I read with interest the letter from Joseph Vella which described the Malta George Cross as a "symbol of repression".

As an Englishman who has worked with Maltese people and visited Malta regularly for almost 50 years, I have found little in these arguments that is relevant to the award of the George Cross.

One has only to look through the phone book to realise the very varied history of the Maltese people - German, Italian, French, Arab and of course, some English.

Malta by virtue of its geographic position and strategic importance has been ruled by many outsiders over the years. It was the good fortune of the British to be in charge of Malta through a critical period in the history of the world - but be assured that if it were not a British rule, it would have been another.

There is a very real affection for Malta and the Maltese in Britain. The George Cross was not an empty gesture but was given out of admiration for the way the people of Malta behaved in the face of fascist dictatorships that threatened the civilised world.

It is distinctly possible that Hitler and Mussolini would have triumphed had Malta fallen - what "symbols of repression" would there be now? What kind of "European Union" would we have?

We have all met the kind of Englishman who looks down his nose at "the natives", whoever they may be. I don't like them any more than Mr Vella, however, these same people behave the same way with their own "working classes" and they have never been truly representative of the British character.

The colonial world is no longer with us, but it is a part of world history.

The British ruled their Empire and protectorates with self-interest - but that is human nature.

In general, the British Empire was ruled fairly and by dedicated people and it has been my experience that a good relationship still exists between the ordinary British citizen and the citizens of the many Commonwealth countries around the world.

Men and women of many nations died keeping Malta free of the fascists, the Maltese people made many sacrifices - maybe too many - but it should never be said that this was not Malta's war. The monsters that created the holocaust would not have been merciful to Malta .

In Britain , we still remember the Maltese fortitude and the George Cross was a unique recognition of that bravery by a Britain that had nothing else to give at that time. The George Cross is not a symbol of oppression, but a gesture of grateful thanks to a small island that may have saved us all. You are right to be proud of it.