The Princess Royal meets personnel at Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE (Picture: RAF) — Princess Anne met personnel at Al Minhad Air Base (Picture: RAF)

Royals

Princess Royal opens permanent UK military facility in UAE named after WW2 RAF navigator

The Princess Royal has officially opened a permanent UK military facility at a United Arab Emirates (UAE) air base.

Donnelly Lines, as it is known, has been named after Second World War RAF navigator Sergeant 'Billy' Donnelly, who lost his life when his bomber crashed 75 miles east of Al Minhad Air Base (AMAB), in February 1943.

A memorial was built at the crash site in his name in 2010, and the new facility demonstrates longstanding ties between the UK and UAE, the Royal Air Force said.

Princess Anne was given a tour of the new headquarters, accommodation and welfare facilities at Al Minhad, and was accompanied by Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Support Operations) Air Vice-Marshal Pratley, Sir Hobart, His Majesty's Ambassador to the UAE, and Brigadier General Al Ketbi, AMAB Commander.

Second World War navigator Sergeant 'Billy' Donnelly who died when his bomber crashed in UAE Feb 1943 cropped (Picture: RAF) — Sergeant 'Billy' Donnelly died when his bomber crashed in February 1943 (Picture: RAF)

The Princess Royal also met Sgt Donnelly's family and personnel based at Al Minhad, where Her Royal Highness signed the legacy Joint Force Support flag that flew over the former UK headquarters at the base.

An RAF A400M aircraft took part in a joint UK-UAE flypast, which included a coalition parade and a commemoration to the late Sgt Donnelly.

Air Vice-Marshal Pratley, Project Senior Responsible Officer, said: "I am delighted to attend the opening of Donnelly Lines, an essential part of the UK's global footprint, and an example of our enduring presence overseas in what remains an uncertain world beset by turbulent times.

"Our continued investment here is a further example of the UK's commitment to the security of the region and is a tangible commitment to the work for peace, security, and stability, working hand in hand with our allies in the UAE.

"The siting of Donnelly Lines at AMAB enables the UK to maintain our freedom of action and ability to conduct operations from the UAE, bolstering our operational resilience.

"It is of vital importance, and I recognise the hard work and stellar efforts of the team, who have, over several years, worked tirelessly around the clock to make this possible."