Invicta Military-Vehicle Preservation Society
- 56 Silverlea Gardens, Horley, Surrey RH6 9BB
Military vehicles from World War One to the present day are collected by a wide range of enthusiasts.
IMPS welcomes you to our web site -whether you own a military vehicle or not. IMPS' members vehicles include Jeeps, tanks, halftracks, Landrovers, Hummers, Ferrets and many more.
The humble beginnings of the Invicta Military-Vehicle Preservation Society or IMPS for short can be traced back to a small rally that had been organised by a group of enthusiasts at Chilham Castle, Nr. Canterbury, Kent on the 6th July 1980. Following the success of the rally two of the organisers wrote to the Late Major Victor (Dicky) Dover M.C., Founder President, asking him if he would write to all who had attended Chilham inviting them to a meeting at the Drill Hall in Maidstone on 10th September 1980. The purpose behind the meeting, which was attended by 65 people, was to establish whether there would be sufficient support for the formation of a military vehicle club in the Kent area. Encouraged by the response to the first meeting two further meetings followed and as result in December 1980 the club officially came into being.
Building upon the success of the Chilham Rally the club held its first official annual gathering in July 1982 at the Kent & Sussex Railway at Tenterden, Kent. In 1987 the club moved its annual show to the The Hop Farm Country Park at Beltring, Kent where the show has continued unabated ever since. In our first year at the Hop Farm venue approximately 185 vehicles attended the show, which by local club standards was an excellent turnout. However as the shows popularity and importance in the historic military vehicle calendar grew word began to spread nationally and then internationally causing an explosion of interest and entrants. The show under the banner of 'The War & Peace Show', or just 'Beltring' to the faithful, has grown into the largest event of its kind anywhere in the world attracting over 3000 vehicle entries for the five day year 2002 event.
Membership to the society is now in excess of 1200. IMPS welcomes new members whether they own military vehicles or not. Though based in South East England, we do not make any restrictions on where our members are located.
Each new year brings with it an ever increasing number of requests for our members to support charitable and other fund raising events, although our ability to fulfil these rely heavily upon the goodwill of our members it is a rare occasion when we find ourselves unable to assist. Our support of fund raising is by no means restricted solely to the provision of vehicles, on a growing number of occasions we have made a donation from club funds to a specific cause. Some of those that have benefited include the RAF Memorial at Kenley, the Hill 112 Memorial to commemorate the sacrifice made by British tank crews in Normandy, a donation to the Royal British Legion Branch at Whitstable, support of SSAFA and the Royal Hospital at Chelsea.