Incredible discovery in Devon as lost relic restored

It's a significant symbol of the area’s military history

The remains of a Second World War tank discovered in North Devon have gone on display following the completion of a meticulous restoration project.

The Cromwell tank is now sitting proudly at the Braunton Burrows Training Area, where it was unearthed along with thousands of other wartime artefacts in July 2022.

The site was used by the American military to rehearse for the D-Day landings at Omaha and Utah beaches, and the tank is believed to have been a target for a rocket range.

From September 1943, the training area housed 14,000 troops from the 1st, 4th and 29th Infantry Divisions, 2nd and 5th Rangers and Fox Company of the 101st Airborne.

Since May 2021, ongoing excavation work has been carried out at Braunton Burrows as part of the Dynamic Dunescapes project, which aims to boost biodiversity across what is the second largest sand dune system in the UK.

After the tank’s discovery by 29 Explosive Ordnance Clearance Group, David Lincoln, deputy training safety officer at the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), recruited the help of Tim Isaac from Cobbaton Combat Collection and Richard Bass, an expert on Second World War history and chairman of the Friends of the Assault Training Centre, to put the pieces back together and find a way to mark the remarkable find.

In June 2023, the components were collected and work to restore the tank officially began. A skeleton frame was built, which the discovered parts were then attached to.

Mr Lincoln explained: “Finding the remains of this tank was an unexpected yet exciting development in the Dynamic Dunescapes project.

“The restored tank reminds us of the important part Braunton Burrows played during the D-Day preparations and is a symbol of our heritage, as well as DIO’s commitment to preserving military history.”

The reconstructed Cromwell tank now sits in the north east corner of Area C on ‘I Lane’, which is fully accessible to the public.