The Siege of Malta 1940 - 1943

[relatively_jeff]

Arrival in London mid-afternoon at 0 degrees and a wind that blew my coffee out of the cup I wandered around near The Tower and London Bridge and came across this memorial

Comments

[teacher_dave]

My parents grew up through the bombing of Malta. Mum was ousted from her school as it was converted into a hospital. Her eyes still well up with tears when she hears air raid sirens on the news. My father served with the Maltese Militia, first under the British and then the Americans (He prefered the Americans as they provided him with chocolate and didn't treat him like a damned colonial.) Dad tells me he once pulled a Luftwaffe pilot out of a crashed plane who promptly shot him in the leg. He also went over with the Americans for the invasion of Sicily, was awarded a medal, but remembers nothing of it (he tells me he was drunk during the whole thing). He still keeps faded photographs of his old Army buddies and the American servicemen he met. Yet he burnt his uniform and threw away his medals at the wars end.

If you are still interested there is website worth checking out...

http://www.killifish.f9.co.uk/Malta%20WWII/Index.htm

[relatively_jeff]

I had an inkling that you were from Malta!

I'm still in awe of an entire population standing between zee Germans and the rest of the world.

[teacher_dave]

In the 16th century they stood against the might of the Ottoman empire. We're a stubborn bunch.

[teacher_dave]

That's true too!!

Hail to the Defiant Maltese Nation!

[random_llama]

Maybe it's because I'm already emotional but I started crying half way through that post.
God, what unbelievable horror.

[jester_s01]

i had somthing funny to say but decided it was in terribly bad taste, and in a very un-jon move decided to keep my mouth shut. but the destruction and chaos that insued in malta was horrific...... i have a book if your interested.