Shrine Speech 13 April 2014
Seventy-two years ago Malta stood alone, under seige. The nearest ports of supply for Malta were Gibralter in the west and Alexandria in the east both of them a thousand miles away across a sea over which enemy aircraft had complete control. There were German and Italian air bases just twenty minutes flying away.
Both the guns and the people were hungry. On the 20 th April the Governor wrote to the Chiefs of Staff in London stating that quite apart from flour our primary need is Spitfires and more Spitfires! On receipt of the signal Churchill convened a meeting of the Defence Council on 22 April. At the same time, a notable and unprecedented initiative was taken by King George VI when he wrote to General Dobbie, in Malta on 3 April 1942 I have been watching with admiration the stout-hearted resistance of all in Malta . Service personnel and civilians alike, to the fierce and constant air attacks of the enemy in recent weeks. In the active defence of the island, the Royal Air Force have been ably supported by the Royal Malta Artillery, and it therefore gives me special pleasure, in recognition of their skill and resolution, to assume the Colonelcy-in-Chief of the Regiment. Please convey my best wishes to all ranks of my new Regiment, and assure them of the added pride with which I follow their future activities.
The second sentence is engraved on the War Memorial of the regiment in Floriana. Two weeks later, on 15 April 1942 the King decided to award the George Cross, the highest civilian honour for gallantry in the Empire – to the people of Malta . This was the first time, such an honour had been given to a group rather than an individual.
In a hand-written letter the King wrote:
To ‘The Governor, Malta, To honour the brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta, to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history. George RI
His message is now inscribed on a marble tablet on the walls of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta . And he was right, here we are today 72 years later to pay tribute to the people of Malta , your forebears and family. The delivery of the medal was delayed and it was officially presented by the Governor of Malta to the Malta 's Chief Justice, Sir George Borg in September 1942. What many do not know is that in June the following year, King George VI arrived in Malta on board the HMS Aurora accompanied by Malta 's favourite admiral and a fighter escort of the promised Spitfires. Because of security, the top secret visit had only been announced to the island at five that morning – but the quayside and all vantage points were thick with cheering people. Admiral Cunningham said ‘it was the most spontaneous and genuine demonstration of loyalty and affection I have ever seen.' With its airfields now heaving with aircraft and harbours wedged with the biggest invasion force the world had ever seen. It was a remarkable turn around in the island's fortunes No other place in the world had suffered such persistent and concentrated bombing. The people of Malta had endured starvation, death and disease, but she had never fallen and as the Allies invaded Sicily , Malta 's triumph was complete.
So let us today – here on the other side of the world - proudly say - God bless Malta the Magnificent, the Island of the George Cross.
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Leonie Christopherson AM DSJ
