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British soldiers on the Beach, 1943

In 1941, British soldiers became a common sight on the beaches of both Beirut and Sidon (pictured here). After the Franco-German ceasefire on June 17, 1940, both Lebanon and Syria came under control of the collaborationist Vichy regime. Between May 14 and 16, 1941, Lebanese and Syrian airfields were bombed by the British air force, because of the presence of German aircraft. Finally, British and Free French forces moved into Lebanon and Syria on June 8, 1941. Both Britain and France declared their intention to eventually grant independence to the two countries. However, it took the National Movement, led by Beshara Khoury and Riad Solh, as well as pressure from the British, to convince France finally to make good its promise of 1943. It took another three years for the last French soldier to leave Lebanese soil on August 31, 1946.
Off the Lebanese coast at Khaldeh, a memory of the Vichy period remains: a French submarine, sunk by the British in 1941, rests on the seabed at a depth of 40 meters, and has become an attraction for scuba diving enthusiasts.

Collection: Eid Barakat
© Arab Image Foundation, Beirut
Text: Heiko Wimmen; published in The Daily Star Millenium Special, December 1999