Celebrations honoured the victims of the First World War.
At 11am on 11th November 1918, WWI came to an end when the Armistice was signed by Germany and the Allies, bringing a close to the brutal four years that took the lives of around 20 million people.
100 years later, yesterday, representatives from 70 different countries gathered in Paris to pay tribute to the fallen of the First World War. In a 20-minute address, French President Emmanuel Macron urged for nationalism to be put aside and for leaders to work for world peace. Malta was represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela.
During the war, Malta was known as “the Nurse of the Mediterranean,” since it was far off from the battlefront and was used strategically as a medical recovery outpost. Around 136,000 wounded or sick soldiers were treated here. An average of 2,000 soldiers would arrive in Malta from the front every week, and at the war's peak, Malta had 27 hospitals with 334 medical officers, 913 nurses, and 25,000 beds to provide care. The record for the most patients treated in one day stands at an astonishing 20,994.
To mark the centenary on the Maltese Islands, tribute was paid to all those who lost their lives in the Great War. President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Leader of the Opposition Adrian Delia, Speaker Anġlu Farrugia, Chief Judge Joseph Azzopardi, civil authorities and ambassadors laid wreaths and flowers at the base of the Floriana War Memorial. The monument bears the words of King George V, recognising the important and patriotic contribution Malta made during World War I.
A number of elderly persons who served in World War II were also present at the ceremony, with red poppies pinned to their apparel; a reminder of blood shed during the wars. The Remembrance Day programme began with a High Mass in St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, during which Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna recalled Malta’s brave and patriotic contribution in the war, adding that it is a centenary that honours Malta. Places like Bighi Hospital and the Sacra Infermeria and their medical staff served to care for all the wounded.
At noon, church bells around Malta tolled to commemorate 100 years since the end of the Great War. The Archbishop wanted all churches to participate in a gesture of peace and respect for life and those lost. We salute you!