During storage its condition gradually deteriorated. It was withdrawn from service with the British Army as a Mark 5 and stored. It was then converted into a Mark 3 and eventually converted once more into a Mark 5. This exhibit was produced as a Centurion Mark 2 and was originally fitted with the 17pdr (76mm) tank gun. Sergeant Wallace was awarded his Military Medal for his bravery during this action. Commanded by Sergeant A Wallace, Military Medal, it participated in a fiercely contested action defending a location called ‘The Hook’ against Chinese forces in Korea in May 1953. This particular Centurion Mark 3 is displayed in the markings of a tank of 3 Troop, C Squadron, 1st Royal Tank Regiment, part of the Commonwealth Division, during the Korean War. During this period it was attached to the 22nd Armoured Brigade for troop trials, first with 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and then 5 RTR. It was sent to fight in Germany in June 1945, but the war in Europe ended before it saw action.
Museum exhibit was a prototype, fitted with the 20mm Polsten which was replaced by the Besa 7.92mm on production models. The vehicle statistics below relate to the Mark 3. It fought in twelve wars, from the Korean War to the Gulf War. The Centurion went on to have 13 marks, and many specialist variants. Such a tank needed a dual-purpose gun, capable of firing both high explosive shells and armour piercing projectiles, and must have sufficient armour to withstand enemy anti-tank and tank guns. During combat a single tank might have to engage enemy infantry, artillery, anti-tank guns and tanks. The Centurion was designed as a result of the British Army’s experience of the fighting in the North African deserts between 19. Introduced in the spring of 1945, a small number of the Beach Armoured Recovery Version (BARV) served with the British forces during the Iraq war of 2003, 58 years later! The Centurion is one of the most important tanks in the history of the British AFV and is one of the most significant post-war Western tanks.
Designed before the end of the Second World War, the Centurion is often believed to be the epitome of the tank.
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