue and Animals at War.
The airfield’s original blast and air raid shelters have also been recovered. The former guardroom is now the gift shop, and you’ll even find some information on the museum’s cheese making neighbours. Completed in 2016, the museum’s hangar houses a growing collection of larger exhibits including a Fairey Gannet, Hawker Hunter F.6 jet aircraft and the cockpit section of a DH Vampire T.11. The hanger is also home to a number of rare airfield and military vehicles. The museum staff are extremely welcoming, there’s a kids play area, and the self-service NAAFI provides refreshments and snacks. For more information on the Cornwall at War Museum visit their website now: http://cornwallatwarmuseum.co.uk/
Having done the picture postcard fishing villages, Poldark, Arthurian legends, tin mines, surfing, cream teas and pasties, Cornwall still has more to offer. It might not be for everyone, but a visit to the former RAF Davidstow Moor airfield and its two fascinating little museums was certainly worth the effort. Finally, you can take a look at The War Years photo album of RAF Davidstow Moor on Flickr now.