The Tank Museum’s Historian, David Fletcher, was awarded an MBE in the Queens New Year’s Honours list. David, who is the Dorset museum’s longest serving member of staff, has become an internationally renowned author and tank expert and was awarded the MBE for his services to the history of armoured warfare.
‘Of course, I am hugely honoured by this award, especially entering my 30th year of service at the Tank Museum,’ said David, ‘but in truth I have only been doing my job, a job which is in many respects a hobby. From that perspective I am very lucky.’
He first visited the Tank Museum in the early sixties, and was instantly captivated by the vast collection of armour on display. ‘I found the subject interesting from the start. Unlike other forms of military transport, there is no civilian equivalent of the tank – which makes these machines immediately fascinating as you rarely see them in normal life.

‘I kept coming back, later as a volunteer researcher, because there was still a lot more I wanted to learn about armoured warfare. At that time, there was very little written about the subject whereas, if one was interested in trains or planes there were a vast number of books you could go and read.’
David, who had no background in academic history, had unwittingly set out to become the world’s foremost expert on the subject. Since becoming an employee at the museum in 1982, his work includes 30 books, hundreds of articles, and numerous appearances in documentaries shown around the world.
Tank Museum spokesman Nik Wyness said: ‘David is not just an asset to the Tank Museum, he is a part of what has made it. Few self-taught enthusiasts can claim to be genuine, globally recognised experts in their field, and this award marks his vast and invaluable contribution to the important study of armoured warfare.
‘David is a pioneer whose unpretentious do-it-yourself attitude is reminiscent of the early British tank crews themselves, and this has made him well-liked as well as well-respected in the historical community. He is a credit to the British armoured regiments whose heritage he has so lovingly helped to preserve and share with the world.’