A weapon that was an object of terror during the Second World War is going on display in Gillingham.

A German V2 rocket is being installed at the Royal Engineers Museum.

The 14m long V2, which was brought back from mainland Europe by Royal Engineers, arrived at the site in Prince Arthur Road yesterday (Tuesday).

It has previously been at an MoD site in Chattenden for more than 40 years but it is the first time it is going on display to the public.

The rocket has been restored at Borley Brothers’ workshops in Cambridge, where experts carried out work to strengthen it and return it to its former state.

In 1944, Hitler ordered that V2 Rockets would be directly launched at Britain and Belgium and more than 1,000 reached targets this side of the Channel, killing thousands.

The weapon was an object of terror. It arrived unheard and unseen and delivered almost a ton of explosive at a speed of 3,500ft per second.

Catherine Byrne, deputy curator at the Royal Engineers Museum Library and Archive at Brompton Barracks, said: "We are very excited to have acquired this fascinating and enormous object for our collection."

"We are sure this new object will generate a lot of interest."

The rocket will be displayed in the courtyard at the museum, alongside a section of the Berlin Wall.