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David Fletcher (military historian)

{{Short description|British military historian}}

{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}

{{Infobox writer

| embed =

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| name = David Fletcher

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE|FRSL}}

| image = David Fletcher.jpg

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| caption = Fletcher in 2019

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| birth_name = David John Fletcher

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1942}}

| birth_place = Petts Wood, London, England

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David John Fletcher {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE|size=100%}} (born 1942{{cite web |author1=David Willey |title=David Fletcher: The Man Behind the Moustache |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtzD6283GaQ |via=YouTube |publisher=The Tank Museum, Bovington |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=English |date=22 January 2021}}) is an English author and 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. Earlier that year, he was a panellist on Operation Think Tank, an international symposium on tanks, held in California.{{Cite web

|title=Announcing Operation Think Tank 2012

|url=http://forum.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/93910-announcing-operation-think-tank-2012/

|date=15 February 2012

}} He also presents contemporary media such as YouTube for the Tank Museum.{{cite video

|people=David Fletcher

|date=22 March 2010

|title= Little Willie – The world's first tank

|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fLCdNudUxk

|publisher=Bovington Tank Museum

|access-date=10 May 2011

}}

David Fletcher hosted a regular video series on The Tank Museum's YouTube channel called 'Tank Chats', in which he gave viewers a brief insight in to a specific tank in the Museum's collection.{{cite video

|people=David Fletcher

|date=2015

|title= Tank Chats playlist

|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBAEOsdxIbLPFEomzphaZQ0A5Vujkpjd8

|publisher=The Tank Museum

|access-date=16 July 2015

}}{{cite AV media|date=23 December 2022 |title=David Fletcher: Hanging up the Microphone {{!}} Tank Chats {{!}} The Tank Museum |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5QMywuJdIE |access-date=23 December 2022 |publisher=The Tank Museum}}

In his final year at Bovington, he was appointed an MBE in the Queens New Year's honours list for services to the history of armoured warfare.{{Cite web

|title = David Fletcher Honoured

|url = http://www.tankmuseum.org/ixbin/indexplus?record=ART3302&_IXMENU_=news_and_events

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120125123154/http://www.tankmuseum.org/ixbin/indexplus?record=ART3302&_IXMENU_=news_and_events

|archive-date = 25 January 2012

|date = 1 January 2012

|url-status = dead

}}

Bibliography

His publication list is extensive, including 30 books.

  • {{cite book

| title = Cromwell Tank: Vehicle History and Specifications

|last= Fletcher |first=David

| publisher = HMSO

| series = The Tank Museum

| year = 1983

| isbn = 0-11-290403-3

|ref=none}}

  • {{Cite book

|title=Churchill Tank

|edition=Reprint of original WW2 operating manuals

|last=Fletcher |first=David

|author-mask=1

|year=1983

|orig-year=1944

|publisher=HMSO / Bovington Tank Museum

|isbn=0-11-290404-1

|ref=none}}

  • {{Cite book

|title=Landships: British Tanks in the First World War

|first=David |last=Fletcher

|author-mask=1

|publisher=HMSO

|year=1984

|isbn=0-11-290409-2

|ref=none}}

  • {{Cite book

|title=War Cars: British Armoured Cars in the First World War

|first=David |last=Fletcher

|author-mask=1

|publisher=HMSO

|year=1987

|isbn=0-11-290439-4

|ref=none}}

  • {{Book-Fletcher-Great Tank Scandal|author-mask=1|ref=none}}
  • {{Book-Fletcher-Universal Tank|author-mask=1|ref=none}}
  • {{Cite book

|title=Staff Cars

|first=David |last=Fletcher

|author-mask=1

|series=Shire Album 245

|publisher=Shire Publications

|year=1990

|isbn=0747800588

|ref=none}}

  • {{Cite book

|last=Fletcher |first=David |author-mask=1

|title=Moving the Guns: The Mechanisation of the Royal Artillery 1854–1939

|publisher=HMSO

|year=1990

|isbn=0-11-290477-7

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|title=Mechanised Force

|last=Fletcher |first=David |author-mask=1

|publisher=HMSO, for REME Museum

|year=1991

|isbn=0-11-290487-4

|ref=none}}

  • {{Cite book

|last=Fletcher |first=David |author-mask=1

|title=Army Transport, 1939–45

|series=Data Book of Wheeled Vehicles

|publisher=HMSO, for The Tank Museum

|year=1991

|isbn=0112905064

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|first2= Doug |last2= MacPhail

|title=Harvard!: the North American trainers in Canada

|location= San Josef, B.C.|publisher= DCF Flying Books |year=1990

|isbn=0969382502 |oclc=21447685

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|others=illustrated by Peter Sarson

