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Rats of Tobruk Print Page 
The monument is a replica of the one erected at Tobruk and commemorates 680 Australians and other allied soldiers who died in the Siege of Tobruk in 1941.
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.
Location
| Address: | Tweed Terrace , Jack Carlin Park , Tweed Heads, 2485 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -28.165514 Long: 153.550404 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 11-April-1941 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 27-November-1941 |
Dedication
Plaque :
RATS OF TOBRUK MEMORIAL
THIS MONUMENT IS A REPLICA OF
ONE ERECTED IN TOBRUK
TO COMMEMORATE THE SACRIFICES
OF THE 680 AUSTRALIANS AND OTHER
ALLIED SOLDIERS
WHO DIED IN ITS DEFENCE
APRIL- DECEMBER 1941
AND THE MANY WHO HAVE SINCE DIED
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE.
LEST WE FORGET
Plaque :
TOBRUK
A STRATEGIC PORT ON THE NORTH
AFRICAN COAST WAS THE SCENE OF THE
LONGEST SIEGE IN BRITISH MILITARY
HISTORY AND THE FIRST DEFEAT OF THE
GERMAN ARMY IN WORLD WAR 2.
AUSTRALIAN TROOPS INVOLVED WERE
MOSTLY 9th DIVISION AND
18TH BRIGADE A.I.F.
TOGETHER WITH SOLDIERS FROM BRITAIN
INDIA AND POLAND.
