Home » 80th Anniversary of Operation Husky, July 2023

80th Anniversary of Operation Husky, July 2023


A two-day Sicily 1943: Peace, Security & Prosperity conference will be held on Friday 7 July-Saturday 8 July 2023 in the Le Ciminiere Festival Centre in Catania which is also the location of the Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia 1943 .



The event has been organised to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of Operation Husky which began on 9/10 July 1943 in the context of bringing peace, security, and prosperity through democracy in Italy today. It will be addressed by VIPs and speakers, including the London Irish Rifles’ Museum, with unrivalled expertise in the events in Sicily in 1943 and their consequences.

The objectives of the conference include:

  • investigating the conditions that lead to war and the eight pillars of positive peace which lead to prosperous, free and democratic societies
  • exploring the events that led up to the invasions of Sicily and the immediate response by defending armies
  • studying the key battles in each of the Allied sectors and the impact on local populations
  • assessing how commemorations of the war in Sicily and Italy can support the peace, security, and prosperity through democracy enjoyed in Italy
  • identifying the strategies to engage youth in commemorations and peacebuilding activities drawn from the lessons of war and the rebuilding of Sicily and Italy after 1945.

The Sicily 1943: Peace, Security & Prosperity conference is supported by the International Forum for Peace, Security & Prosperity

A downloadable guide to the conference can be accessed via this link.


Admission is FREE for registered delegates – booking details here

Friday 7 July

0900-0945 VIP opening session.

0945-1045 Sicilian perspectives.

1100-1330 Keynote addresses.

1430-1515 Britain, Ireland & Sicily.

1515-1700 AMGOT and the Reconstruction Programme.

1700-1715 The Military vehicles exhibition by The Sicilian Vehicles Association.

2100 Evening Concert.

Saturday 8 July

0800-1030 The British perspective.

1100-1145 The US perspective.

1145-1300  The Italian perspective.

1400-1700 The Italy Second World War Memorialisation workshop.

1700 Conference closes.

2000 Closing music concert in the Amphitheatre of El Ciminiere Festival Centre.

Sunday 9 July

0830 The International Historical Museum Conference begins.

1230 Remembrance Service and wreath-laying at Catania War Cemetery.

1830 Remembrance Service and wreath-laying at Syracuse War Cemetery.

Monday 10 July

0545 Memorial events on American, British and Canadian landing beaches.

0900  78th Division/Irish Brigade battlefield tour begins.


To learn about the London Irish Rifles’ role in the Sicilian campaign of July/August 1943, click on the following links:

July 1943

August 1943