http://www.surreymirror.co.uk/a-wor...dness-helped/story-30355711-detail/story.html
A Second World War tank has been dug up in Dorking with the help of The History Channel and Madness frontman Suggs.
The Canadian "Covenanter" tank was dug up from beneath Denbies Vineyard on Tuesday (May 23) as part of a new series commissioned by the History Channel and is one of two tanks buried at the site by the Canadians at the end of the war.
Andrew Wright, a countryside manager for the National Trust, went along to Denbies to watch the excavation and said that it was a sight to behold.
He said: "It was obviously really exciting when the digger first started to connect with the tank and you could hear that metallic sound so you knew that it was really there.
"It was quite a long, slow day really but still really exciting as everything was gradually revealed; especially for a layman like me. it was when the recognisable "tanky" bits started to come up, like the tracks and the wheels and where the turret would have been [that it got most exciting].
"It was a very interesting day but was basically just a day of big boys playing with toys – massive winches, diggers and tanks."
According to information on the Ranmore War Memorial website another Covenanter tank was discovered at the Denbies site in the 1970s after its burial site was identified by a former gamekeeper of the land.
The two tanks were used for training purposes by the Canadian army, based at Headley Court near Leatherhead between 1940 and 1944.
The tanks were only used for training purposes, as by 1943 they were considered too poorly armoured to deal with the new German tanks. They were then buried when the Canadians left in 1944.
The second tank was discovered earlier this year by Manchester-based tank expert Rick Wedlock using specialist equipment and a small digger.
The tank's discovery and excavation will now be featured on a brand new History Channel series presented by Suggs from Madness and archaeologist Stephen Taylor.
Currently being filmed under the working title of WW2 Treasure Hunters, the series, produced by Emporium Productions, is scheduled to be aired this autumn.
The blurb for the new series, sent to us by the History Channel states: "HISTORY® has commissioned a brand new series from Emporium Productions, which pairs Britain's foremost amateur WW2 archaeologist with Madness frontman Suggs, as they uncover new finds across the UK.
"The 10x60' series, WW2 Treasure Hunters (working title), will see Suggs and archaeologist Stephen Taylor bring forgotten stories of World War Two back to life by unearthing artefacts from sites across the UK.
"Filming for WW2 Treasure Hunters has begun and is due to air on HISTORY in the UK this autumn."
