REDEDICATION OF THE HIGH ASH MEMORIAL AND 

COMMEMORATION OF THE DESERTS LEAVING NORFOLK TO PREPARE TO THE NORMANDY LANDING AND CAMPAIGN 5th MAY 2024

 

For those who wish to identify where the units of the 7th Armoured Division (The Desert Rats) were located in Norfolk, please see this page. The same

page also has details of the location of 4th Armoured Brigade (The Black Rats) on the South Coast.

The purpose behind the date of this service, was two fold. 

1) To rededicate the memorial, after the return of 'Little Audrey' a few days before. and

2) To commemorate the departure of the Desert Rats in the camps at High Ash over the 8th and 9th May 1944, to their embarkation camp at Orwell Park School, Ipswich

The other troops in the area also started to move to there respective camps, ready for the Normandy Landings and Campaign, in the days and weeks that followed 

The time the Desert Rats spent in Norfolk, was the only time in its history that 7th Armoured Division was based in the UK.

Floreat Jerboa!

Some pictures of the displays and vehicles at the open day
The Association Stall The Refurbished Memorial Royal British Legion Stall
Landrover Display
Rear of a K2 Ambulance 'A' Sqn, 1dt RTR Living History Group Memoirs of a Desert Rat Diaplay
Tramps in Armour Display
Jeep Display Stay there! Landrover and SAAFA
 

 

 

Some pictures of the parade and the Rededication Service at the memorial
SAS Jeep and Bugler before the service The Standards before the service Last minute checks before the service
The Piper leads the Standards The Standards arrive at the Memrial

The Standards at the Memorial, before the service starts
Our President addressing those assembled Rev'd David Hanwell leads the service  Preparing for the blerssing

Rev'd David Hanwell, assisted by Lt=Col Copley-Smith, blessed the Memorial, as part of the rededication service

The service continues The Exhoration. 

The Last Post, sounded by Nick Saker (Dereham Band)
The Association Wreath is laid bt our President Maj-Gen (Retf) Paul Nansion Major D Howe lays a wreath on behalf of 7th Light Mechanised Brigade (The Desert Rats) A local Mayor lays a wreeth
Wreaths are laid
Maurice Ekes and Fred Squires return from laying their wreath Major D Howe and a local Mayo lay their wreath. After the service at the Memorial
The Standards depart. After the service at the Memorial
 

 

The Front view of  the refurbishrf "Little Audrey".
Wreaths at the memorial at the end of the service, with Cross in the foreground.

 

It was announced at this event that the “Desert Rats Association” is now the “Friends of the Desert Rats” whose main purpose will be to maintain the two Desert Rat Memorials, i.e.


• The recently installed memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum - this has fully paid maintenance in our contract and therefore outlay on this should be minimal.
• More particularly ‘Little Audrey II’ Memorial at High Ash in Thetford which has undergone extensive refurbishment and was re-dedicated in May 2024.


We will also “keep the flame alive” by developing a fellowship organisation. The “Friends”, will continue to provide assistance to anyone wishing to discover the service history of their relatives


The main reasons for making this change are:


a. The generation of Desert Rats veterans from WW2 are largely no longer with us or of an age when physical presence at gatherings is becoming increasingly difficult.
b. Modern day Desert Rats seem less than keen to be part of the Association in its current physical form, but make much more use of the internet to maintain relationships with like-minded colleagues.
c. The last few years have been dedicated to and working towards the raising of the memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum. This goal now having been achieved negates a major vision that formed part of the old DRA Constitution.

This means that the bulk of our activity will now be on-line and, after the event on 5th May 2024, the ‘Friend’s will no longer be holding regular physical events.


We wish to thank everyone who has supported the Desert Rats Association over the years.


Floreat Jerboa!

 

 

 
Live Stream Video of the Service (Please watch on YouTube)

 

 

Open Days Page
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2023 Open Day
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