Last of the British Heavy Tanks
Conqueror was designed to support the Centurion, Britain’s primary tank at the time. The Army was concerned that the Soviet IS-3 (Josef Stalin) tank and its successor, the T-10 could destroy the Centurion at longer ranges than it could respond. The British War Office
required a tank with thicker armour and a longer ranged gun in order to deal with this threat.
Conqueror was the result, and it entered service from 1955 – issued on a limited scale to armoured regiments equipped with Centurion.
The development of the 105mm L7 gun in the late 1950s meant that Centurion could be fitted with a weapon which could deal with the Is-3 and its successors, so Conqueror was retired by 1966. It retains the title of the heaviest tank ever to serve with the British Army.
The Tank Museum’s Conqueror
40 BA 86 is a Conqueror Mark 1, FV214. It was issued to the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars in Hohne, West Germany on 17th April 1955. After its clutch and gearbox failed on the 20th September 1955, the tank was not driven again until March 1956 when it left the Hussars for more extensive repairs. On 24th August 1956, it was sent to the REME Technical Training School, with just 1,019 miles on the clock. The vehicles was removed from service in June 1961.
