Thread: Desert Rat 1941
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Old 12-08-20, 11:33 AM
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mike_vee mike_vee is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lettman View Post
Are you able to post copies of the photos of the original and redesigned insignia? The quote is interesting, but I'm wary about a couple of points it makes, and would like to see the photos, and also to find out the date when it was designed.
Sorry , I don't have the book I just found the info online.

Edit:

The IWM basically has the same story ;
"The original badge is said to have been designed by the wife of Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh, who commanded from December 1939. The original design was a jerboa ("desert rat") in either red or, according to some reports, 'pink', on a white or buff circle on a red square. The second version may have been adopted as late as 1943 when the Division was in the Tripoli area. In this version the jerboa was a distinct red colour and embroidered directly onto battledress material. "


But the Desert Rats website has a slight variation:
"explains how of General Creagh (the Divisional commander) saw a young local boy with Jerboa in his pocket. He then traced the shape of a Jerboa in the sand using stones. Later a picture was produced for a design of desert rat which was approved by the officers and men of the Division and this was then drawn up by Trooper Ken Hill of RTR. The first six badges were produced by Nurses and distributed among the men of Divisional HQ."

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Last edited by mike_vee; 12-08-20 at 11:59 AM. Reason: Added info
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