Rats of Tobruk Reunite

Surviving “Rats of Tobruk” from Australia and beyond had a last hurrah in Brisbane, Queensland in April. More than 300 attended, including partners and a few one-time enemies. They honored the memory of those who fought in the epic North African struggle sixty years ago.

The 1941 Siege of Tobruk entered the annals of military history as the first time during WWII that Allied troops setback Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s Axis forces. When they dug in, German radio propagandist Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) mocked their resistance, calling them rats in holes. The term stuck.

After a civic reception at Brisbane City Hall, attendees visited the Wall of Remembrance at Mt. Coot-tha and Enoggera Army Barracks near Brisbane. They also enjoyed a Brisbane River boat trip, a reunion dinner at the Carlton Crest Hotel, a parade through the city to the war memorial, an F1-11 fly-over and a memorial service.