Fly the flag! It’s been 83 years since the George Cross was presented to Malta and its heroic people
The George Cross was originally awarded in April but was officially presented in September.
Exactly 83 years ago today, on the 13th September, 1942, Malta was presented with one of the highest achievements anyone could ever receive for their bravery during World War II.
The George Cross was originally awarded in April but was properly presented to the Maltese people in September.
The grand ceremony was held in what is now known as St George Square. The square in fact, was still covered from the debris of the extensive bombing Valletta experienced.
Chief Justice George Borg accepted the George cross as a representative of all the Maltese people that bravely suffered and fought during these horrifying years.
Over the following days, the George cross was displayed in various towns and villages across Malta, for every Maltese citizen to see and appreciate.
To commemorate such a historic day, the National Archives of Malta shared two extremely interesting documents on Facebook.
These include the official invitation to the ceremony from the Governor of Malta at the time, John Vereker, together with a map showing the structural plans of the organisation of the ceremony. This was most probably done to avoid the debris in the square.
Facebook/The National Archives of Malta & Facebook/ThisisMalta