82 Years Ago Today, King George VI Awarded Malta The George Cross
Exactly 82 years ago, Malta was awarded the George Cross by King George VI, a symbol which stands proudly on the country’s flag.
At the height of the Second World War, on 15th April 1942, the Secretary of State for the Colonies conveyed a message from the King to the island’s governor.
The King’s message, delivered in a holograph letter read: “To honour her brave people, I award the George Cross to the island fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion to duty that will long be famous in history”.
By April 1942, Malta had been facing near-daily bombing raids since June 1940.
In fact, Malta sustained the heaviest bombing attacks in World War Two, with around 6,700 tonnes of bombs being dropped over a two-year period.
During the war, the Maltese population stood at 270,000, with 1,581 civilians killed, 3,780 injured, and 50,000 made homeless due to enemy bombings, amounting to 18.5% of the total population.
Despite the intense attacks, Malta persevered and up until today, the George Cross serves as a reminder of not only the hardships our ancestors had to endure, but also their strength.
That being said, some prominent Maltese individuals, such as historiographer Charles Xuereb and lawyer Franco Debono, feel that the George Cross should be left for the history books, and not on the country’s flag.
“I believe the time has come to remove the George Cross from our national flag,” Debono stated in 2022.
“I don’t think that an honour that is given to individuals to display on their chests should be on our national flag”.
Debono went on to say that “while removing the George Cross, we should also sweep out the colonial and servile mentality that is still stifling the nation and against which I had rebelled as an MP.”
Do you think that the George Cross should remain a proud symbol of our country?
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