A Remarkable Restoration

M1917 pre-conservation, CWM 19970113-026, © Canadian War Museum

The transformation is complete. The original was a rusted-out wreck, missing whole sections. The restored version looks almost as if it has rolled off the assembly line, although the M1917 “Six-Ton” Tank is nearly one hundred years old. Canadian War Museum visitors can see the restored M1917 in the LeBreton Gallery along with other military vehicles and artillery pieces from the 18th century up to the present.

The restoration was made possible through the contributions of an individual donor, Richard Iorweth Thorman, the Friends of the War Museum, other volunteers and DEW Engineering of Ottawa.

The M1917 is an American-made version of the revolutionary Renault FT, designed during the First World War by famous French automobile manufacturer Louis Renault. It was the first tank with a fully rotating turret, rear-mounted engine and front-mounted driver’s compartment—features copied in most tank designs ever since.

M1917 during conservation, CWM 19970113-026, © Canadian War Museum

The War Museum’s M1917, one of only two in Canada, was used to train Canada’s Second World War tank crews. Sold as surplus after the war, it was heavily modified to be used as a logging tractor near Bracebridge, Ontario. The Museum acquired it in 1997.

Most of the funds for the restoration came from Richard Iorweth Thorman, a long-time supporter of the Canadian War Museum and a member of the Friends of the Canadian War Museum, which covered the additional costs. DEW Engineering and volunteers from the Friends of the Canadian War Museum performed some 5,000 hours of restoration and reproduction work.

“I’m delighted to help bring back to life one of the first tanks used to train the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, which was founded in 1940,” says Mr. Thorman. “It’s a way to acknowledge and remember those who fought for Canada.”

Essential for Training

M1917 after conservation, CWM 19970113-026, © Canadian War Museum

The War Museum’s M1917 was one of about 250 that the Canadian military bought in 1940 from the United States to use in training. The acquisition was driven by Colonel F.F. Worthington, the Canadian Armoured Corps’ first colonel-commandant. Although small, slow and unreliable, the M1917s were essential for training until newer tanks, including Canadian-made Rams, became available in late 1941.

For Richard Iorweth Thorman, this project had a personal connection. “At the University of Toronto, I shared many crowded classes with returning Second World War veterans,” he explains. “I had been too young to fight, but definitely old enough to never forget those who had fought for Canada.” This isn’t Mr. Thorman’s first contribution to the War Museum: he supported the “Passing the Torch” campaign, which raised $16.5 million to help build the new Canadian War Museum in 2005.

If you’d like to make a donation to or become a member of the Friends of the Canadian War Museum, please call 819-776-8618 or at www.friends-amis.org.