Buffalo for area and not for sale

The farmer who pulled a World War Two vehicle out of a Crowland field says he’s turned down hundreds of thousands of pounds so that it can stay in the town for future generations.

Now Daniel Abbott hopes the public will back his bid to create a museum to house the Buffalo LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) that was among several buried to prevent flooding in 1947.

He told The Voice that he has been offered a plot of land, but that around £60,000 to £70,000 would need to be raised.

He said he is determined to keep the vehicle in the area, even after one person branded him “bonkers” for turning down a £300,000 offer to buy it.

“I’m not in it for the money,” he said. “I’m in it for the history of the town.

“People in Crowland were saying there’s nothing left and you shouldn’t dig up the past, but we want to continue the story and it’s about teaching the younger generation about what happened so they can appreciate the history. Then you can learn from it.

“It’s about saving it for generations to come.

“There were 500 of the amphibious vehicles which were brought from America when Britain was struggling to help cross the Rhine.”

Among the find alongside the Buffalo 47 – as the finders have christened it – are a wooden handle, a screwdriver, a bottle top, a tin of toothpaste and another tin which is as yet unidentified.

There’s also a fire extinguisher with a hose made of Bakelite on the vehicle that’s survived being sunk.

“It could be a rations kit or it could be something else,” Daniel said. “It’s fascinating.

“Every time we take something from the vehicle we notice or find something.

“It makes you wonder what else is under your feet.”

As well as potential plans to get possibly one more of the vehicles out the ground Daniel has since been inspired to buy a metal detector following the last few years of digging up history with help from North Level Internal Drainage Board (NLIDB), Crowland Cranes and Tear’s Recovery.

“It’s been an emotional couple of weeks and just life changing,” he said. “It’s taken me the last three years of my life.

“I wasn’t expecting the media attention. I’ve had people get in touch from Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands and America. The New York Times rang me at about 4am to speak to me.”

You can donate to the Crowland Buffalo Restoration & Museum via a Go Fund Me page and also a Facebook Fundraiser.