The Muckleburgh Collection is a military museum sited on a former military camp at Weybourne, on the

North Norfolk North Norfolk is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer, and the largest town is North Walsham. The district also includes the towns of Fakenham, Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Shering ...

coast,

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. It was opened to the public in 1988 and is the largest privately owned military museum in the United Kingdom.

History

The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H14985

The museum is located on the site of the Second World War and post-war Weybourne Anti Aircraft Training Camp. Weybourne Camp is north west of the coastal village of Weybourne. The site, originally called Carvel Farm, was first used in 1935 by the Anti–Aircraft Division of the Territorial Army as a summer training camp. In 1937 and as a result of the growing threat of war, it was decided to make the camp permanent and more fixed structures and defences were erected. During the Second World War, the camp was surrounded by a perimeter anti-tank ditch and defended by a system of gun emplacements and barbed wire. The interior of the camp consisted of groups of

Nissen hut A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure originally for military use, especially as barracks, made from a 210° portion of a cylindrical skin of corrugated iron. It was designed during the First World War by the Canadian-American-British e ...

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

and other military buildings. The cliff top to the north was covered by a line of heavy anti-aircraft guns and batteries, slit trenches and pillboxes. In 1941, the camp was visited by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, to view a demonstration of the Unrotated Projectile anti–aircraft weapon. As the war progressed, defences at Weybourne Camp became more complex and were altered regularly and significantly and a grass airstrip was laid out, which remains in use. After the war, the camp became known as the AA permanent Range and Radar Training Wing and gunnery training continued until 1958. The site still has a RAF radar receiving station and is the location of the University of East Anglia Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory and a Metrological Station.

The museum

When Weybourne Camp closed, the site returned to private ownership and many buildings that were beyond repair were demolished. The Muckleburgh Collection was founded by Squadron Leader Berry Savory and his son Michael Savory. At the time of the museum's opening in 1988, the principal display consisted of 30 vehicles and a small room describing the camp history. The museum has expanded to include over 150 artillery pieces, tanks and other vehicles, most of which are in working order. The Muckleburgh Collection is home to the

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

and Norfolk Yeomanry collection, the North Norfolk Amateur Radio Group and numerous special displays. The vehicles, museum site, and its unspoilt has been used for television films, documentaries and dramas.Muckleburgh Collection on TV
The museum offers rides in a military vehicle and hosts "tank driving" in a FV432. Among the 25 working tanks are a Panzer P-68, a

Chieftain A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...

and a Stuart M5A1, a Soviet

T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet medium tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2 ...

and a Canadian-built Sherman.

Exhibits

Tracked

* A41 Centurion Mk5 *

AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and re ...

*Centurion ARRV * Churchill Mk7 *

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...

Mk 2 * FV101 Scorpion CVR(T) * FV4201 Chieftain Mk5 *

FV433 Abbot SPG FV433, 105mm, Field Artillery, Self-Propelled "Abbot" is the self-propelled artillery, or more specifically self-propelled gun (SPG), variant of the British Army FV430 series of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), using much of the chassis of th ...

(two) * FV432 APC * FV434 ARV * FV438 Swingfire *

M24 Chaffee The M24 Chaffee (officially light tank M24) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the Algerian War, War in Algeri ...

M47 Patton The M47 Patton was an American medium tank, a development of the M46 Patton mounting an updated turret, and was in turn further developed as the M48 Patton. It was the second American tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commande ...

* M16A2 White with Maxson quad 50 calibre MG *

M29 Weasel The M29 Weasel is a World War II tracked vehicle designed for operation in snow. Built by Studebaker, Weasels were also used in sandy, muddy, and desert terrains, including towing loads over terrain wheeled vehicles could not negotiate as in the ...

Cargo Carrier * M4A1 Sherman 'Grizzly' * M5A1 Stuart (Honey) * MT-55 Bridgelayer * Panzer PZ61 * Panzer PZ68 * Sexton 25Pdr SP * T-34/85 MBT *

MBT *Tracked

Rapier A rapier () is a type of sword originally used in Spain (known as ' -) and Italy (known as '' spada da lato a striscia''). The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It wa ...

SAM Launcher M74B *

Universal Carrier The Universal Carrier, a development of the earlier Bren Gun Carrier from its light machine gun armament, was one of a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies. The first carriers – the Br ...

No2 Mk1 *

ZSU-23-4 The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored Soviet self-propelled, radar-guided Anti-aircraft warfare, anti-aircraft weapon system (Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon, SPAAG). It was superseded by the 2K22 Tunguska (SA-19 Grison). Etymology Th ...

Shilka Anti-aircraft

Armoured

* BTR-40 APC * Daimler Armoured Car Mk1 *

Daimler Dingo The Daimler scout car, known in service as the Daimler Dingo (after the Dingo, Australian wild dog), is a British light, fast four-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle also used for liaison during the Second World War. Design and development ...

Mk2 Scout Car *

Ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...

Mk1/2 (two) * FV1611 Humber Mk2 ('Pig') * FV601 Alvis Saladin Mk2 * FV620 Alvis Stalwart Mk1 (two) * Landsverk

Unimog The Unimog (pronunciation in American English: ''YOU-nuh-mog''; British English: ''YOU-knee-mog''; German: , ) is a Daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly offroad capable AWD vehicles produced since 1948. Utilizing engine-driven power tak ...

