Centurion tank

Ivor Hele was Australia’s longest serving official war artist. He was first appointed in 1941 during the Second World War, before later becoming one of the two official war artists of the Korean War. A skilled draughtsman and painter, Hele was a prolific sketcher whose drawings managed to capture the chaos and confusion of war.
With the outbreak of the Korean War on 25 June 1950, Centurions were deployed with British forces to Korea, where they quickly gained a reputation as reliable anti-armour and anti-personnel vehicles. From late 1951 until the armistice in July 1953, Centurions were used as direct-fire support vehicles. The Australian infantry operated closely with British armour, notably during the battles at the Hook in May and July 1953.
Australian Centurion tanks saw service in Vietnam between 1968 and 1971. One of these tanks, ARN 169110 is on display in the Memorial’s grounds.