Tribute to the founder of the Desert Rats Memorial Trust - Les Dinning

Written by Lieutenant General Sir Anthony Mullens KCB. O.B.E.

The memorial was the idea of Mr. Leslie Dinning who had been in 7th Armoured Division which he joined as a trooper in 1944. From his start in the 4th County of London Yeomanry, with whom he went to Normandy, he subsequently transferred to the 1st Royal Tank Regiment. It was with the 4th County of London Yeomanry that he trained in Thetford Forest, but it was merged with 3rd County of London Yeomanry following heavy losses at Villers-Bocage. At the time the Regiments were part of the 7th Armoured Division, who had just returned from Italy, and for the first and only time, they found themselves in England preparing for D-Day. For this operation they were to receive the new Cromwell tank and the re-equipping and training took place in the Forest. With the training behind them, they went to France and at the end of the war Les was de-mobbed and joined the Post Office where he worked for many years, mostly in the investigation branch. It was when be retired, that his mind went back to the Normandy preparations and his realisation that the arrival of the Cromwell into the order of battle, for the first time, should not be forgotten. As the tank had first arrived with the Division in the Forest, Les decided that the event should be marked there by a memorial. In 1997, he therefore set about the project, having invited the late Field Marshal Lord Carver, who had commanded 1st RTR when Les joined, to be the Patron. The Field Marshal agreed and in 1998 he dug the first turf and the Memorial was born.

From that moment, Les worked continuously to bring his idea to fruition and with the help of the Forestry Commission, who had agreed the plan and the plot of land on which the memorial was to be built, it took shape. He acquired an old Cromwell chassis which he had restored, and he asked the Royal Engineers to build the plinth. He wrote to Rolls Royce, who had built the original engine for the tank and they provided a magnificent marble plaque on which is inscribed the history of the division which now adorns the side of the plinth.

A committee and an Association was formed and they run the affairs of the Memorial to this day. He was always keen to make it the centre piece of a wider remembrance site to the Division, and he wanted to bring to life the area in the Forest which be remembered as his base for working and living in 1944. Les, along with other committee and association members, created a series of illustrated plaques, showing the various activities which had taken place, and these he had installed by the existing bases where the old Nissen Huts had been situated. Associated with this work a large amount of money by gifts and grants from many bodies, was successfully raised, which meant an all weather walkway through the forest, could be built, to join the various huts together and make a real museum site.

With the instigation of the regular Remembrance Day Services and the Open Day in the Summer, Les' efforts have resulted with the Memorial now becoming a point of contact for old members of the Division, and particularly of the Royal Tank Regiment. The appeal of the Memorial has been enhanced by the desire of the two remaining Brigades of the Division, the 4th and 7th Armoured Brigades, to be associated with it, and in 2004 the Commander of 7th Armoured Brigade unveiled an addition to the Memorial, in the form of another plaque, to commemorate those members of the Brigades who have been killed since the War, particularly in Iraq.

So the Memorial stands as a fine reminder of the hard work and tenacity of one man and Les could be justly proud of it. Sadly Les passed away on 6th April 2005 after a short illness and was buried at Didlington Church, two miles west of the Memorial in line with his wishes. He may have passed onto the "Green Fields Beyond", but his legacy and his memory lives on.

FEAR NAUGHT

The below is link to the page which shows the work Les undertook to establish the memorial and some pictures from his time in the Division and from the Open Day on 22nd June 2004. During the latter Les was presented with a Bronze mounted Jerboa (Desert Rat) donated by the 4th & 7th Armoured Brigades and The Forest Enterprise to him as founder of the Memorial, at the conclusion of the project.

Inauguration Photograph Gallery

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