The winds of war in Europe are blowing with more intensity than has been the case for over 70 years. Few are left to tell their story from among those who have direct experience of what it was like to live in times of war. It falls to the younger generations to remind us all of the fallen heroes of two world wars.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is helping to organise the annual global awareness week in a number of countries, including the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, that experienced the harshness of two world wars.
This year, Malta will be joining these countries for the first time to commemorate those who lost their lives in those global conflicts. Free tours of the Mtarfa military cemetery are being offered all week to help people understand the ultimate sacrifice made by thousands of Maltese and foreigners who gave their lives to preserve our freedom. This year’s event has the apt theme of ‘Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times’.
Malta’s role in the two world wars of the last century is well documented. But, as time passes, there is the risk of the nation’s collective memory fading when it comes to the price paid by so many ordinary people.
Their bravery helped Europe and western civilisation overcome the threat of tyrants who had no respect for the values of humanism.
The horrors of war have driven many countries, including Malta, to commit themselves to military non-alignment and neutrality.
The local generations born just after World War II experienced the horrors of the Korean War and the Vietnam War from a distance. Many embraced pacifism and welcomed the creation of the political institution that today is the European Union. They hoped that our continent would never again experience the misery of war.
There have been a number of regional wars in parts of Europe over the last 70 years. But the risk of an extended war on the continent has only recently become such a terrible reality.
At this difficult time, we must remind ourselves of the stories of courage woven by our ancestors in the last century.
We must never forget their courage and what they fought for.
That courage did not only belong to those killed in action. Many suffered from the collateral damage that every war inflicts on the community.
We should all be grateful to the small team of dedicated volunteers, like Lino Camilleri, Jean Attard and Elaine Zerafa, who will tell those interested the stories about ordinary people buried in Malta’s military cemeteries and who “gave their today for our tomorrow”.
Camilleri makes a poignant remark when he says: “These people sacrificed so much, their lives, for the freedom we get to experience today. Their stories should not be forgotten or taken for granted.”
We live in times when many seek instant gratification in their everyday activities. Gratitude for what others have done to give us the freedoms and comforts we enjoy today is a scarce value. But those who dismiss the lessons of history are bound to repeat past mistakes.
Visiting cemeteries is not an activity that many look forward to. A visit to Mtarfa, though, will help us preserve the collective memory of what our ancestors went through as they spilled their blood to preserve their values and lay the foundations of today’s free society.
A trip to those gravestones may also serve to remind us that the same sacrifices are being made not far from us on the periphery of Europe, as another fascist regime is resisted with blood and tears.