Darwin Military Museum receives funding for rare battle tank

The rare World War II tank will be preserved for future generations with the help of federal funding.

The Darwin Military Museum will receive vital funding from the commonwealth government to preserve a rare piece of World War II military history.

The M3 Lee/Grant Medium Battle Tank 1942, nicknamed the Iron Cathedral, is the only one of its kind in the Northern Territory.

Of a total of 6258 produced and about 500 shipped to Australian shores during WWII it remains one of only 50 worldwide to have survived mostly intact.

The museum will receive $10,000 in Saluting Their Service commemorative grant funding to preserve the tank and ensure it has all its primary parts installed.

Museum director Dr Norman Cramp said the funding would help make the historic battle tank “as complete as it would have been in 1943”.

Dr Norman Cramps and Luke Gosling OAM MP view the M3 Lee Grant Medium Battle Tank during a recent visit. Picture: Supplied

“This model of tank was operated by the Australian Army in the Pacific Theatre and played an important role with the Allied forces in the earlier part of the Second World War,” Dr Cramp said.

“It’s important we restore this battle tank so that this generation and future generations can see and touch and feel the technology of the Second World War and compare it to that of the modern age.”

Solomon MP Luke Gosling said the grant program was about recognising those who have served Australia across war, conflict and peacekeeping operations.

“Investment like this reaches beyond the simple preservation of historical military artefacts, speaking to the stories and memory of the Australians behind them,” he said.

“The Darwin Military Museum celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2019 and is an important part of sharing the Northern Territory’s rich military history.”

Originally published as Darwin Military Museum receives funding for rare battle tank