2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Saxmundham Museum. It also sees the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. To mark the occasion, we have created a new display board of Hobart’s Funnies – the ingenious specially adapted tanks and mine clearance machines that were used on the Normandy beaches in 1944.
Hobart’s Funnies were extensively tested on The Layers in Saxmundham, as well as other locations in Suffolk, prior to their deployment on D-Day.
Winston Churchill appointed Major General Sir Percy Hobart to develop modified armoured tanks and
landing craft that could be used as an advantage on the French beach invasion. These vehicles soon became known as “Hobart’s Funnies”, due to their odd looking design and manoeuvrability.
Hobart established the headquarters of the 79th Armoured Division at Hurts Hall in Saxmundham and the house was requisitioned by the MOD until 1944. During their early stages of development, many of
Hobart’s Funnies were extensively tested on the land and beaches close to Hurts Hall, especially on the land to the south of South Entrance in Saxmundham, commonly known as The Layers.
Churchill’s diaries include the statement “I’m now off for a day with Hobo and his swimming tanks and wire destroyers…Hobart has been doing wonders in his present job and I am delighted that we put him into it”.
Find out more with a visit to Saxmundham Museum. In 2023, over 2,000 visitors passed through the door – please help us to beat this record in our 20th anniversary year!