HRH The Duke of Kent was in Dorset this week to honour the sacrifice of the Royal Armoured Corps.

The Duke was at the Tank Museum, in Bovington, to open a new Royal Armoured Corps memorial and unveil a plaque to commemorate the venue’s centenary.

The new Memorial Room commemorates the sacrifice of almost 13,000 Corps soldiers who have died in service since the Corps was founded in 1939.

“Today we commemorate the opening of the newly revitalised and re-invigorated Memorial Room, a place for reflection and remembrance of the sacrifice made by so many over the years,” the Duke said.

“As we formally dedicate this new Royal Armoured Corps Memorial, I am confident it will help us all to continue our shared duty to never forget the sacrifices of these men. We will remember them.”

His Royal Highness, who is the patron of both The Tank Museum and the RAC Memorial Trust, was reunited with a Centurion tank, a vehicle he served in during his 20-year service in the Royal Scots Greys.

The Duke was reunited with a Centurion tank

The Duke also met families of veterans honoured in the Memorial Room, including Sally Muldowney, who was given the Elizabeth Cross in 2010 in honour of her father, Trooper Cyril Adams who passed away as a prisoner of war in Korea.

Sally said: “The Tank Museum has always been a special place for my family, and the new memorial is incredibly important to tell the individual stories of the soldiers, who, like my father, served with the Royal Armoured Corps.”

This year marks 100 years of The Tank Museum, which was founded shortly after the First World War.

A century later, it has become one of the world’s leading military museums and a popular Dorset visitor attraction.