The cross of George – much ado about nothing
The true story of the cross of George is that Malta was used as a military base during the war! The Maltese suffered famine and disease. They had their properties bombed and destroyed. As a nation we had our magnificent fortifications built by the knights destroyed because we were a military base. A lot of us lost members of our families!
The Germans and Italians bombarded the British base in Malta due to the fact that the British were sinking supply ships from Europe to North Africa. Many people like me do not see any merit in that medal which was normally given to soldiers for bravery. That was an insult! Bravery? What bravery? We had no say in this! We had no choice! We had to endure simply because we were a military base. That is already bad enough. But no. The British needed to rubber-stamp our flag with an emblem of their king too. We were their subjects after all.
Didn’t Lord Byron say that Malta is a country of yells, smells and bells? That is what the British thought of us. And yet, lurking among us, still roams the servile gene, the weak mind which is content seeing our flag tainted.What we needed was money, medicine and the building of a country. Hardly any Maltese person was present for the ceremony which took place in September of 1942. The Maltese couldn’t care about any medal. They were only concerned with protecting their skin and the skin of their families. They searched for food which was very scarce. Some were content with leftovers by the British. Some had to fill in their stomachs with bread and lard. Malta was devastated, and yet we, as a nation, were rewarded with a piece of metal.
Some contributors try to cloud the minds by making ridiculous statements. This has nothing to do with the medal being British.If King George was Italian or Japanese, we would have said the same thing. The British are welcome here, we appreciate their touristic custom as I am sure the British appreciate the Maltese having their holidays in their country.
The great pity is that, so far, even the powers that be have not realised how insulted many Maltese people feel about this. We spend well-earned taxes paid by the Maltese people to invite foreign princes and members of monarchies, and in senseless ceremonies. We spend money to commemorate an insult.
Yes, let us all rejoice and cherish peace. Wars only bring destruction. But wars happen because of greed and because countries want to control other countries, or because people in power want to control their own people.
Have we forgotten the scramble for Africa? Have we forgotten how many European countries wanted power and land and to fly their flags overseas? Nazism and Fascism were very bad news and thank God they were destroyed thanks to America joining in! But no country is pure. Everyone should have learnt from the last war.
Let us teach our youths by all means that war is never the answer but we can do this by proper education at school and not by portraying some medal given by a past oppressor!
Open your eyes I say, come to your senses and remove the present taint which serves nothing more than a constant reminder of past foreign rule and exploitation.
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Keith Ruffles
Mar 1st, 11:45
Here’s a question you should consider: would Malta have escaped the war untouched if it were not a part of the British Empire? Or would its strategic position in the middle of the Mediterranean have meant that war would have come no matter who was in control?
Keith Ruffles
Mar 1st, 11:44
“…we, as a nation, were rewarded with a piece of metal.”
If the George Cross is just a piece of metal then the flag of Malta is just a piece of cloth.
Of course, it’s the symbolism of the object and not the material that it’s made from that is significant - otherwise, you wouldn’t feel so strongly about it.
Carmel Vella
Jun 7th 2012, 18:31
That piece of tin given to Malta by good old George, does not belong on the Maltese flag. What Malta could have done well with, would have been some immediate financial support to clean up the destroyed buildings, churches, roads . I was five years holds still evading huge rubble in Valletta on the main roads, still there many years after the bombings stopped.
Norman E Grech
Feb 1st, 11:30
Well said!
It is very clear that many people have opened their eyes and are using their own minds!
Jamie Iain Genovese
May 15th 2012, 18:37
Ha nibki.
The Maltese suffered incredibly, but all for the fight against Hitler's war. No one disputes the importance Malta had in the War, and anyone who does is an idiot.
Those who speak against the cross stitched on the flag are speaking against the sacrifices that his ancestors have made in the war, and forgetting it is just another step in forgetting the darker parts of our history.
And we all know how forgetting the past goes.
Norman E Grech
Apr 26th 2012, 13:13
@ Francis Saliba
Au contaire Francis! I have presented numerous examples as to why that flag on OUR flag is an insult and I have managed to share this clear cause with hundreds of people who, and I say this with satisfaction, not only see my point but talk about this openly in every possible situation. They challenge brain-washed people the like of you and are convinced of what their new enlightenment!
When it come to people like you I realise that I am barking at the wrong tree and wasting my time
William Spencer
May 13th 2012, 11:38
Mr Grech, so much fuss, so much bluster, so much anger !!
No doubt about 95% + of the British people could not care less whether there is a George Cross on the Maltese Flag or not.
Personally I am really bored with the FEW Maltese people moaning about their Flag being adorned with the George Cross. These are usually people with an inferiority complex, and / or were overlooked jobwise by the British Firms / Companies when the British were here.
The solution is so very simple, have a referendum on whether the Maltese people want the George Cross on their National Flag, or not. Then go with the will of the people.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 26th 2012, 10:19
@ Norman E Grech (yesterday at 21:18)
You do not fool anybody. You are not really "bored" with my comments you are floored by them. You are incapable of "trying to teach (anybody) new tricks". You are unable to counter my arguments logically and so you are left with no other choice but to "give up". In the meantime the rest of the Maltese continue to show their respect and their appreciation of the prized decoration of the George Cross gracing our National Flag.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 25th 2012, 17:05
@ Alex Ciantar, Today, 13:35
The absurdity is in your false pretence that the George Cross is displayed on our national flag because some foreigner placed it there against the will of the Maltese. I have said this before, but I need to repeat it once more, so that with some luck, lots of it actually, you might, just might, be able to understand its plain English and to admit its truth.
The George Cross is legitimately displayed on our flag, not because some foreigner placed it there. It was rightfully placed on our flag, and it is still retained there because Article 3 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malta says so, and it is that Constitution that counts, not your Anglophobia. That article of the Constitution was accepted unanimously by all the Malta representatives legally empowered to represent the nation - that leaves out in the cold.
The George Cross continues to be pridefully enshrined there up to this day because no noisy unrepresentative malcontents have ever dared to initiate the attempt to have it removed according to law. That insignificant minority, you included, knows that the attempt is doomed to failure, so it does not even try, knowing full well that the braying of donkeys would never reach up to heaven.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 25th 2012, 18:31
@ Saliba,
That's your thwarted and incorrect perception there are many that might agree with you and there many that do not!!
You said a similar story about the divorce issue about a year ago...............now one year later you are proved wrong ........
Time will tell!!
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 21:18
@F Saliba
Must you always bore us with your same old rethoric? OK I give up! It's useless trying to teach old dogs new tricks.. Enjoy looking at your flag with the cross of george on it!
Finito!
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 27th 2012, 06:09
@ Alex Ciantar, 25 Apr at 18:31.
It is only your "thwarted and incorrect perception" that I said "a similar story" about divorce and that I was "proved wrong". I never prophesied the outcome of the local divorce debate. What I said correctly is that the teaching of Christ was that divorce was wrong for everybody and that still holds. I never said that there would not be those who would disobey Christ's teaching.
M. Hills
Apr 25th 2012, 15:16
@ Norman E Grech
First of all,I would not use the words "taint" or "stain". We need to learn the SIGNIFICANCE of the medal...what it stands for...and,once understood , we could say that the significance of the medal has faded..it belonged to the past, even a recent past , a past I remember as there in Luqa as a child.The reason we still attatch this magic awe on it ,is because the victorious Allies, especially the Russians, encouraged exaggerated accusations of atrosities on the one country ie Germany, sometimes unfounded, and piled all the guilt on to it,a country which they punished and divided into four regions until recently. They were judge and jury and decided that the atrocities they committed..Dresden,Munich,the Red Army rampage over germany raping looting and killing and murder of the thousands of Polish White Russians were not punishable or considered atrocities. The might and power the Allies had was immense and their propaganda machine likewise. As for the GC on the flag, once we reach an educated assessment of the significance of the medal and get out of our inferiority complex mode and feel strong in the fact that a simple red and white flag is enough .then it will be a matter for the public to decide.
Carmelo Aquilina
Apr 25th 2012, 13:58
I would expect to see letters from Norman to remove the Maltese cross from our coins, symbols etc because the foreign oppressors dragged us into an unnecessary. All. war with Turkey... please give it a rest.
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 18:08
@C Aquilina
You would expect wrongly! I voted to have the MALTESE cross on our Euro coin. It's the cross if george that I totally refuse to accept.
Resting my case sir.
