The Desert Rats in Thetford Forest
A short multi cache that involves collecting information and using it to solve the location of the cache container.
This cache has been set to replace the original cache on this site, GCJ4PW ‘Desert Rats in the UK’ by the Gatlin Gang who have now left the UK.
The original cache was my first ever find and is responsible for my interest in the hobby. My late father, Les Dinning, was the founder of the memorial and the driving force behind the woodland walks, information boards and easy access paths. There is a bench in his memory opposite the entrance to the caravan site. The tank on the plinth is a recreation of the tank he served in during WWII.
The 7th Armoured Division, better known as "The Desert Rats" were stationed in Thetford Forest between January and May 1944 while they prepared for the invasion of Normandy. This was the only time the division was in the United Kingdom in its entire existence. The Division sailed from Felixstowe on the 5 June 1944 with the first tanks landing on Gold Beach on the evening of 6th June 1944.
Winston Churchill said of the Desert Rats, "May your glory ever shine, May your laurels never fade, May the memory of this glorious pilgrimage of war you have made from Alamein, via the Baltic to Berlin never die. It is a march unsurpassed through all the story of war. May the fathers long tell the children about this tale." (From the Plaque on the Memorial).
For more information about the Desert Rats and the Memorial you can visit: www.desertrats.memorialassoc.btinternet.co.uk
As you progress around the site lookout for the answers to the following questions.
1. “The Desert Rats”
How many months did the Division spend in the forest? Answer = A.
2. “Headquarters”
When was the reunion? – 194*. Answer = B.
You look a bit tired now! Have a sit down. In what year was Les Dinning born? – 192*. Answer = C
3. “Daily Routine”
How many sewing needles? Answer = D
What time was the first parade? Answer = E
4. “Cookhouse and Mess Hut”
How many chef hats? Answer = F
How many vegetables in the main meal? Answer = G
5. “Accommodation”
In what year was Peter Norman Nissen born? – 1*17. Answer = H
6. “NAAFI”
What size lorries lined up at the camp gates? Answer = I
7. “The Cromwell Tank and REME”
How heavy is a Cromwell tank in tons? Answer = J
On which day of September was the Bazooka attack? Answer = K
The cache container is located at:
N052 (B-A) ((J-K) x 2). (H-I) A (I-G)
E000 3((A-G) x 3). (G x D) F (E-C+4)
Please be sure to reseal the cache properly and re-hide with care.