Rats of Tobruk Memorial

Transcription

Seventy years ago Australian troops added to the already stellar reputation of the Digger. There defence of a small but vital Mediterranean port, there deeds have become legendry and there nickname part of our language they were the Rats of Tobruk and they are being commemmorated in a new exhibition at the Australian War Memorial. Ultimately the war in North Africa was about the Suez Canal, the British forces wanted to protect it and Egypt because that maintained links with Australasis and the Pacific. Tobruk was important because it was the best deep water harbour in North Africa between Egypt and Libya, so Tobruk is a really big story. Because the Tobruk garrison is forced to dig in under constant bombardment, the Nazi propagandist Lord Haw Haw declared they were caught "like rats in a trap". The men on hearing this on the radio adopted the name as a defiant badge of pride and became "the rats of Tobruk". Major General Leslie Moreshead was their very aggressive commander, a Gallipoli vetrean his troops dubbed him 'Ming the Merciless, it was a spirit he passed on to his men, who rather than be passive and waiting for the Germans and Italians to come to them, went out into the no-mans land each night to patrol and harrass the enemy. Moreshead intention was to keep the enemy away from the outer perimeter. He summed up his policy of "active defence" quite simply "Tobruks not here to take it" he said "where here to give it!". That defiance along with qualities like mateship and humour were in the traditions of the stories with which the rats of Tobruk had grown-up of what their fathers, uncles and older brothers had achieved in the First World War. They were very much the sons of the original Anzacs and at Tobruk they achieved their own legendry status. When people come and see the exhibition they really see the personal stories behind the Rats of Tobruk, some of the tools of war such as the weapons which the men carried into battle but they can also see a lot of those quite strong personal affects. The seige of Tobruk offers examples of humour, mateship and endurance. It also has its stories of great herroism Jack Edmonson was the first Australian of the Second World War to be awarded a Victoria Cross. Jack was involved in a very bitter, bloody hand-to-hand action on the night of 13th April, where he saved the life of his commanding officer but he was mortally wounded in action . After Jack's death his mother created this scrap book of objects, newspaper articles and its that mothers love which is really encaptured in this exhibition. There is the service medals of John Johnson and the little supporting Battalion Association badge from his wife Josephine Johnson. He was a carpenter form rural Victoria, he was the father of eight children when he went of to war. Each day the kids would write to John about the simple things, school, the chickens not laying eggs. Tragically Josephine gets a telegram saying John has been killed but his letters continue to arrive home for some weeks after the event. The exhibition at the Australian War Memorial is about men from all over Australia, from all sorts of backgrounds who put in the most taxing of circumstances achieved fame and earned an enduring nickname the Rats of Tobruk.