The collections which you see today in the Museum of Army Transport originated in two Army training establishments. In
1955 the staff of the Army Mechanical Transport (MT) School
at Bordon, Hampshire, began to gather together military road
vehicles - particularly the vehicles of World War 2 - which were
by that time being replaced in the British Army. By the mid 1970's, this collection had grown to nearly 100 vehicles.

By coincidence, the second collection was also in Hampshire,
a few miles away at Longmoor, which was the home of the Royal Engineer's Transportation Centre. The staff here had accumulated much material
relation to military railways, ports and movement control. Again the
emphasis was on World War 2, but there was also a nucleus of earlier
material relating to the Longmoor Military Railway.

These collections were not open to the public except on Annual Open
Days, and they were used primarily as training aids. Major restructuring
of the Army's logistics services in 1965, leading to both these collections
under the control of the new School of Transport based at Longmoor.

Although much work was done to enhance the displays, opportunities for improvement were limited by lack of space and funds. The breakthrough
came in the mid 1970's when it was decided to move Army MT and driver training to the former RAF airfield at Leconfield. Here, for the first time,
covered display space in a hangar was available. Under the enthusiastic
direction of the first commandant of the Army School of Mechanical
Transport (Brigadier H.R Dray), all the artefacts and equipment from
Longmoor and Bordon were moved north to Leconfield. The garrison
church, with its unique railway war memorials, was also moved to East Yorkshire. In addition, sea and air transport items were incorporated to
provide the nucleus of a comprehensive equipment display.

Even in 1977 it was realised that the RCT equipment collection had the potential to become a public museum in its own right. Half a hangar, space sufficient to show less than a third of the collection, was opened to the
public by Sir Peter Allen, President of the Transport Trust, in June 1981. Despite the very restricted opening times, the new museum met with an enthusiastic response from the general public, transport enthusiasts and from schools and clubs.

With its many natural advantages, the ancient town and sea port of Beverly stood, in the early 1980's, poised to take advantage of the region's most
rapidly growing industry - tourism. With the active support of the Regional Tourist Authority, the East Yorkshire Borough of Beverly entered into an agreement to support a new Museum of Army Transport. This was to be
a joint venture in which the unique collection of objects either owned by
or on loan to the Institution of the Royal Corps of Transport (a Trustee
body) would be housed and displayed on a former industrial site
only a few hundred yards from the great Minster church. The chosen
location was formerly one of the largest tanneries in England - but changing markets and the need for specialisation led the owners to restructure their business and the site became redundant.

Work to convert the site began in January 1983 - clearing away redundant buildings, upgrading those required for the indoor displays and creating the outdoor car parks and display areas. At the same time, the exhibits themselves had to be moved from Leconfield and many other sites where they had been in temporary storage. A two-stage development programme was begun - to
achieve a museum as good as the former Leconfield display by
June 1983 and the full museum with all its facilities a year later.

Election Day 1983 saw the Museum doors opened to the public for the first
time. Throughout that busy summer, the small full-time staff, with much help from the Society of Friends, continued to move in items for display. The Museum was formally opened on 11 April 1984 by Sir Patrick Wall, MP for Beverley.

Since 1984 the dynamic progress of the Museum has continued. The
Blackburn 'Beverley' aircraft was transported, reassembled and fitted out as a parachute and air despatch display.