A SMALL china doll has become an unlikely hit in the Tank Museum’s new Second World War exhibition because of her remarkable story of survival.

Little Audrey was gifted to Lionel 'Bill' Bellamy by his then girlfriend Audrey before he set out for Normandy after joining the Royal Armoured Corps in 1941 and serving with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars through the war.

The delicate, five inch doll was made Bellamy's mascot and is believed to have been his lucky charm.

Despite the numerous battles that Bellamy and the troop endured, Little Audrey remained untouched by enemy fire.

But, during an attack in Holland she was knocked from her position by a branch as the tank passed through a hedgerow.

The troop of three tanks stopped and another troop leader leapt from his tank into the open to retrieve her.

Bellamy later wrote: "As I was about to give the signal to move, I saw Sergeant Bill Pritchard leap out of his tank, he rushed back to the hedgerow, picked up Audrey, clambered on the back of my tank, handed her to me and shouted 'I’m not going without her.'

"I knew that she had become a very much-loved mascot, but until that moment I hadn’t realised he full extent of her role."

After Normandy, Bellamy fought the Germans through France, Belgium and Holland.

Little Audrey remained by his side throughout the fighting, which saw Bellamy be wounded in the head, but after a few stitches he remained at his post.

He also managed to drag a number of survivors from two armoured cars that he saw being hit by enemy fire, right under the noses of the Germans.

Later, Bellamy drove over a minefield, missing all the lethal ordnance, and on another occasion he almost burned to death when petrol ignited and set his bedding on fire but he managed to get himself and his crew to safety, all with Little Audrey by his side.

Curator of the Tank Museum, David Willey said: "Sometimes it doesn’t take an object as big as a tank to tell a powerful story.

"Here we have a small delicate object, it’s amazing that she survived at all because she is porcelain and could have been so easily broken.

"Bill’s family were astonishingly generous to loan her to us for the duration of our exhibition, World War Two: War Stories.

"To see the doll alongside the huge tanks is perhaps a little unexpected but the aim of our new displays is to bring veteran stories to the public, humanising, personalising the stories. Audrey does just that.

"Bill visited the museum on a number of occasions, depositing with us an account of his incredible war service. He later published his war memoir Troop Leader to wide acclaim.

"Audrey was present through all his remarkable military service and that Bill kept her until he passed away in 2009 shows how much he loved her."

Bellamy was awarded the Military Cross by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery in a ceremony in March 1945 and he stayed in the army until 1955 and then had a successful business career.

He split up with his girlfriend Audrey but kept his good luck Audrey doll.

He went on to marry and have four children, with son Andrew following him into the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars.

The World War Two: War Stories exhibition is now open and runs until further notice.