page_title: Bovington Camp
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Bovington Camp / History
caption_attribution_description: English: British Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles Valentine tanks on a training exercise at Bovington, 1942.
context_page_description: Bovington Camp is a British Army military base in Dorset, England. Together with Lulworth Camp it forms part of Bovington Garrison.
  The garrison is home to The Armour Centre and contains two barracks complexes and two forest and heathland training areas that support Phase Two training for soldiers of the Royal Armoured Corps and trade training for the Household Cavalry Regiment as well as other armoured units.
context_section_description: The camps at Bovington and Lulworth were originally established in 1899 as an infantry training area and ranges. In 1916, they became training camps for the Heavy Branch of the Machine Gun Corps which relocated from Norfolk. The Heavy Branch was responsible for the operation of the tank in the British Army. In 1917 the Heavy Branch split from the Machine Gun Corps to become the Tank Corps, with the Depot and Central Schools being based at Bovington.
  In 1937 the Central Schools became the Armoured Fighting Vehicles School, with driving and maintenance training at Bovington and gunnery at Lulworth.  The School became known as the Royal Armoured Corps Centre in 1947, now renamed The Armour Centre.
caption: Valentine tanks on a training exercise in 1942
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