The Desert Rats
The Desert Rats
7th Armoured
Division
Thetford Forest Memorial
The Mark IV Cromwell Tank on the plinth is a replica of
"Little Audrey" 5 Able, "B" Squadron, 1st Royal Tank Regiment
THE MAIN PLAQUE
7th ARMOURED DIVISION
DESERT RATS
FROM EL ALAMEIN TO BERLIN
Via
NORTH AFRICA - ITALY - THETFORD FOREST - FRANCE -BELGIUM - HOLLAND
The 7th Armoured Division was stationed in Thetford Forest between January and May 1944 while they prepared for the invasion of Normandy. This was the only time the division was in the United Kingdom in it's entire Existence. The Division sailed from Felixstowe on the 5 June 1944 with the first tanks landing on Gold Beach on the evening of 6th June 1944
May your glory ever shine, May your laurels never fade, May the memory of this glorious pilgrimage of war you have made from Alamein, via the Baltic to Berlin never die. It is a march unsurpassed through all the story of war.
May the fathers long tell the children about this tale .
Winston Churchill
The Memorial and main plaque inaugurated on the 23rd October 1998 by Field Marshal Lord Carver is located on the A1065 two miles north of Mundford, Norfolk, England. The additional plaque commemorating the Desert Rats of the 4th & 7th Armoured Brigades from 1945 to 2003 was added to the plinth and inaugurated during the Open Day on the 27th June 2004 in the presence of Brigadier Adrian Bradshaw, commanding 7th Armoured Brigade, and other senior officers from both brigades.
The memorial is dedicated to all who served in the 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats), the 4th Armoured Brigade (The Black Rats) and the 7th Armoured Brigade (The Green Jerboa), throughout history. It is the latter who are now the modern day Desert Rats.
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Shoulder Flash of 4th Armoured Brigade
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Shoulder Flash of 7th Armoured Division
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Shoulder Flash of 7th Armoured Brigade (1942 - 1948) |
It is with great pleasure that the association can announce that Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall, has became our patron.
Her Royal Highness was the guest of honour at the Commemorations for the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein at the memorial on 24th October 2007.
Professional Standard photographs of the commemoration are available for purchase from the memorial association. Please click here to view the proofs and to find out how to buy them
The association formed to look after the Memorial has no regular income and relies on donations which can be sent to our Secretary, Pat Raburn, 21 Main Street, Hockwold, Norfolk IP26 4LB. Telephone 01842 827719. Cheques should be made payable to The 7th Armoured Division Memorial Fund..
Please click here to bookmark this page for future reference
Below are photographs of the Memorial Erected by the Division in Berlin 1945, that now stands in the grounds of the Staff College at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
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A Brief History of the Desert Rats and Memorial.
Location of 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) Memorial
Locations of the 7th Armoured Division and 4th Armoured Brigade before the invasion of Normandy
Tribute to the founder of 7th Armoured Division Memorial - Les Dinning
The History of the British 7th Armoured Division, plus the 4th and 7th Armoured Brigade, website
Visitors since 1st September 2006