|title=Matilda Infantry Tank 1938–45

|series=New Vanguard 8

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|year=1994

|isbn=1-85532-457-1

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|others=illustrated by Peter Sarson

|title=Crusader and Covenanter Cruiser tanks 1939–45

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 14

|year=1995

|isbn=1-85532-512-8

|ref=none}}

  • {{Cite book

|title=Tanks in Camera: The Western Desert, 1940–43

|first=David |last=Fletcher

|author-mask=1

|publisher=Sutton Publishing

|year=1998

|isbn=0750915684

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last=Fletcher |first=David |author-mask=1

|title=British Military Transport: 1829–1956

|publisher=HMSO, for The Tank Museum

|year=1998

|isbn=0-11-290570-6

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=Mr. Churchill's Tank: The British Infantry Tank Mark IV

|publisher=Schiffer Publishing

|year=1999

|isbn=0764306790

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=Cruiser Tank Mark VIII A27M Cromwell Mark IV

|series=Museum Ordnance Special

|volume=25

|year=2000

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|title=The British Tanks, 1915–1919

|last=Fletcher |first=David

|author-mask=1

|isbn=1-86126-400-3

|publisher=Crowood Press

|year=2001

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title= British Mark I Tank, 1916 |location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard

|year=2004

|isbn= 1-841-76689-5|volume=100|oclc=56394336

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|first2=Richard C. |last2=Harley

|others=illustrated by Peter Sarson

|title=Cromwell Cruiser tank 1942–50

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 104

|year=2004

|isbn=1-841-76814-6

|oclc=56539945

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=Universal Carrier 1936–48: the 'Bren Gun Carrier' Story

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 110

|year=2005

|isbn=1-841-76813-8

|oclc=58454936

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title= Swimming Shermans: Sherman DD amphibious tank of World War II

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 123

|year=2006

|isbn=1-841-76983-5

|oclc=64097835

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=Churchill Crocodile Flamethrower

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 136

|year=2007

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

| title = British Mark IV tank

|last= Fletcher |first=David

|author-mask=1

| publisher = Osprey

| year = 2007

| isbn = 978-1-846-03082-6 |oclc=77013118

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|others=illustrated by Tony Bryan

|title=Sherman Firefly

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 141

|year=2008

|isbn=978-1846032776

|ref=none}}

  • {{Cite book

|title=Tiger Tank

|series=Owners' Workshop Manual

|last= Fletcher |first=David

|author-mask=1

|publisher=Haynes

|year=2011

|isbn=978-1844259311

|ref=none}}{{Cite news

|title=How manual for Nazi tank is a best-seller

|journal= Bournemouth Echo

|date=6 January 2012

|url=http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9457451.How_manual_for_Nazi_tank_is_a_best_seller/

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|others=illustrated by Henry Morshead

|title=Mark V tank

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 178

|year=2011

|isbn=978-1849083515

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|first=Janice |last=Tait

|last2=Fletcher |first2=David

|author-link2=

|title=Tracing Your Tank Ancestors

|publisher=Pen & Sword Books

|year=2011

|isbn=978-1848842649

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=The Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 189

|year=2012

|isbn=9781849085809

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=Great War Tank: Mark IV

|series=Owners' Workshop Manual

|publisher=Haynes |location=Sparkford

|year=2013

|isbn=978-0857332424

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=British Light Tanks 1927–45 Marks I-VI

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 217

|year=2014

|isbn=9781782003779

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=British Battle Tanks: World War I to 1939

|publisher=Osprey Publishing

|year=2016

|isbn=9781472817556

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=British Battle Tanks: British-made tanks of World War II

|publisher=Osprey Publishing

|year=2017

|isbn=978-1472820037

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|title=Rolls Royce Armoured Car 1915 To 1944: Owner's Workshop Manual

|publisher=Haynes Publishing Group

|year=2017

|isbn=978-1785210587

|ref=none}}

  • {{cite book

|last1=Fletcher |first1=David

|author-mask=1

|others=illustrated by Henry Morshead

|title=Churchill Infantry Tank

|location= Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing

|series=New Vanguard 272

|year=2019

|isbn=9781472837349

|ref=none}}

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{YouTube|id=GF0hRJ09Q-E|title=Bottom 5 British Tanks – David Fletcher – The Tank Museum}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, David}}

Category:British military historians

Category:Historians of the United Kingdom

Category:Historians of armoured warfare

Category:Living people

Category:Historians of World War I

Category:British historians of World War II

Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire

Category:1942 births

Category:Historians of weapons