Who were they?

At 6 p.m., on September 22, many people, Maltese and foreigners were waiting on the various walls, bastions and Barrakkas, surrounding Grand Harbour, waiting to hear the distinctive sound of the two sets of Merlin engines that were bringing back to Malta a very important part of our recent history.

At precisely 6 p.m., Flt Lt Charley Brown and the indomitable Clive Denny flew a Spitfire and Hurricane, respectively, low across our majestic Grand Harbour, sending a ripple across the normally still waters.

It was a truly magnificent and very emotional sight and while all around cameras were clicking away, handkerchiefs were used to dab almost every watching eye.

The last time these wonderful airplanes flew over our islands was in 1952, during the filming of The Malta Story, and it was very appropriate that one of the stars of that film, Muriel Pavlow, still a very beautiful and sprightly octogenarian, was there on the Lower Barrakka to witness their return.

In 1952, there were many Spitfires and Hurricanes still flying but today there are only 12 Spitfires and seven Hurricanes in the whole world that are in flying condition. That's what made it so special, that these daring, old airplanes, travelled the length of Europe in three days to be with us again and, possibly, for the very last time.

During their stay on our islands, they flew on different days, twice over the air show, over the war memorial, the new hangar at the Malta Aviation Museum and they also made a trip around Malta and Gozo, giving wonderful displays of flying skills and bringing back memories to many Maltese who were old enough to remember the terrible yet magnificent days of World War II.

During the buildup to World War II, Malta was part of the British empire and threatening the whole of Europe was a very strong and very unscrupulous enemy determined to control and dominate everything around them. They had their eyes on Malta because the island was annoying them and causing problems with the supply of food and armaments to their armies in North Africa.

At the time, Britain and the British empire were the only countries that stood up to this enemy. Consequently, Malta was targeted and bombed to pieces by hundreds of enemy planes, dropping thousands of bombs over many, many weeks and months. The only defence we had were the courageous Maltese and British troops and the few, very few, airplanes that took to the sky to face the onslaught.

Many members of the armed forces and many civilians died. The award of the George Cross recognised the Maltese people's courage. The enemy was finally defeated and peace once again returned to our islands.

At a reception at Verdala Palace on September 24, when President Eddie Fenech Adami hosted 350 war veterans, I introduced Flt Lt Brown to the President, at the same time asking him what were his feelings about coming to Malta and especially flying low over Grand Harbour in his first visit to the islands.

His reply was in part quite predictable but also in a way a little disturbing.

Flying over Grand Harbour was one of the most exhilarating experiences of his life. Seeing the magnificent bastions rise from the still waters was something he would always remember.

As he was flying over Malta, the aviator continued, he passed over a pitch where some boys were playing a five-a-side football match. As he flew over the pitch, the boys didn't even look up to see what was flying overhead. He commented to us that he found this quite strange and a little puzzling.

Hostilities ended 60 years ago but we should not forget the sacrifices our parents and grandparents made for freedom. Our previous adversaries are now our friends and that is how it should be. The only way forward is to look to the future. But we should never forget the past.

It seems that the history taught in our schools stops at the time of the Knights of St John. Well, our history does not stop there, it carries on right up to yesterday.

If our schools had taught our children our recent history, then maybe those boys playing football would have stopped, even for a second, to look up at the airplanes and maybe they would have said a little thank you for helping to make their present way of life possible.