David Fletcher (military historian)

David Fletcher MBE is a British military historian specialising in the history of armoured warfare, particularly that of the United Kingdom.

He was an employee of The Tank Museum, Bovington from 1982 until December, 2012, becoming the museum’s longest serving member of staff.^[1] Earlier that year, he was a panellist on Operation Think Tank, an international symposium on tanks, held in California.^[2] He also presents contemporary media such as YouTube for the Tank Museum.^[3] David Fletcher hosts a regular video series on The Tank Museum YouTube channel called 'Tank Chats', in which he gives viewers a brief insight in to a specific tank in the Museum's collection.^[4]

In his final year at Bovington, he was awarded an MBE in the Queens New Year's honours list for services to the history of armoured warfare.^[1]

Publications

His publication list is extensive, including 30 books.^[1] Many of these are considered to be the standard works on that topic.

• Fletcher, David (1983). Cromwell Tank: Vehicle History and Specifications. The Tank Museum. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-290403-3.
• — (1983) [1944]. Churchill Tank (Reprint of original WW2 operating manuals ed.). HMSO / Bovington Tank Museum. ISBN 0-11-290404-1.
• — (1984). Landships: British Tanks in the First World War. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-290409-2.
• — (1989). The Great Tank Scandal: British Armour in the Second World War - Part 1. HMSO. ISBN 978-0-11-290460-1.
• — (1989). Universal Tank: British Armour in the Second World War - Part 2. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-290534-X.
• — (1990). Moving the Guns: The Mechanisation of the Royal Artillery 1854–1939. HMSO. ISBN 0-11-290477-7.
• — (1991). Mechanised Force. HMSO, for REME Museum. ISBN 0-11-290487-4.
• — (1991). Army Transport, 1939-45. Data Book of Wheeled Vehicles. HMSO, for The Tank Museum. ISBN 0112905064.
• Fletcher, David; MacPhail, Doug (1990). Harvard!: the North American trainers in Canada. San Josef, B.C.: DCF Flying Books. ISBN 0969382502. OCLC 21447685.
• Fletcher, David; Sarson, Peter (1994). Matilda Infantry Tank 1938–45. New Vanguard 8. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-457-1.
• Fletcher, David; Sarson, Peter (1995). Crusader and Covenanter Cruiser tanks 1939–45. New Vanguard 14. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-512-8.
• — (1998). British Military Transport: 1829–1956. HMSO, for The Tank Museum. ISBN 0-11-290570-6.
• — (1999). Mr. Churchill's Tank: The British Infantry Tank Mark IV. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0764306790.
• — (2000). Cruiser Tank Mark VIII A27M Cromwell Mark IV. Museum Ordnance Special 25.
• — (2001). The British Tanks, 1915-1919. Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-400-3.
• — (2004). British Mark I Tank, 1916. New Vanguard 100. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-841-76689-5. OCLC 56394336.
• Fletcher, David; Harley, Richard C.; Sarson, Peter (2004). Cromwell Cruiser tank 1942-50. New Vanguard 104. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-841-76814-6. OCLC 56539945.
• — (2005). Universal Carrier 1936-48: the 'Bren Gun Carrier' Story. New Vanguard 110. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-841-76813-8. OCLC 58454936.
• — (2006). Swimming Shermans: Sherman DD amphibious tank of World War II. New Vanguard 123. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-841-76983-5. OCLC 64097835.
• — (2007). Churchill Crocodile Flamethrower. New Vanguard. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.
• — (2007). British Mark IV tank. Osprey. ISBN 1-846-03082-X. OCLC 77013118.
• Fletcher, David; Bryan, Tony (2008). Sherman Firefly. New Vanguard S. 141. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1846032776.
• — (2011). Tiger Tank. Owners’ Workshop Manual. Haynes. ISBN 1844259315.^[5]
• Fletcher, David; Morshead, Henry (2011). Mark V tank. New Vanguard S. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1849083517. 178.
• Tait, Janice; Fletcher, David (2011). Tracing Your Tank Ancestors. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 1848842643.
• — (2012). The Rolls-Royce Armoured Car. New Vanguard S. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781849085809. 189.
• — (2013). Great War Tank: Mark IV. Owners’ Workshop Manual. Sparkford: Haynes. ISBN 0857332422.
• — (2014). British Light Tanks 1927-45 Marks I-VI. New Vanguard S. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781782003779. 217.

References

1. "David Fletcher Honoured". 1 January 2012.
2. "Announcing Operation Think Tank 2012". 15 February 2012.
3. David Fletcher (22 March 2010). Little Willie - The world's first tank. Bovington Tank Museum. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
4. David Fletcher (2015). Tank Chats playlist. The Tank Museum. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
5. "How manual for Nazi tank is a best-seller". Bournemouth Echo. 6 January 2012.