It was 6.45am on 11th June 1940 when the air raid siren sounded for the very first time across the Maltese islands, and sadly it was far from the last.

Throughout that day Malta suffered its first eight air raids from a total exceeding 3,000 over the ensuing years. 

The worst air raid during the first day occurred at around 7.30pm, by which point 22 Maltese including a six-year-old girl and a five-month-old child had lost their lives while 50 more were wounded.

This tumultuous period in Maltese history would become known as The Siege of Malta, in which 1,300 Maltese lost their lives and more than 30,000 buildings were destroyed.