World War Two is often remembered as one of the most formative periods of Maltese history, however, the thousands of brave men, women, and children that fell victim to its atrocities are often swept under the rug…

Today, the Sliema Local Council took to social media to pay tribute to the people that were killed in the disastrous bombing of Prince of Wales Road, which happened exactly 80 years ago.

“Amongst the dead were children and constables on duty at the police station. Charles B. Grech, in ‘Raiders Passed’ (pp. 161 - 167) described in detail the harrowing scenes he encountered as a young boy,” the council wrote.

“The walls were spattered with pieces of flesh and blood. The glass kiosk, which covered the entrance to the public toilets situated in front of the police station had been completely obliterated,” Grech described in his book.

In ‘Raiders Passed’, readers are taken on a tumultuous journey as they witness the atrocities of WW2, recalled through the eyes of a young boy. Like most boys of his age, Grech’s imagination was fired by the adventure of war. Unlike most youngsters, however, he somehow managed to be in the thick of any action taking place all over the Maltese islands.

“This was one of the access points to Sliema’s largest air-raid shelter which snaked beneath much of the Ferry’s side of Prince of Wales Road, having a capacity of over 2,000 souls,” the Sliema council continued.

Describing the scene, Grech wrote: “a spiral staircase led to [the shelter] and this was awash with the blood of dead men, women, and children, lying on top of each other.”

The council remembered this tragedy by laying a wreath beneath the small memorial on the police station yesterday.

Main image: Kappa Vision / Facebook, Tas-Sliema Local Council / Facebook