The 70th anniversaries of the award of the George Cross to Malta and the arrival of the Santa Maria convoy, as well as the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II are being celebrated. A comprehensive exhibition of these occasions is being launched by the Gozo branch of the British Residents’ Association and is on view until June 20 in the halls of the Cittadella Culture and Art Centre.
The pageant along the River Thames will be screened live from 2.30 p.m. onwards on Sunday- John A. Mizzi
The busts of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Princess Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Prince Charles by Vincent Apap have been loaned by the National Museum of Fine Arts.
The Department of Information provided copies of photographs of the Queen’s visits to Malta and Gozo, as did John Cremona with other memorabilia, while Anthony Grech has made available commemorative stamps and front pages of Maltese wartime newspapers.
Tom and June Warr have contributed photographs of the Princess being shown examples of Gozo lace by Giuseppa Debrincat, still remembered as Ix-Xelina. Information about Gozo lace has been given by Consiglia Azzopardi.
The wartime section displays photographs of the Siege and of the ships of the Santa Maria convoy from the National War Museum, with the showcases overlooked with detailed illustrated accounts of the ordeals of the convoy, including a diagram of the four-day battle.
A model of the tanker Ohio by Edward Wyatt has been made available by Antonio Espinosa Rodriquez, of Heritage Malta. Graham Gurr has lent a naval uniform and Mrs R. Knowles a painting of Swordfish aircraft on patrol.
The National Maritime Museum has contributed a number of items including a bust of Admiral Nelson by Tom Hornyold-Strickland, and a lifejacket from the merchant ship Dorset, which was sunk during passage.
Also on view are the designs lent by Paul Camilleri Cauchi for his large paintings of Our Lady and the Ohio, to be found in the Gozo Cathedral, St Mary’s Parish Church of Qrendi, and the band club of the King George V Musical Society in Mqabba. The visitor will also be able to watch an extensive documentary of the convoy battle loaned from the Maritime Museum at Nadur, probably the best such documentary ever made. The George Cross exhibition includes information from Eileen Buzzing about her brother David Western who was a scout and the youngest recipient of the award.
He was awarded the Albert Medal in 1948 (changed to the George Cross in 1971) for rescuing one friend and trying to rescue another who fell through the ice in a frozen pond when two others died - he was just 10 years old.
Also on view is a replica of the cross and pictures loaned by the Royal British Legion, Malta Branch, of the presentation ceremony in September 1942.
The exhibition has been backed with various cultural activities, including the launch of Charles Bezzina’s book When the Sirens Wailed, translated from his Maltese original recounting wartime experiences of various Gozitans.
Fr Joseph Bezzina will give a talk on the British grant of self-government to Gozo (1961) on July 13; Paul G. Pisani will talk on Sir Harry Luke as an administrator, on June 8, lectures commencing at 7.30 p.m.
The pageant along the River Thames will be screened live from 2.30 p.m. onwards on Sunday. Free tickets are available at It-Tokk.
These displays were made possible on the initiative of Jay Jones, with the assistance of the Ministry for Gozo, Heritage Malta and various persons and organisations she approached as well as government departments.
The exhibition is open between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. during weekdays and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekends.