The Muckleburgh Collection

Located in Weybourne, Norfolk; The Muckleburgh Military Collection is one of the largest privately owned military museums in the UK. The museum opened during 1988, and is on the site of the former Royal Artillery Anti-Aircraft training camp. The camp was established during the 1930s, and Winston Churchill visited the strategically important location twice during World War Two. The camp finally closed during 1959. In more recent years, people have claimed the museum to be haunted. An apparition has been reported in the restaurant, the vehicles seem active even though they aren't, and the sounds of screaming have been heard coming from one of the military ambulances.

History

The history of The Muckleburgh Military Collection, in regards to potential spirits, begins far before the collection was ever assembled. The area of Weybourne, where the site is located, has a long history with war and the defence of England. This is because it's where the Romans, Vikings, and Anglo-Saxons all invaded. During the Roman invasion, a signal beacon was located on a nearby hill which was lit in times of emergency. This act summoned the garrison legions from Lincolnshire. Much later than the Romans, the site was used as a base to resist invasion from the Spanish Armada during 1588. The site is viewed as such a key military location that there is saying from the 1500s that goes: 'He who would Old England win must at Weybourne hope begin'. The reason for the importance of defence here is because the water along the coast is the perfect depth for an invasion of the mainland.

A base was used here during World War One, but it reopened during either 1935 or 1936 as a full-time training facility for anti-aircraft artillery personnel. Initially the location was known as Carvel Farm Camp, named after the farm that had it's land commandeered for the camp. The name was later changed to Weybourne Camp due to mix ups and delivery difficulties that arose. The Royal Artillery Anti-Aircraft training camp had between 250,000 and 300,000 recruits passing through it during the course of World War Two. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister at the time, visited the camp twice during 1941 following Operation Dynamo; the evacuation from Dunkirk.

The trainees were initially housed in uncomfortable tents which were later replaced by Nissen huts. This earned Weybourne a reputation as being 'the worst posting in Britain'. The camps defences were built up over time with additions including anti-tank ditches, mines, and pillbox to counter the threat of invasion. During 1936, a small airfield was established beside Weybourne Camp. While the camp was in operation, Queen Bee aircraft were flown from here to tow gunnery targets. Experiments were also carried out at the camp. These experiments were carried out on 3.7 guns being used in anti-tank roles. Apparently, a gun crew of girls were lost in a training accident at the camp; although it is not known who died, or when the accident occured. This leads me to wonder if it happened at all. Following World War Two, the camp became a permanent anti-aircraft artillery range along with a radar training base during the early Cold War period. The last gun was fired at the camp on the 2nd of October 1958, and the camp closed permanently during 1959.

It was during 1986 that work began to convert the site into a museum. This work required the demolition of roughly 200 obsolete former military buildings, along with the removal of 45,000 tons of rubble. However, not all of the buildings were demolished as the NAAFI canteen was put to use as the first exhibition space. The land had been bought by Michael Savory and his dad, Squadron Leader Berry Savory. Michael was a stock broker and later became the Lord Mayor of the City of London between 2004 and 2005. He also had the title of 'Honorary Colonel of The London Regiment', which are now the 1st Battalion London Guards; plus he was a council member of a leading military charity for a few years. Michael's dad, Berry, served in the RAF during World War Two. After the Battle of Britain, while working on the staff of combined operations, he was involved in the planning and training for the invasion of North Africa and Europe.

Apparently, when Michael and Berry bought the site, they intended to farm the land; which is why they began demolishing the camp. Sources say they found the space was ideal to house a small military collection they had in Scotland, and so created The Muckleburgh Collection. I don't know for sure if the intention to farm the land is true; but it seems they did have a collection in Scotland. I have found that some of their military vehicles were previously obtained when they established a small military display at Inveraray, which is in Scotland. As for why it's called 'The Muckleburgh Collection'; it's named after Muckleburgh Hill, which sits at the foot of where the camp was.

The site spans 300 acres, and the collection began with only thirty military vehicles. The collection has since grown to contain over one-hundred and fifty tanks, guns, vehicles, and a display of light weapons, ammunition, plus more such as naval and land warfare models. Most of the collection's tanks and armoured cars are maintained in working condition. The central feature of the first display room is a detailed model of how the camp would have looked during the June of 1941, during Churchill's first visit. Another display highlights the zeppelin raids which damaged Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn; acts which helped trigger investment in aerial defence.

Another section of the collection is devoted to a well-known Norfolk-born nurse called Edith Cavell. She was executed for helping British soldiers to escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War 2. It's said the outrage of her death is what led to recruitment to the British army doubling. During 1991, the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry collection was first exhibited at the Muckleburgh Collection. The Yeomanry collection contains uniforms, weapons, photographs, and documents, along with RAF Reconnaissance, Air Sea Rescue, and Marine craft exhibits.

The Yeomanry collection was created by Colonel John Boag, who was born on the 2nd of January 1910 and died on the 27th of April 2009. He spent twenty years assembling memorabilia which spans two-hundred years of Yeomanry history. The Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry each formed in the late 1700s with the purpose of defending against a French invasion. Until the 1900s, the Yeomanry was only called upon for home defence. During 1899, a Royal warrant issued for the creation of an 'imperial Yeomanry' to fight in South Africa. During World War One, the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry saw deployment to Gallipoli, Palestine, the Western Front, and France until the Armistice in 1918.

During 1938, the Suffolk Yeomanry became the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry Regiment, Royal Artillery. This caused the Norfolk Yeomanry to split and form the 65th Regiment, Norfolk Yeomanry. During 1939, the Norfolk Yeomanry were first deployed with the British Expeditionary Force to France before the evacuation through Dunkirk. They were later sent to North Africa. During 1943, the Norfolk Yeomanry were shipped to Italy, landed at Salerno, and then returned to England during the January of 1944.

The Suffolk Yeomanry were denied active service until both regiments had landed in Normandy during the June of 1944. This led to the Suffolk Yeomanry becoming part of the Allied occupying force before de-mobilisation in 1946. The seperate identities of the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry's remained until 1961 when they became a joint regiment in Royal Artillery. During 2005, as 677 Squadron, Army Air Corps, they formed a unit of 6 Regiment Army Air Corps. Now, they are engaged in re-fueling and re-arming Apache helicopters which are based at Wattisham airfield near Ipswich, Suffolk. The final piece of information regarding The Muckleburgh Collection to be found is that Berry Savory died during 1998. His son, Michael, continued the museum. There has been speculation though that Berry is possibly one of the spirits to haunt the location.

Hauntings

With a site such as this, one with not only history of the land but also with artifacts housed here, it can often be debated if the spirits are present due to the land or the objects. This specific location indicates it's the objects that are causing the hauntings; along with potential modern history. Voices have been heard around some of the vehicles in the collection, and the sounds of pain and screaming have been heard from a military ambulance, along with groans. It's also been suggested that the Russian T34 tank is haunted due to people often hearing the sound of it 'cooling down' as it would after being run. As the ignition hasn't been turned on in a long time, this sound shouldn't occur. Significant temperature drops are also said to be experienced beside the tank. People have also reported the smell of exhaust fumes when the vehicles are inactive.

'Spirit lights' have been seen by staff at night, usually close to the old World War One pillbox. It's been suggested that these lights are the spirits of the six ATS girls who died in the area. Footsteps, which are thought to be those of Berry Savory, have been heard down a short corridor that leads towards an office. Within the office, it's said poltergeist activity occurs along with shadows. The sound of a gate slamming has been reported in the restaurant, and someone has seen a partial apparition in there. Strange movements have been heard in the artillery hall, and there is a sense of being watched around the location. Particular hotshots have been listed as the office, the corridors, and some of the old military ambulances. Finally, it has been reported that there are 'cold rushes off air'.

Summary Of Hauntings

1. Berry Savory - office, corridor to office

2. Footsteps, possibly Berry - corridor to office

3. Poltergeist activity, possibly Berry - office

4. Shadows, possibly Berry - office

5. Voices - near some vehicles

6. Sounds of pain, screaming, groans - ambulance

7. Spirit lights, possibly six ATS girls - near old pillbox

8. Sound of tank cooling down - Russian T34 tank

9. Temperature drops - Russian T34 tank

10. Shouting - possibly ambulance

11. Sound of iron gate slamming - restaurant

12. Smell of exhaust fumes

13. Sense of being watched

14. Strange movements heard - artillery hall

15. Partial manifestation - restaurant

16. 'Cold rushes off air'

My Thoughts

This is an interesting location due to the fact there is seemingly lots of history regarding the land, yet the hauntings all seem to be much more modern. I've categorised it as a 'location of interest' as a result due to it possibly being an interesting case study when it comes to the 'haunted object museum' debate. That debate being if those locations are actually haunted, or of it's all just a gimmick to make money. This is a good case study because, as far as I know, the museum isn't marketing the objects as haunted; it just happens that this may be the case.

So, how haunted do I think this location is? I believe it has the potential to be extremely haunted. I cannot say for sure though without going here and talking to the staff. The reason I say it could be extremely haunted is a combination of three factors: history of the land, history of the objects, and proximity to the sea. Determining how haunted this specific location is, going off only what has been detailed in this article, depends all on your own theories to how hauntings work. I believe anywhere which has had someone interact with it has the potential to be haunted. The same goes for objects because I believe people exert energy through their lives, and it is this energy that they can retrace and use as a spirit. This location has human history with the land, and it has human history with the items here.

