Malta G.C. : war memories and cultural narratives of a Mediterranean island

Abstract

On 15 April 1942, King George VI awarded the George Cross to Malta. The brief, albeit significant letter sent to the then governor of Malta articulates the King’s decision to personally bestow this honour: To honour her 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. A visual image of the citation is inscribed in marble and placed on the main façade of the former Governor General’s Palace in Valletta (now the President’s Palace), alongside a similar marble plaque featuring a copy of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s illuminated scroll presented to the ‘people and defenders of Malta’ in 1943, as well as commemorative plaques for Malta’s Independence (1964), for the Republic Constitution (1974) and for the closure of the British military base (1979). The prominence given to the George Cross citation letter, next to other marble plaques commemorating key episodes in Malta’s twentieth-century history, is unquestionably commensurate with the relevance of the award of the George Cross as a public recognition. [Excerpt from the Introduction]