Three streams of satire dominate the inter-wars years in Malta – political, armed services and sports. And, but to a far lesser extent, the Valletta band clubs’ rivalry, King’s Own versus La Valette. Deep-seated enmity between the political and football factions produced an abundant output of stinging caricatures, many published as postcards.

Rubbing it in: Sliema Wanderers against Floriana in 1926.

Football takes the lion’s share, the most vocal cartoons coming from Floriana supporters to mock, humiliate and insult their traditional adversaries, Sliema Wanderers.

Rivalry between two British naval football teams in Malta. ‘Light Life and Glory’ was the motto of HMS Emperor of India. Note the two dolphins around a pre-Nazi swastika.

Toilet humour by Floriana against the Cospicua St George’s football team in the 1920s.

Political satire roped in superb draughtsmen like Giuseppe Calì, Ganni Vella, Robert Caruana Dingli and, later, Alfred Gerada. Sports cartoonists had to make do with the skills of spleen-filled ama­teurs, predominantly anonymous. They fancied themselves, against all evidence, graphic artists. In football satire, the intellectual level of wit hardly ever soars.

A 1920s postcard mocking Sliema Wanderers’ defeat by Floriana.

Floriana victorious. A 1920s postcard.

Plenty of robust toilet humour takes its place, with diarrhoea and chamber pots well in sight. One card usefully shows the high-cylindrical kantru, now long defunct and replaced by the ceramic or enamel potty.

Another satirical card to celebrate Floriana’s humiliation. The qaqgħa again!

And, then, the timeless coffins, lumi and baby pacifiers, to this day the pinnacle of political barbs in the eyes of the retarded. And the mysterious honey ring, qaqgħa tal-għasel, whose symbolism now escapes me.

These postcards have one redeeming feature: non-Għaqda Maltese prevails over English or Italian. Almost certainly the earliest widespread use of the Maltese language on postcards.

Players from four football teams, with one holding the trophy mocking the other three. A 1920s postcard.

A 1920s football cartoon postcard signed by R. Agius celebrating a victory by Floriana over Sliema. Note the honey ring.

A victory by Floriana on May, 27, 1923 was celebrated by the team’s supporters by the issue of this postcard.

To spare ourselves any groundless claims to primacy, I record instances of entirely British football rivalry between teams of the armed services stationed in Malta. Their tone generally sounds less coarse, more urbane than their Maltese counterparts but equally debunking and biting.

Sliema’s revenge on Floriana when they won 4-1 on March 26, 1926. The Floriana players are reduced to skeletons.

World War II ensured the almost total termination of many earlier customs, including the circulation of satirical football postcards.

All images from the author’s collections.

Sliema Wanderers won against Floriana on January 28, 1923, and its supporters issued this postcard to celebrate.