ALMOST 4,000 people gathered at the Bovington Tank Museum on Saturday as part of a day dedicated to Tiger 131, the only running Tiger 1 battle tank in the world.

The fully restored tank - which was called on to star in Brad Pitt's World War Two film Fury - was in action at the museum arena.

It runs only twice a year, on Tiger Day in April and during Tankfest in June, and always attracts huge crowds when it does.

A museum spokesman said: "This year’s Tiger Day was the biggest yet, with thousands of people visiting the popular attraction to see the fearsome machine.

"Visitors were treated to a day of talks and tours on the subject of Tiger and its Second World War contemporaries, as well as an opportunity to see rare objects from the museum archives relating to the capture of the German tank.

"The highlight of the day was the chance to see Tiger take to the arena alongside its Fury co-star, the Sherman tank, with other contemporaries like the British Matilda I."

Tiger 131 was captured in Tunisia during a fierce battle, in April 1943, by 48 Royal Tank Regiment.

When the allies shipped it back to London, it was stripped down as part of a thorough technical evaluation that enabled British and American tank crews to better understand its strengths and weaknesses.

It was even inspected by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and King George VI.

Following the war, in 1951, it was handed to the Tank Museum, where – despite its poor condition – became one of the museum’s biggest draws.

Tiger 131 will run again at Tankfest.

More than 19,000 people are expected to visit the museum for the event.

For more information, or to buy tickets, visit tankmuseum.org