Scout Car * M3A1 White Scout Car * M8 Greyhound *

Alvis Saracen The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed and produced by Alvis Car and Engineering Company, Alvis from 1952 to 1976. It has been used by a variety of operators around the world and is still in use in secondary role ...

APC Mk1

Guns

* L118 light gun *105 mm L3A1 Pack Howitzer *12 Pdr Naval Gun Mk5 * L1 BAT * QF 13 pounder Field Gun *Argentine CITEFA 155 mm Field Gun M-77 *

155 mm gun M1 The 155 mm gun M1 was a 155 millimeter caliber field gun developed and used by the United States military. Nicknamed "Long Tom" (an appellation with a long and storied history in U.S. field and naval artillery), it was produced in M1 and M ...

Long Tom * QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun * QF 18 Pounder field gun * QF 2-pounder anti-tank gun (two) * QF 25-pounder gun-howitzer & Limber * QF 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun * QF 4.5-inch howitzer * 40 mm Bofors L70 (two) * 5.5-inch howitzer *57 mm AZP S-60 Anti-aircraft * QF 6-pounder Anti-tank *7 Pdr Mark IV Armstrong Cannon * 88 mm Flak 37 * FH70 155 Field Howitzer *Flak 20 RH 202 (Rheinmetall) *M1 155 mm Howitzer *M56 105 mm Pack Howitzer *Single 14.5 mm ZPU1 *Twin 14.5 mm ZPU2 (two) *Quad 14.5 mm ZPU4 *106 Recoilless Rifle

Support Vehicles

*10 KVA Generator *Orme-Evans No1 Mk1 Airborne Trailer *Albion 10TonGS Workshop * Austin 8 Staff Car * Austin K5 GSA * Austin K6 Breakdown Gantry * Bedford QL 3 Ton *Bedford Radio Van *Brockhouse 20 ton Trailer *Cranes 7.5 ton Trailer *M416 jeep trailer *M19 Gama Goat (three) *M43 Dodge Ambulance * Austin 12 Saloon Car * Austin K2/Y Ambulance *DKW Munga *90 cm Searchlight * BSA M20 Motor Cycle *Cable Trailer * Chevrolet C8AT Portee * Diamond T 981 Prime Mover * Diamond T 967 Wrecker *

Ford GPA The Ford GPA "Seep" (Government 'P' Amphibious, where 'P' stood for its 80-inch wheelbase), with supply catalog number G504, was an amphibious vehicle, amphibious version of the World War II Willys MB, Ford GPW Military light utility vehicle, je ...

(Amphibian) * Ford WOT 2 * Ford WOT 6 *M9 Rogers 45 Ton Trailer * GMC CCKW 352 (Jimmy) *Godiva

Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British manufacturer of forklift trucks, fire pumps, racing engines, and other speciality engines. History Pre WWI The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, a joint venture by Jens Stroyer and Pelham Lee. In 1 ...

mobile Fire Pump *Godiva Coventry Climax Fire Pump *Leyland DAF GS * Leyland Hippo Mk II * Morris Commercial C8 FAT Mk3 (Quad) *Praga 8 ton Mobile Crane *SV/25 Scammell Pioneer * Willys GPW jeep *Russian ZIL-131 Water Tanker *Fire Hose Reel Tender (two)

Missiles

9K11 Malyutka The 9M14 Malyutka (; "Little one", NATO reporting name: AT-3 Sagger) is a manual command to line of sight (MCLOS) wire-guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system developed in the Soviet Union. It was the first man-portable anti-tank guided mi ...

(AT-3 SAGGER) *

9M113 Konkurs The 9M113 ''Konkurs'' (; ; NATO reporting name AT-5 ''Spandrel'') is a Soviet SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile. A development of the 9K111 Fagot with greater firepower, the 9M113 Konkurs can use the same launchers and is very similar vis ...

Wire-guided AT * 9M37M Strela 10 SAM * Bristol Bloodhound Mk2 *

English Electric Thunderbird The English Electric Thunderbird was a British surface-to-air missile produced for the British Army. Thunderbird was primarily intended to attack higher altitude targets at ranges up to approximately , providing wide-area air defence for the Army ...

Mk2 *Replica

Fieseler Fi 103 The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...

(V1 Doodlebug) with a section of the original Peenemünde launch ramp * 9K35 Strela-10 SAM (SA-13 "Gopher") *Javelin LML trainer *Rapier Mk2 Launcher (& 15 test Missiles)

Radar

*Anti Aircraft Fire Control No3 MkVII *Cymbeline mortar locating radar *Green Archer mortar locating radar *Local warning Anti aircraft No4 Mk7 *No11 Target Surveillance (Big Ears) *No12 Height Finder (Noddy) *Type 65 (two) *Type 85 *Type 88 Target Surveillance

Gallery

File:The Artillery Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1806474.jpg, The Artillery Hall Image:Muckleburgh Collection.JPG, Entrance to Muckleburgh Collection File:QF 3.7 Anti Aircraft Gun, Muckleburgh Collection, 06 June 2010 (1).JPG, QF 3.7 Anti-Aircraft Gun File:Gamagoat.JPG, Gama Goat ride at Muckleburgh 2005 File:V1 Flying Bomb, Muckleburgh Collection, Norfolk, 06 06 2010.JPG, A replica V1 Flying Bomb, mounted on an original section of a launching ramp

References

External links

{{commons category
Museum Website
Military aviation museums in England Military history of Norfolk Military and war museums in England Museums in Norfolk North Norfolk Tank museums