Rats in their ranks
Volume 11, No. 44, June 01, 2006
By AB Kade Rogers

Rat attack: Commander Al Muthanna Taskforce Col Giles Vosper-Brown attaches the 7th Armd Bde patch to his Aide de Camp Capt Michael Chapman. Photo by Kade Rogers

A NEW generation of Aussie desert rats has donned a coveted emblem while on deployment in the MEAO embedded again with British forces.

Rommel and his Afrika Korps may be long gone, but the ‘rats’ are back, serving in the Al Muthanna Provence of southern Iraq.
To mark his historic engagement, the UK’s 7th Armd Bde Adjt, Australian Capt Michael Chapman, had a ‘rodent rampant’ shoulder flash pinned to his uniform by commander Al Muthanna Taskforce Col Giles Vosper-Brown on a unit parade.

The ‘rodent rampant’ emblem was adopted by the 7th Armoured Division after the siege of Tobruk in 1941 and the emblem has been proudly worn by three generations of British fighting men since.

It first appeared on an unofficial medal struck to commemorate the defence of the city, which was cast from the aluminium of a German bomber brought down by the ‘rats’.

Ironically, the Desert Rat name was an intended slur, but was proudly embraced by the outnumbered and out-gunned Allied force.
The WWII troops relished their underdog status, and ‘The Rats of Tobruk’ stubbornly refused to yield to Rommel. Their legend became the standard for supreme courage and honour.

Wearing the desert-rat insignia today bares a special significance for many Australian troops serving in Al Muthanna.
One such soldier is AMTG2 RSM, WO1 Kevin Ryan, whose grandfather was a rifleman with the 2/28th Battalion during the siege of Tobruk.

“It’s not the patch itself – the patch is just a patch – it’s the history behind it that is so important to me,” WO1 Ryan said.
“My grandfather was a runner during the famous siege.”

Commander 7 Armd Bde Brig Patrick Marriot said it was his absolute pleasure to have Australians under the brigade’s wing.
“I say ‘under our wing’, because I don’t think Australians have ever really been under our command,” Brig Marriot said.