Middle East Command was a command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) that was active during the Second World War. It had been preceded by RAF Middle East, which was established in 1918 by the redesignation of HQ Royal Flying Corps Middle East that had been activated in 1917 although a small Royal Flying Corps presence had been operational in the region since 1914.
Air Commander-in-Chief of Middle East Command Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder at Air House, his official residence in Cairo, Egypt in March 1942.
Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to defend British interests in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region.
The Mk I (A9) Cruiser Tank used by the British 7th Armoured Division
General Sir Harold Alexander, pictured here in August 1942 as Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, surveys the battlefront from an open car. To his right is Major General John Harding.
A sergeant of the Royal Military Police lowers the flag during the handover of Cairo Citadel to the Egyptians, 4 July 1946.
