On 19 June 1943, King George VI visited Libya and met the Tripoli Base Commander Brian Robertson who later became famous for his role in the Berlin Airlift. The King was given a rapturous welcome by the soldiers of Eighth Army in Tripoli as he was escorted by Lieutenant General Sir Bernard Montgomery in his Humber saloon.
Later that day, he boarded HMS Aurora for passage to Malta, where he presented Viscount Gort with his Field Marshal’s baton and toured the harbour, which had withstood heavy Luftwaffe attacks during the two year siege that was so pivotal to the victory in the Mediterranean and North African campaigns.
The Royal visit was repeated eleven years later when HRH Queen Elizabeth II met the King of Libya at Tobruk and the families of British troops at El Adem Air Base. The Queen’s visit cemented the close friendship between Libya and Britain that endured until the coup that brought Colonel Gadhafi to power in 1969. Further details are in part four of Liberating Libya.
Eighth Army Cheering HRH King George VI During His Visit To Libya In June 1943
Rupert Wieloch 