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LONDON, England -- The "Desert Rats" have a proud tradition dating back to the Second World War.
As the 7th Armoured Division -- now known as the 7th Armoured Brigade -- the regiment's victory at El Alamein under the command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery marked the turning point in the 1939-1945 conflict.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote: "Before Alamein we never had a victory.
"After Alamein we never had a defeat."
Major Sam Bradshaw, 82, praised the Desert Rats as it was announced their modern-day equivalent is to be part of the deployment of 26,000 British troops to the Gulf for potential operations in Iraq. (Full story)
Bradshaw, a former member of the 7th Armoured Division, told the Press Association: "They are very proud of their links with the Desert Rats and are carrying on the tradition.
"They will do well -- no doubt about it."
The 7th Armoured Division was formed in 1940 when its association with the famous Jerboa "rat" divisional emblem began. The men took to the Jerboa and adopted the nickname "The Desert Rats."
The nickname is often used to describe any soldier of the Desert Army.
While the only true "Desert Rats" were the men who served in the 7th Armoured Division, the emblem and nickname, has been inherited by the 4th and 7th Armoured Brigade.
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The El Alamein victory was the culmination of a two-year campaign against the Germans and their Italian allies which became de rigeur as a subject for students of strategy.
"We had won victories against the Germans before but they were not conclusive because we did not have the reserves," said Bradshaw.
The Axis forces surrendered North Africa the following year and the Desert Rats went on to play a major part in the campaign in Europe.
Bradshaw, who was 18 when he was called up with fellow reservists in September 1939, added: "They are far better trained than we were but a soldier is a soldier.
"You get on with it, you don't talk about why we should be doing this. That does not come into it. They are a very professional lot.
"We have great respect for them and there is great respect for us as veterans."
