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Hi Redmik,

Yeah watched it on BBC2, fascinating program. The Maltese took a hammering but hung in their.

Ken

It was a good programme. My uncle served on Malta during the siege.
I served there years later.

loved it....

An excellent insight, far worse than what the Brits endured. Perhaps explains why the Maltese people are inclined to resist foreigners telling them how to do things on their own island!
Yes, we all know that Malta is now part of the EU, yada yada yada..., but it's only 8 years.

How did they manage to rebuild the island after that onslaught, where did the money come from? No wonder everything is not as pristine as foreigners would like it to be. I salute you, Maltese people!

rooikat wrote:

An excellent insight, far worse than what the Brits endured. Perhaps explains why the Maltese people are inclined to resist foreigners telling them how to do things on their own island!
Yes, we all know that Malta is now part of the EU, yada yada yada..., but it's only 8 years.

How did they manage to rebuild the island after that onslaught, where did the money come from? No wonder everything is not as pristine as foreigners would like it to be. I salute you, Maltese people!

"the most bombed place on earth" is far worse than anyone has endured not just brits.

Malta and its people are proud, should be proud and have a right to be...their bravery in that time cannot be surpassed. Its one of the many reasons we choose to stay despite the frustrations of other matters.

Toon, Correct.
Having grown up in SA we did not experience the after effects of devastating bombing, so when we moved to the UK it was a shock to us to see various documentaries on the destruction of property and psychological effects on the UK nation. Those documentaries are our frame of reference to compare last night's Malta documentary
As a matter of interest, my grandfather, father and uncles fought on the British side in the SA Transvaal Scottish Regiment and were all based in Egypt during the German attacks.

The single most emotive item, for me, in the National War Museum at Fort St Elmo is the small log book recording all the air raids on Malta.
I urge anyone to go and see it.
I don't know why, maybe because of my uncle but one reason I am so drawn to the islands is the history of their bravery and stoicism in the face of adversity.
As a child I was raised and made very aware of the history of Malta, my grandparents being most significant in teaching me.

Hello and happy 2013 one and all...

Have to agree that the Maltese people put up with more than their fair share of horror but their incredible resilience is there for all to see!

But let us not forget those brave servicemen that also went over and beyond the call of duty in their defense of Malta and braved overwhelming axis odds to get convoys through...

My Father was one of these serving on HMS Kelvin (K Class Destroyer) that was a close convoy escort and took (like many others) one heck of a hammering all the way from Gib (and back)

I have some wonderful pictures of him and the crew ashore in Malta (an Island that he hated and loved in equal measures... something I could never understand until my time of living there)

Anyhow, for those that enjoyed the BBC prog... here is something else you may like to view!



Best wishes to all

Mikea

Mikea, It brings a lump to one's throat, brave, brave men. Thank you for the link.

One thing I think that some may not consider is that due to the small size of the islands, everyone was involved. By that I mean an entire country's population, the entire community not pockets of it every now and again. That must have contributed to the people's sense of struggle and community. It would also have contributed to their sense of identity; one to be very much respected.
That is what makes these islands unique, the underlying sense of unique identity.

‘The Battle for MaltaÂ’ featuring the struggles which the Maltese had to endure during World War II,  which was broadcast recently on BBC Two, has been posted on YouTube in HD quality.

The 60 minute documentary features interviews with survivors of the darkest days of World Word II, during which Malta was the most bombed place on earth.

Historian James Holland argues that the real importance of Malta's position was its offensive role, which has been largely undervalued.

At the same time it gives a rather realistic picture of the desperate situation, claiming that this was partly due to negligence from the colonial authorities.

Hi all,
A book I have just finished gives even more of an insight into how the Maltese people not only coped in the seige of WW2 but also other sieges in the history including the Ottomans in 1565.
The book was originally written in 1985 butreprinted in 2003.
Its called Seige Malta by Ernie Bradford

Some interesting photos of the bomb damage in Malta



Terry

Nice one Terry.
Try this fascinating site too:

Great thread Mick, and yes it was a fascinating programme.  Thanks to the other contributors too......I thought I had read quite a bit on Malta's history but my appetite has just been whet again - looks like my Kindle is going to get a hammering again.

Take care all.

Mike

on youtube (HD)