Joseph Strickland, the younger son of Captain Walter Strickland, a British officer, and the Noble Louisa Bonici Mompalao dei Conti della Catena, was born on June 14, 1864, in Valletta. He was baptised in the collegiate church of St Paul Shipwrecked, and was given the name Joseph, Charles, Anthony, Cajetan, Pius, Carmel, Lawrence, Paul. His godparents were Baron Joseph Mary Depiro and Rosalia, wife of Aloisius Marchese Apap, on behalf of Anna Chalmenley.

The Strickland family lived in a palatial house (now the Notarial Archives Malta) in St Paul Street.

Young Joseph Strickland was educated at Mondragone College near Frascati, outside Rome, and pursued further studies in Feldkirch, Austria, and in Stonyhurst, England. Besides his native English and Maltese, he was proficient in Italian, French and German. In 1891, he graduated Doctor in Literature at the University of Turin, and in 1892 Doctor of Philosophy at the state university in Rome.

In 1883, Joseph joined the Society of Jesus in Manresa at Roehampton, London, though he belonged to the Roman province. He was ordained priest in 1899 at St Beuno’s college, St Asaph, Wales.

From 1903 to 1911, he was posted to Florence where he founded a youth centre: Ricreatorio San Giuseppe, which was provided with playing fields for football and other sport, classrooms, a chapel and a small theatre.

In 1912, Fr Joseph Strickland was assigned by his provincial superior to teach at his old school at Mondragone. Meanwhile, he was through considerable archivistic work in Italy in the interest of the Society of Jesus. He was a distinguished English and Italian scholar in his own right. Around this time his brother, Sir Gerald Strickland, was governor of Western Australia.

The Jesuit Fr L. Rocci who personally knew Fr Strickland gives this pen portrait of him: “His strong yet gentle spirit, and the goodness of his noble heart... His spirit of self-denial and sacrifice in his ministry of faith and charity... I can still see his tall straight figure, his good-humoured smile, his fatherly affection for his dear little ones. When he arrived in the morning at the ricreatorio he would be surrounded by a living mass of boys shouting and welcoming him.”

Finding himself in England when World War I broke out in 1914, Rev. Fr Joseph Strickland was given permission by his superiors to join the British Army. First, he was appointed to the London Territorial Brigade, being afterwards transferred to the Second Division of Kitchener’s Army as senior chaplain. He was assigned field ambulance in France up to 1916.

Joseph Strickland’s baptism certificate. He was baptised at the collegiate church of St Paul Shipwrecked, Valletta.

In 1917, he was in Malta, where he volunteered his service and joined the 4th army division in the Malta command with which he remained as a ‘padre’ on the French front as military chaplain. He went through hard fighting, including the second battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915, and in the Battle of the Somme in 1917. He was invalided home in July 1917 after two years of continuous service at the front.

In a lecture Fr Strickland delivered in English in the Aula Magna of the University on February 15, 1917, he recalled his experience as chaplain in the firing line: “We had men who could stand against the Germans, because they belonged to the old regular army, a professional army of non-commissioned officers and men, the finest soldiers seen in this world war...

“I remember the time when we were taken back thirty miles in a locality where a large hill was situated, a hill very much like a German redoubt we wanted to take during the Somme push. Our engineers copied as much as possible

He died suddenly upon failing health at the age of 52

German defences, so as to teach the troops the correct way of attacking them... The British soldier has proved his worth.

“The Germans think the English nation is a nation of children, and that it can be frightened by German frightfulness; but those Germans forget Napoleon’s saying: ‘the English soldier on the defensive is the devil in person’ (laughter)... The inventive genius of our race devised smoke shells which were used for the first time at the Battle of Loos. Smoke shells are intended to cover an attack, by preventing the enemy from seeing − through the cloud of smoke − the direction of the attack.

“For many months I have gone about with a gas mask... Our troops took trench after trench from the Germans, and immediately a trench was taken, sandbags and barbed wire entanglements were turned around so as to face the enemy. Were I to tell you all that has been done by the painstaking effects of our generals in making the British Army what it now is, I should never end.” (Daily Malta Chronicle, February 28, 1917).

Fr Strickland used to travel by horse from camp to camp. Once he fell from the horse, hit his head and lost consciousness.

He assisted to wounded soldiers, others in agony, and would not look only after English soldiers but also administered the sacrament of confession to German prisoners of war. For some time, he served as chaplain on board the ship Laetitia.

St Paul's convalescent camp.

When he died, the Daily Malta Chronicle wrote: “Deep regret to record the death of Rev. Fr Joseph Strickland, chaplain to the forces.”

He died suddenly upon failing health at the age of 52 in Tigné hospital on July 15, 1917. At that time as chaplain, he was given the spiritual care of the Għajn Tuffieħa convalescent camp.

He was accorded an imposing funeral, “a touching tribute of respect for his memory”. A large, distinguished gathering testified the affection and esteem in which the deceased was held.

It was originally intended that the remains should be interred in the family vault in the cathedral, Mdina, “but at the earnest wish of the Jesuit fathers deceased was laid to rest in the Addolorata Cemetery among the graves of the community he loved so well and served so faithfully”.

The officiating clergyman was Mgr Dr F. Ferris, acting senior RC chaplain; pall bearers were Fr A. Bajada, Fr R. Borne, Fr A. Attard, Fr Dr A.E. Bugeja, all military chaplains. Chief mourners were Sir Gerald Strickland and the misses Strickland, Charles Edward Strickland and Mrs Strickland. Rev. Fr V. Sammut, SJ, Rev. J. Leanza, SJ, Rev. J. Grech, SJ, Rev. G. Briffa, SJ and Rev. Grima, SJ.

The gathering included the representative of governor Lord Methuen and the representative of archbishop Don Maurus Caruana OSB, Rev. A. Copperstone, Rev. E.J Cauchi (military cross) , and a strong representative body of military chaplains of the different denominations, the superior and representative body of the Jesuit fathers in Malta.

A requiem mass was celebrated in the chapel by the Rev. Fr Sammut, SJ after which the remains were removed for interment where the deceased had wished to rest with the departed of his community.