Tobruk MemorialPrint Page

The monument commemorates those who died in service or were killed in action during the Siege of Tobruk in World War Two. It is similar in design to the Australian memorial which once stood at the Tobruk War Cemetry in Libya. It honours the 'Rats of Tobruk' who defended Tobruk during the siege by German and Italian armies in 1941. The marble of the Tobruk name-plate came from a building in Tobruk. A time capsule lies beneath the memorial.

Around the perimeter of the memorial are a number of plaques which list the various units and nationalities that were involved in the Siege of Tobruk.

The Siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 241 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of World War Two. The siege started on 10 April 1941, when Tobruk was attacked by an Italo–German force under Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel and continued for 241 days up to 27 November 1941, when it was relieved by the Allied 8th Army during Operation Crusader.

The “Rats of Tobruk” was the name given to the soldiers of the garrison who held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps during the Siege. 

The garrison, commanded by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, consisted of the 9th Australian Division (20th, 24th, and 26th Brigades), the 18th Brigade of the 7th Australian Division, four regiments of British artillery and some Indian troops.

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