It’s easy to forget, in the rhythms of everyday life, and festive seasons, how dark Malta’s wartime past could be.

A striking reminder comes from an archival black-and-white photo from the archives of the National War Museum shared by Battlefront Living History Group Malta. The image features a large naval mine bearing a message aimed at Italy’s former Prime Minister Benito Mussolini.

The inscription reads, 'Dina rigal għal Mussolini, bħala tifkira ghal Milied it-Tajjeb'. This roughly translates to, 'This is a gift for Mussolini as a souvenir for a good Christmas.'

It’s a sharp mix of humour, sarcasm, and Maltese resilience – an everyday soldier’s way of pushing back against a regime that had brought destruction to the islands.

The message captures the strong anti-fascist sentiment present in Malta, its islands, and its people during the Second World War, a period when they all endured relentless bombardment by Axis forces.

As a strategic British naval base in the Mediterranean, Malta became one of the most heavily bombed places on earth, ultimately earning the George Cross for its courage.

Small acts of defiance like this inscription offer a vivid window into the spirit that helped the island endure – and prevail.