The 56th Division (minus the 168th Brigade which was detached to come under command of the 50th Division in April 1943) did not take part in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, but instead remained behind in reserve in Libya where they were visited by many senior high-ranking officers and H.M. The King George VI, who had visited them nearly a year before when they began departing for overseas service, and the men cheered as he drove past. On 1 June they celebrated the Glorious First of June. In July, the 169th (Queen's) Brigade began training in amphibious warfare for the upcoming invasion of the Italian mainland, code-named Operation Avalanche, with D-Day being scheduled for 9 September where they were assigned as an assault brigade.