A "Rat" of Tobruk leaves flowers at the memorial in Canberra.(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)In hostile conditions, beset by sandstorms, heat, flies and lice, the Australians dug in.

Mr Pritchard was the last known survivor of the 14,000 Australian troops who defied the Nazi-led war machine for 242 bloody days during the siege of Tobruk in 1941.

The last Rat of Tobruk, Tom Pritchard, left and top right, who died aged 102 on the weekend. Bottom right: Pritchard, left, and best mate Alf Jackson at Tobruk House in Melbourne in 2019.

Archive List > Siege of Tobruk 1941. Archive List > World > North Africa. ... The vital port of Tobruk was deemed to be too valuable to loose and it was defended by the 1st Australian Division.

AFTER JIM HENDERSON left the battlefields of Tobruk following 242 days under siege from German and Italian forces, it was the smell of a forgotten luxury, freshly baked bread, that brought home ...

The siege of Tobruk started on April 10, 1941. The Australian Rats were commanded by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, a Gallipoli veteran also known as “Ming the Merciless”.

April 10 marks the 83rd anniversary of the siege of Tobruk, a lonely Libyan port town which, in 1941, Australian troops defended from a much larger German–Italian army commanded by “Desert Fox ...

Australian newsreel, telling of the besieged Australian forces in Tobruk. Coverage shows dawn patrols, wrecks in Tobruk Harbour, tank patrols, anti-aircraft action against German planes, gun ...

Photos that were contributed with stories in this category. Dad's War Diary 2 Australians at Tobruk My husbands experiences of war Pt4 'Egypt Again' North Africa & Italy Wartime Experiences with ...

Tom Pritchard, who has died aged 102, was believed to be the last Australian soldier to serve with the Desert Rats during the siege of Tobruk. In January 1941, Australian troops overwhelmed ...