Following pressures, especially by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin for the opening of a second front in western Europe, on June 6, 1944, the Allies launched Operation Overlord – the long-awaited liberation of France. Following two months of slow fighting in hedgerow country, the British and Americans broke out from the Normandy bridgehead.

Map of the German Atlantic Wall, 1942-44.

Soon, the Allies were racing across France. On August 15, in an effort to aid their operations in Normandy, the Allies launched Operation Dragoon – the invasion of southern France between Toulon and Cannes. Paris was liberated on August 25 by the Free French.

Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery persuaded Allied High Command to launch Operation Market Garden to take bridges in three main cities – Eindhoven, Nijmegen, and Arnhem. British XXX Corps was unable to link up with the troops near the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem.

In the meantime, the Germans were preparing a massive counter-attack in the west, known as the Battle of the Bulge, which started on December 16. After initial successes in bad weather, the German advance was eventually stopped and pushed back to their starting points by January 15, 1945.

After Sicily fell into Allied hands and the south of Italy was captured too, the Germans started retreating northwards. By this time, Luftwaffe air raids on Malta decreased. However, as the Germans retreated northwards, Malta still remained in their minds. The last alert was sounded at 8.43pm on August 28, 1944, and the final ‘All Clear’ was given at 9pm.

The last alert was sounded at 8.43pm on August 28, 1944, and the final ‘All Clear’ was given at 9pm

When at the start of the war enemy bombers began attacking Malta, several bombs were dropped in the vicinity of Cospicua parish church due to its proximity to Dock No.1. Although the surrounding buildings were nearly demolished, the church did not suffer any damage. However, Cospicua’s Collegiate Chapter decid­ed to transfer the titular statue of the Immaculate Conception and the titular painting and other works of art to Birkirkara for safe keeping.

The titular painting in front of Cospicua parish church.

During a extraordinary meeting held at Bonnici Institute in Hamrun, the Collegiate Chapter solemnly pledged that if the church survived the heavy raids, when war ended they would return the titular statue and painting in a pilgrimage from the collegiate of Birkirkara to Cospicua. The pledge was confirmed by Archbishop Dom Mauro Caruana in a decree on July 29, 1941.

Although the war was still raging in Europe, and as the Collegiate church had survived the attacks, the Collegiate Chapter decided to fulfil the pledge made in 1941. After receiving the necessary permit from Archbishop Mgr Michael Gonzi to fulfil the pledge by a decree from the Curia on October 1, 1944, the Chapter decided on October 19, 1944, to form a deputation to plan the solemn pilgrimage with the titular statue and painting.

The pilgrimage was held on November 19, 1944, and almost the entire population of Cospicua gathered at about 7am in the parish square of Birkirkara. However, it was soon evident that the throngs of people present were, in fact, coming from all over Malta and the pilgrimage took the form of a national event rather than a purely parochial one.

The titular statue of the Immaculate Conception leaving collegiate church of Birkirkara on November 19, 1944.

All the balconies from Birkirkara to Cospicua were covered with silk cloths and with framed pictures of Our Lady surrounded by roses. The pilgrimage started with a solemn Mass at Birkirkara’s St Helen’s basilica, after which the church bells started ringing festive melodious notes.

All religious orders and institutions of Cospicua and religious organisations from other parishes together with thousands of people of all ages from Malta and Gozo joined in the pilgrimage. At least 16 band clubs from all over Malta participated in the pilgrimage and displayed their standards. The pilgrimage stopped occasionally along the way to Cospicua, most noteworthy at Hamrun.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the Allies wanted to help the Yugoslav partisans fighting the Axis occupiers by all means. Royal Navy submarines and other small surface warships navigated close to remote Yugoslav shores along the Adriatic to pick up injured and sick comrades and to transport them to Italy and Malta for necessary treatment.

These partisans consisted of both men and women dressed in army uniforms. The most senior partisan officer in Malta was Jerko Juricic. They were mainly housed in Tas-Salib Camp, Rabat. Tatiana Rajic, who was of Russian origin and was married to the personal doctor of the leader of the partisans, Marshal Tito, also came to Malta. She was a Yugoslav prima donna and a well-known singer at the Belgrade Opera House who also entertained the Yugoslav royal family before the war.

A leaflet distributed on the occasion of the return of the titular statue of Immaculate Conception to Cospicua.

The British Command in Malta took advantage of the partisans’ stay on the island and eagerly helped train all able-bodied ones in armed combat and the handling of machine-guns, mortars and personnel carriers, especially in the Mellieħa Bay Camp.

Many of the Yugoslav partisans had come to Malta in a very poor state of health or badly wounded, and failed to return to their country. They were buried in places such as Mellieħa Bay cemetery and Ta’ Braxia, among other cemeteries.

Relevant artefacts and information can be seen at Heritage Malta’s National War Museum in Valletta.

Charles Debono is Curator of the National War Museum.