The Bowling Alley

The Wheelus Bowling Alley was situated next to the Base Headquarters, on the west side of the air base.The bowling alley had six lanes and was a fully air conditioned building. Players were able to enjoy a range of soft drinks, alcohol and snacks. The Club had their own team of players, who called themselves the 'Wheelus All Stars', who participated in matches with other teams in the ‘Libya Keglers Championship Trophy’ and secured the Trophy for Wheelus on many occassions².

Officers' Wives Club

As suggested by the name, the Officers' Wives Club, was an organisation run by the officers wives at Wheelus Air Base. The aim of the club was to offer support and friendship to other military wives and also to raise funds for onbase charities. The wives would regularly meet for lunch and attend excursions to historic sites such as Leptis Magna, Sabratha, and other places of interest³.

One of the most popular clubs at Wheelus was the Divers Club, which was located at Wheelus Beach and provided a diverse range of activities. The location provided ready access to the warm, blue mediterranean waters for those that loved to dive and swim, and a meeting place for beach goers who loved to socialise, offering drinks and cold snacks.The club also held regular dances, with some of Tripoli’s top groups providing the entertainment.

The club building, housed a professional diving compressor, giving free air to all divers, also available were showers rooms and a well stocked shop, with all the equipment one would need for the perfect diving experience.

To become a member of the Divers Club, you were required to sign up for a seven day course, which was held on site during the evenings. The basic rules of diving were taught and practiced under the supervision of qualified instructors. All scuba equipment was provided free of charge to the students and after training could either be hired or purchased from the shop. Diving equipment was also available to purchase from the base exchange. At least once a week and often more, the club provided ‘diving safaris’ where they could dive at places of interest, such as Sabratha and Pigeon Island beach in Misrata⁴.

The Rod & Gun Club

The Wheelus Rod and Gun Club offered fishing activities to military personnel, family members, and contractor employees working on the base.The club also offered private gun storage and target practice. The club was furnished with a sit down bar and lounge area for socialising, where alcohol and soft drinks were readily available⁵.