Rupert Wieloch

Rupert Wieloch is perfectly placed to write about Libya. He was appointed as the Senior British Military Commander before Gadaffi was captured and killed, he had privileged access to the new Libyan government and drafted the first Defence White Paper forthe Libyan Chief of Defence in 2012. He was the first foreign representative to visit Tobruk after the revolution, establishing the basis for a multi-million pound international contract to refurbish the airport and military base at El Adem. He led the immediate response after the Islamic attack on the British war graves in Benghazi and was present at the Battle of Bani Walid, known as the start of the second civil war. His previous books are Belfast to Benghazi and Churchill’s Abandoned Prisoners (Casemate), which was long-listed for the 2020 Wolfson History Prize.