On Friday 21 October, I will be giving the second of two talks on El Alamein to commemorate the 80th anniversary of this iconic battle. In preparation for the event, I visited the battlefield on the north coast of Egypt and paid tribute to those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom at the Commonwealth War Cemetery. For those who have not visited El Alamein for some years, there is a new exhibit at the museum, which is a pristine Curtiss Kittyhawk (known in the USA as the P-40 Warhawk). This was found in the desert abandoned by its pilot who “disappeared” among the local community.
The talk on Friday will place the Second Battle of El Alamein within Britain’s Mediterranean strategy and the desperate situation in 1942 when Britain lost Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma and Tobruk in rapid succession. I will discuss the roles and relationships of Churchill and the top generals, including: Alexander, Montgomery and the old sweats, Gott and Lumsden and answer the question why Alamein is classified in the same category as Agincourt and Waterlooo, as one of the most important military victories in British history. Tickets are available on the NAM website ahttps://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/end-beginning-second-battle-el-alamein
Rupert Wieloch 