A Charioteer arrived at the Museum last week. Recently acquired in Finland, the long-term plan is for this tank to be restored and join our running collection of vehicles.
The Charioteer was a desperate stop-gap solution to a lack of firepower in the British Army’s tank force at the beginning of the Cold War. By 1951, it became clear that the Centurion would not be available quickly enough in the numbers needed by the British Army. An interim solution was devised to put the Centurion’s 20-pounder rifled gun onto the Cromwell chassis.
Around 442 Cromwells were converted to Charioteers. The British issued them to Territorial Army tank units who would be mobilised in the event of war rather than front-line forces. 189 were exported to Austria, Finland, Lebanon and Jordan.
The Finnish Defence Forces used Charioteer tanks between 1958 and 1980. This Charioteer was acquired at auction in October 2024 from the Finnish Government and would have been mainly used for training purposes.
Head of Collections, Chris van Schaardenburgh said: “We’re delighted to have the Charioteer safely at the Museum after its long journey from Finland. Once restored, this will be an important addition to the Museum’s running collection. We’d like to thank the Finnish Tank Museum and the Finnish Army for their support in acquiring this vehicle.”
The long-term plan is to restore the tank to running order, whether as a Charioteer or re-converted to a Cromwell is yet to be decided. Watch this space!
