Tank park, Base Bordon, Ontario


My dad was a navigator in the Canadian airforce and then worked in accounting later in the army.  We lived in Bordon, a military base in Ontario, where there is a considerable training area for military vehicles such as the modern Leopard II tanks.  There is also an astonishing tank park we used to go to as kids where we would crawl around the metal behemoths.  Little did I know the fire it would light in me later on in life.

I have found myself drawn to WW II armour in the last few years.  Maybe it was my time with the beasts found at my playground, or perhaps it was the movies that I used to watch with my dad.  Regardless of the source of my latent passion, I don't seem to be able to get enough of the subject.  

I have been spending a lot of time lately watching Youtube videos on WW II tanks, self-propelled guns, and tank destroyers and I have to admit that I just love it.  The fact that these machines are now around 80 years old and have been involved in the destruction of so many lives and property does not affect my interest.  I suppose the passing of so much time has made those losses less poignant.  

I visited the tank park again in 1991 while my new bride and I were on our cross-Canada adventure.  The above photos represent two of the many displays we witnessed.  If you want a quick view of the tank park and all the tanks that are on display, click here.  It is not a complete list, but gives you some idea of the range of museum-quality materials they have.  There is also a photo resource you can look at here.

One of my goals is to go the Bovington Museum in England and see the tanks they have there.  The only functioning Tiger I tank is there and they bring it out twice a year and drive it around.  It is the same tank used in the movie Fury.  One day.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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