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The Irish Guards' role in today's Desert Rats.
(From Belfast Telegraph)
Byline: Richard Doherty Military Historian
SIXTY years ago the title 'Desert Rats' was a household expression. The men of 7th Armoured Division had become famous in the desert war that was coming to an end with an Allied victory and they would go to war again in Normandy after D-Day.
In the years after the war, the division was disbanded but the Desert Rat badge passed on to 4 and 7 Armoured Brigades, with the former using a black desert rat and the latter the original red one.
It is the latter brigade that is currently deploying to the Middle East as part of Operation TELIC.
Today's Desert Rats include soldiers of the Irish Guards, who will be supporting the principal units of the brigade.
The presence of the 'Micks' is a reminder of the many Irish connections of this fighting formation. Even the badge, the red crouching jerboa or desert rat, owes its origins to the wife of 7th Armoured Division's first commander, Major-General O'Moore-Creagh.
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