History in the making

A small crowd gathered to watch the recovery of the Crowland LVT 
ANDREW STONE

The recent excavation and recovery of a World War Two-era LVT-4 Buffalo in the UK quite rightly drew massive amounts of attention across various social media platforms, in print, on radio and, I believe, even made it to the small screen.

I was fortunate to be there the day it was pulled from the ground outside Crowland in Lincolnshire and witness this history in the making. A small crowd of excited villagers and media had gathered to watch as it was slowly drawn up a muddy embankment by two powerful cranes after 74 years of being buried.

It was amazingly well preserved, and you can read more on how the ‘Crowland LVT’ was lost and subsequently recovered in our feature on pages 6 to 11.

With Classic Military Vehicle’s offices based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, this find practically took place in our backyard and because it is so accessible, we’ll continue to monitor the restoration of the LVT providing regular updates.

I was particularly pleased that Daniel Abbott, the man behind the search and recovery, is adamant the LVT will remain in the town for the benefit of the local

community. If you can assist the Crowland Buffalo LVT Association in restoring this amazing piece of history, I’d encourage you to get in touch, be it in the form of advice, information, spare parts, your time or through a donation.

One aspect of the story that astounded me is that around 18 of the LVTs used in the 1947 Crowland floods were lined up nose to tail and used to build a temporary flood defence wall while the damaged, earthen flood defence wall was repaired. It just goes to show how much surplus equipment was lying around in

the immediate years following World War Two.

While most vehicles, aircraft and ships ended in the scrapyard, it does make me wonder at just how much more remains ‘lost’, not only in the UK but across Europe, North Africa and the Pacific. If you know of any tales of buried ‘lost treasure’ feel free to share them with us.

Enjoy the read and, as always, your feedback is appreciated.

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