In honour of World Refugee Day being celebrated today, the National Archives of Malta have shared the story of one of Malta’s most prominent refugees, Alec Issigonis.

Alec Issigonis is a legend amongst car enthusiasts as he is known for being the designer of the iconic Mini car.

He was born in Smyrna, Greece but was thankfully evacuated to Malta at 15 years old, right before the Great Fire of Smyrna broke out during the Greco-Turkish war.

He arrived to the island together with his parents Constantine and Hulda Prokopp. Unfortunately, his father died soon after and is still buried at Ta’ Braxia cemetery in Malta to this day.

In 1923, he and his mother moved to Britain where Alec soon began his illustrious career.

Facebook/The National Archives of Malta