Memorial to Desert Rats

A STATUE of a desert rat has been unveiled to mark the 80th anniversary of the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Soldiers who fought at the site in Egypt – and across North Africa – during the Second World War were nicknamed after the animals.

Retired Maj Gen Patrick Cordingley said of the statue, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffs: “Remembering Desert Rats who gave their lives is so very important.”