The Churchill MkVII is an up armoured version of its predecessors designed for supporting infantry advances and although slower moving than previous versions is still had the firepower to deliver a crushing blow to the enemy.
This particular vehicle – which is missing its track guards but is in very good overall condition when compared to other open air vehicles in Normandy – was armed with a 75mm main gun and two heavy 7.92mm Besa machine guns.
It stands as a memorial to the 11th Armoured Division, and soldiers of the 15th Scottish, 53rd Welsh, and 43rd Wessex divisions at a site known as Hill 112 – a place which witnessed one of the longest-running and most costly battles of the Normandy campaign.
In a previous life this vehicle was used by REME - the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers - as a training tank for battlefield vehicle recovery at a facility in Norfolk, England. But thanks to kind donations, Royal Artillery Sargeant Albert Figg – who fought at the site and to whom there is a memorial nearby – was able to purchase the Churchill from the British government in order for it to be restored and positioned as a memorial to over 10,000 soldiers who fell during the battle to capture the area.