The reason I say the proximity to the sea is a factor is because I have theorised about the influence on the presence of water to a haunting. I've written about a couple of locations where it seems hauntings are amplified by the presence of a river or stream that passes near to the location, or directly beneath it. This makes the proximity of the sea to this location an interesting factor to consider. While there isn't anything I would deem extreme here, the hauntings sound quite real and grounded. They're also odd regarding the cooling down sounds which can occur around the tank, and the smell of exhaust fumes. I don't think I've written about this occuring at a location before, so it's worth making a note of.

Looking at the hauntings in a more rational, skeptical, and logical way; the vehicles are kept in working condition, therefore perhaps the smell of fumes was reported due to a visitor not knowing a vehicle had just returned in the exhibit after being used for some sort of demonstration. This could also explain the cooling down noise, but this would have to have been mistaken to originate from the wrong vehicle. So, the person would think it came from the Russian tank, but really it came from another in the room which could perhaps have recently been running.

Explanations for the screaming and other noises from the ambulance require a bit of a stretch of an explanation; assuming you can't hear any outdoor wildlife from this area. Due to the nature of the location, and the emotion behind the displays, it's possible that this could inspire some sort of auditory hallucination. As I say, this is a bit of a stretch, but it could be the case. As for the sound of an iron gate slamming in the restaurant; without further context, this could have just been pots or pans being dropped and mistaken for a different but similar sound. Also, without further information, the partial apparition could have been some sort of optical illusion with reflections.

The 'cold rushes off air' did make me laugh when I read it. I don't know what that means in a paranormal context, but to me that just describes wind, or a cool breeze. A breeze can occur indoors, so I don't think there is anything paranormal about that part without more information. Really, quite a lot of the activity can be explained; albeit with some explanations being a bit of a stretch. The truth here is that the details about the hauntings are too vague to provide any certain rational explanation for, but it's this vagueness that makes them sound more real.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this article! I really wasn't expecting it to be noted as a location of interest, and initially thought there would be nothing to it. I do stand by saying it's in interesting case study to use when discussing the validity of haunted objects. A big reason for this is that this location doesn't seem to be advertising the paranormal angle for profit at all; and this makes it more neutral. I hope you found the article interesting, and the next article will be published on Friday the 11th of October. That article will be the next part in the Beardo Live series, and then on Monday the 14th of October I will be publishing a new location article about somewhere in Nottinghamshire. If anything changes regarding the schedule, I will keep you updated on The True Paranormal's Facebook page.

A special thank you goes to Damain, Nicolette, Kerry, GD, Gran, Chris Willcx, Nicola Jada, Nita Raveling-Hamilton, David Lee Jones, theinoculator, 1141520851813892291920, Angeles Wernicke Zapiola, Ke v, Crispinfandom, Thiago Lima, Edgar Darnell, Megzii Hughes, Jacks-and-graves, The Cornish Ghost Whispers, Beardo Gets Scared, Starlight Phoenix Paranormal, Paranormal Penny Pinchers, the Australian Paranormal Society, Codegas Codex of Curiousity, Phantom Detectives LLC, Shadow Walkers Paranormal Investigators, South Of Spooky, Don't Scare Claire, blogparanormalexpresso2stuff, Paranormal Connections, Phantom Seekers Paranormal, chatibelieveinghosts, Purbeck Paranormal Investigators, Ghost Investigations, ParanormalTruthNetwork, haunted, Kev Kerr Paranormal, and Tamworth Castle for your continued support of The True Paranormal. If you want to be thanked in an article, or in the monthly appreciation post I make across social media, then please share my articles and tag 'The True Paranormal'. If I see that you've shared, then I will publicly thank you!

If you want to follow The True Paranormal you can do so on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly known as Twitter), Tumblr, and Pinterest. You can also subscribe to The True Paranormal on YouTube, or directly to this website through the bar on the left which will give you email notifications. That bar also lists all of the links which will take you to The True Paranormal's various social media platforms. If you want to contact me about your own experiences, or about anything at all paranormal, you can email thetrueparanormal1@gmail.com

A Donation Message

If you've enjoyed this article, it would be massively appreciated if you could donate anything you can towards The True Paranormal. With your donations, I can continue to build up the database and document haunted locations, paranormal experiences, the individuals who are involved in the paranormal, plus more. If you are interested in donating, then you can do so through PayPal. My username is Daniel Carr and my paypal email is danielcarr130913@gmail.com. If you donate, I will be sure to thank you across social media and in my articles. Anything donated is much appreciated.

Sources I Have Used

1. Muckleburgh

2. Discover Norfolk

3. The Past

4. Visit North Norfolk

5. History Hit

6. Roll Of Honour

7. Visit Norfolk

8. Muckleburgh: Yeomanry

9. Military Trader

10. The Blakeney Cottage Company

11. Experience Sheringham