TWO tanks have been moved to a more suitable site in a well-executed military operation.

An integral part to any military base, gate guardians are a visible reminder of a unit’s heritage. They come in many forms, from iconic wartime aircraft, Cold War jets to battle tanks or field guns.

With several units including the HQ staff vacating Catterick Garrison’s Camp Centre for a planned MoD /NHS facility being built, two large tanks that stood there for many years had to move.

They were deemed inappropriate and potentially hazardous as the new the site will be open and accessible.

For the officer who oversaw the transfer, Major David Croxford, it was a labour of love, even if the operation caused him a degree of anxiety.

Both machines have a historical connection to HQ 4 Infantry Brigade and its antecedent formations.

Painted in urban camouflage and weighing up to 60 tonnes fully loaded, the Chieftain Mk 6 Main Battle Tank previously stood in a prominent and commanding position overlooking the Camp Centre roundabout.

Entering service in 1969, it was the first vehicle painted in experimental Berlin urban camouflage.

Subsequently redeployed to the driver training fleet at Catterick Garrison, the vehicle was de-commissioned in 1996, when it was presented to 19 Mechanised Brigade as a gate guardian.

The vehicle was renovated and repainted as a private venture by the HQ staff in 2017.

The second gargantuan is a Russian-built T 55, which previously faced the main road to the front of Peronne Lines. It was captured from the Iraqi Republican Guard by 1 Armoured Division during the First Gulf War.

It was subsequently returned to the UK as a war trophy and was also renovated and repainted in 2017.

The move from the Camp Centre to nearby Bourlon Barracks at Catterick Garrison, the headquarters of 4 Infantry Brigade was conducted by Metcalfe Farms Heavy Haulage of Leyburn who conduct a great deal of work for the MoD. Once at the site, a giant crane from Ainscough Crane Hire soon had the pair installed in their new home.

One of the original Desert Rat formations, 4 Armoured Brigade served in all the major campaigns of the Second World War and was deployed to the Gulf at the end of 1990. One of the last Brigades to serve in Germany, relocating to Catterick in 2007, it is now 4 Infantry Brigade.

After the work was competed Major Croxford was a happy man. He said: “These gate guardians are an important visible reminder of our heritage and although they need painting, look magnificent.”