Appeal to raise £150,000 for memorial to World War II heroes

The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), nicknamed ‘Ghost Patrol’ by opposing Italian forces, was formed in Cairo in 1940 and often operated in secret behind enemy lines.

The appeal follows the death in August of Jack Mann, the last surviving veteran of the LRDG, at the age of 100.

Born Zacharia Zuckerman in Cairo in 1925, he altered his age to enlist while still a teenager and was recruited by the LRDG as a radio operator.

A talented linguist and wireless operator, he was recruited into the LRDG and subsequently served with other wartime special forces units.  He later served with 21 SAS.

The LDRG were founded after explorer and British Army officer Major Ralph Bagnold proposed the creation of a small, fast-moving reconnaissance force capable of travelling vast distances behind enemy lines in the deserts of Egypt and Libya.

The unit became renowned for its ability to navigate across apparently featureless desert and operate hundreds of miles from conventional forces, gathering vital intelligence on enemy movements and carrying out raids and other operations. 

Its expertise also made the LRDG an important partner to the newly formed SAS, transporting and guiding its men across the desert on some of their early operations. 

After the North African campaign, the LRDG continued to operate across the Aegean, Adriatic, Albania, Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia. 

The cost was considerable. Fifty-one LRDG men are known to have died during the war and at least 182 were captured. 

The LRDG Memorial Fund, a registered charity established by people with family connections to members of the unit, plans to erect a spectacular 5.8-metre-high sculpture of a scorpion — the LRDG’s emblem — at the Royal British Legion National Remembrance Gardens in Staffordshire. 

While many Second World War units are represented at the Gardens, the Long Range Desert Group is not currently among them. 

The memorial has been designed by internationally recognised British sculptor James Doran-Webb, renowned for his monumental animal sculptures.  At its centre will be a giant driftwood scorpion, surrounded by a three-metre stainless-steel ring with compass-style markings reflecting the LRDG’s navigational skills. The sculpture will stand on a plinth designed to trace the unit’s wartime journey from North Africa to the Aegean, Italy and the Balkans. 

The LRDG Memorial Fund is seeking donations from the public, military community and organisations towards its £150,000 fundraising target. 

Donations can be made at www.lrdgmemorialfund.org where there is a link to JustGiving. 

Meg Kennedy Shaw, daughter of Bill Kennedy Shaw, the LRDG’s intelligence officer, said: “Jack Mann's death this summer marked the passing of the last surviving member of the Long Range Desert Group.

"With him, the final living link to this extraordinary group of men has gone. For those of us whose fathers and grandfathers served with the LRDG, it makes it all the more important that their story is not lost with their generation. 

“These men operated for almost five years across deserts, islands, mountains and coastlines, frequently deep behind enemy lines and in extraordinarily difficult conditions.

"They showed exceptional courage, ingenuity and resourcefulness, yet their story remains relatively little known. 

“We believe the time has come to give the LRDG the permanent public recognition it deserves. The scorpion memorial will be a striking and lasting tribute to them, and a place where their families and future generations can remember what they did.” 

Sculptor James Doran-Webb added: “The scorpion gave us a powerful starting point because it comes directly from the LRDG’s own insignia.

"I wanted the memorial to reflect the incredible ingenuity, endurance and navigational skill of the men who served, while creating something dramatic enough to stop people in their tracks and make them curious to discover who the LRDG were and what they achieved.”