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Libya: The Road to Tobruk and Other Stories
This is a book about a journey to Libya during the time of Muammar Ghaddafi. The journey took in the incredible ruins of Roman, Greek and Byzantine Libya, not to mention the more recent Italian influences and the setting of Ghaddafi's rule.
The small coastal town of Tobruk was the initial inspiration for the whole trip. Here it is necessary to explain why this trip was so important. The author's father had been an inspirational and humble man. He had played rugby for Scotland and he had been one of Winston Churchill’s (or more accurately, David Stirling’s) commandos, the precursors of the SAS. He had rarely spoken about his war exploits but he had kept a diary of his exploits, and prior to his death, he had worked on it with his son, the author of this book, and eventually published it under the “Friendship in a Time of War”. It had taken many years to write and still there were scant detail of his exploits in Libya. Those had to be gleaned from other sources including mentions in German books and popular allied war literature and even a Hollywood film.
The Libyan connection was crucial to the story of the author's father. In fact, the story could have ended there as it did for his commanding officer, Michael Duffy and the legendary and inspirational organiser of the mission, Colonel John Haselden.
The full story of the raid on Tobruk is contained in detail in the previously mentioned book but briefly, after intensive commando training in the Scottish highlands with David Stirling’s new and elite force, initial actions in Norway and Malta and further training in the Middle East, the author's father and his fellow commandos undertook an 1800 mile trip behind enemy lines along with the legendary LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) to the target of their mission, the small coastal town of Tobruk.
The initial raid was a success and involved bluffing their way into the heavily fortified town in an act of incredible daring and courage, however, it was ultimately unsuccessful when the combined forces failed to appear and the commandos were abandoned to their fate. It has to be said that the Hollywood ending was more favourable to the allies, but his father’s story was the one that mattered most to the author.
After capture, Dallas Allardice and his life-long friend John McKay endured nine months of harsh imprisonment before escaping in Italy and once more hiding behind enemy lines for a further nine months, but that story is for another day.
Now the author had the chance to visit the site of the action and to pay his respects to those comrades who had not managed come home as well as to physically see the site of the action.
The small coastal town of Tobruk was the initial inspiration for the whole trip. Here it is necessary to explain why this trip was so important. The author's father had been an inspirational and humble man. He had played rugby for Scotland and he had been one of Winston Churchill’s (or more accurately, David Stirling’s) commandos, the precursors of the SAS. He had rarely spoken about his war exploits but he had kept a diary of his exploits, and prior to his death, he had worked on it with his son, the author of this book, and eventually published it under the “Friendship in a Time of War”. It had taken many years to write and still there were scant detail of his exploits in Libya. Those had to be gleaned from other sources including mentions in German books and popular allied war literature and even a Hollywood film.
The Libyan connection was crucial to the story of the author's father. In fact, the story could have ended there as it did for his commanding officer, Michael Duffy and the legendary and inspirational organiser of the mission, Colonel John Haselden.
The full story of the raid on Tobruk is contained in detail in the previously mentioned book but briefly, after intensive commando training in the Scottish highlands with David Stirling’s new and elite force, initial actions in Norway and Malta and further training in the Middle East, the author's father and his fellow commandos undertook an 1800 mile trip behind enemy lines along with the legendary LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) to the target of their mission, the small coastal town of Tobruk.
The initial raid was a success and involved bluffing their way into the heavily fortified town in an act of incredible daring and courage, however, it was ultimately unsuccessful when the combined forces failed to appear and the commandos were abandoned to their fate. It has to be said that the Hollywood ending was more favourable to the allies, but his father’s story was the one that mattered most to the author.
After capture, Dallas Allardice and his life-long friend John McKay endured nine months of harsh imprisonment before escaping in Italy and once more hiding behind enemy lines for a further nine months, but that story is for another day.
Now the author had the chance to visit the site of the action and to pay his respects to those comrades who had not managed come home as well as to physically see the site of the action.
153 pages, Hardcover
Published September 11, 2022
About the author
Rory Allardice
18 books4 followersWorked in the Soviet Union (Georgia, Armenia, Russia), China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Italy, U.A.E. and Scotland.
Speaks several languages. Plays mandolin and whistle. Likes to travel and reads mostly history, biography and travel books.
Speaks several languages. Plays mandolin and whistle. Likes to travel and reads mostly history, biography and travel books.
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