Web site visitor Damien Lewis writes:

The Sydney Morning Herald this week published a story about a reporter'svisit to the Libyan city of Tobruk, which was a focal point for Australianservicemen in World War II. The article mentions a medal created by thesoldiers.

"A pilgrimage to the bustling Libyan city turns up poignant remindersof Australian soldiers in the siege of Tobruk, Anthony Ham writes.

"Few names resonate through Australian history like Tobruk. It is aplace that has become central to our understanding of who we are asAustralians. Like Gallipoli, it is a battlefield where the legend ofthe Anzacs was forged. And like the Somme it is a place where thousandsof Australians lie buried."

"... with the soldiers hunkered down in trenches and in caves such asthese, a Radio Berlin announcer dismissed the Australians as the "ratsof Tobruk", drawing a parallel with rodents burrowing underground.Designed to bolster German propaganda and destroy Australian morale,the name was instead quickly adopted by the Australians as a badge ofhonour. One of the most famous photos of the siege shows a Bren guncarrier adorned with the words "Rats to you". The Australians alsoamused themselves by designing an unofficial medal from the metalof a downed German plane with a rat as its centrepiece."

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:RATS OF TOBRUK MEDAL INFORMATION SOUGHT(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v10n16a18.html)

To read the original Sydney Morning Herald article, see:Rats to you(www.smh.com.au/news/africa/rats-to-you/2007/04/18/1176696918167.html)