War relics on display

For the past few months a number of letters has been appearing on The Times calling for the removal of the Gloster Gladiator Faith from the National War Museum to be placed at the Malta Aviation Museum, in Ta' Qali.

An official reply is now due.

The Gloster Gladiator Faith is an integral part of the national collection under Heritage Malta's remit. Together with the George Cross, the aircraft is one of the highlights of the museum, which is visited by over 60,000 individuals every year.

The National War Museum in Valletta charts the archipelago's plight and subsequent triumph during World War II. It pays tribute to locals and foreigners alike who served during the turbulent years of the conflict.

Faith is a national icon that is pivotal to the display at the National War Museum. It is not just an aircraft but represents much more: Faith was presented to the nation and the people of Malta for the national collection by the then Governor Lord Gort in 1943, in the presence of Keith Park, Commander of the Royal Air Force. As such, it will never be removed from its rightful place and from its wider context within the entire national collection, since it will not only be detrimental to the rest of the collection but will also be in breach of the original conditions of the gift.

Heritage Malta is evaluating issues relating to exhibition space and display in view of implementing the necessary changes at this museum that would continue to honour the sacrifice of all those who served during World War II. The agency has also recently engaged a full-time curator for the museum and this is another step in ensuring that the collection and the museum are properly curated.

Incidentally, Heritage Malta is also the national agency for conservation. Unfortunately, many times people confuse the principles of conservation with those of restoration/replication, which are two completely different concepts.

There are absolutely no hidden agendas on the matter and any such claims are unfounded.