M. Hills
Apr 25th 2012, 11:32
Malta,with its natural deep harbour,strategically placed in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, has,since the time of "zem zem", been used as a port of call by traders from Northern Europe .Malta became more important when the Suez Canal was opened as a short cut to southern Africa and India.Hundreds of people of European stock settled in Malta to work for the Knights and the French before the Suez and later for the British and it was by sheer accident that Malta did not remain under the French. If it had,French would have been the formal language on the island with the local dialect of Arabic origin spoken by the inhabitants as is the case in Tunisia and Morocco and Algeria. Malta, and such like countries with something to offer have always been up for grabs by the powerful colonisers. And if Germany won the war instead of the four Allies then we would have been speaking German ,as well the local dialect called Maltese of which I am fluent. What is the big deal here, to resort to slang..that is history..and the Germans would not,as repeated propaganda unfairly would have us perpetuate, would not have been any different from other colonisers.That is history..as for the George Cross..it is a nice decoration on a rather bland flag and whether it is left or removed will not make a difference to the "act" ie the act of it having been awarded in recognition of much suffering by the maltese because what is given is recorded in the annals of history.Neither the Union Jack nor the Stars and Stripes has medals on them and please let me know if anyone has noticed any. It was only the decision of a handful ,happy and euphoric after years of hardship who decided on the make up of the flag.....as it was only the decision of a handful of top hatted public school parliamentarians who dragged us into WW2
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 13:09
@ M Hills
OK, some of the points you mentioned are correct, others false. Some I totally agree, some I don't. Still a balanced comment!
The crux of the matter is: 'WE SHOULD NOT BE WAVING A FLAG WITH A STAIN ON IT, AN EMBLEM DENOATING THE NAME OF A PAST FOREIGN PERSON' THE QUESTION IS RAISE IS ABOUT THE FLAG!!!
One of righteous contributors further down said that the GC is called the GC because of St George on the horse! How feeble an argument is that! It is NOT true! It is called the GC because it was constituted by George, a past foreign king! The same thing with the Victoria cross, a cross constituted by a past foreign queen!!
Answer one question for me please! If the Brits and their monarchy love the Maltese so much WHY, is there nothing on their flag which refers to Malta?
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 25th 2012, 15:23
@ Norman Grech
I was watching the Austrian President going into the co-cathedral this morning and got to musing as to what he thinks of the G.C.
When I lived in Malta a little Austrian with a Charlie Chaplin moustache would dearly have liked to be visiting Valletta. One of my in-laws is German and he tells me he admires the fight Malta put up against the Nazis. Every non-Maltese I have ever met has said the same ting to me. I hope it stays on the flag as long as I live.
david wirrich
Apr 25th 2012, 11:25
Regarding Norman Grech's comments in his letter to The Times, one can only be saddened that he has a quite distorted view of history, during WW2. Is he quite oblivious to the fact that if it had not been for the British and its allies, including the Maltese troops, his little islands would be speaking German right now. Is that what he would prefer.
He/we cannot change history. Malta was part of an Empire (British) then, and is again now (EU), except that I bet most Maltese would prefer the former!
As for the GC on the Flag, get over it and be proud of it, like 90% of the rest of the Maltese.
Pierre Mazzacano D'Amato
Apr 25th 2012, 12:35
...90%? Excuse me but where did you get that figure?
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 25th 2012, 10:40
@ Alex Ciantar, Yesterday, 21:22
" the issue is that the George cross should be left" where it is on OUR National flag, my flag as much as your flag, as well as on public display where the government wills it to be displayed, (not just in your museum) and as declared in our Constitution that is the supreme law of the land. Your opinion to the country counts for zilch.
Hugh Von Brockdorff
Apr 25th 2012, 10:38
I find Norman Grech's views on the value of the George Cross and Malta's ties with Britain to be sad, extreme and controversial.In my view, his unnecessary attack, insults all Maltese who stood up to the might of Germany and Italy significantly,courageously and always mindful of the consequences of failure.
The Maltese have defended their land against aggressors for thousands of years alongside their allies because of their position in the Mediterranean which has stood us in good stead throughout history and the culture and well being of the people of this nation is a direct inheritance of our qualities to endure.
Maltese want to be free of extreme ideas which kick up unfounded controversy and divides us as decent citizens because we are all proud of our history.
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 12:59
@ H Von Brockdorff
Hughy!! ' The Maltese have defended their land against aggressors for thousands of years alongside their allies because of their position in the Mediterranean ' and yet none of the previous occupiers tainted our flag!!
That's the whole point!!
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 08:20
The hardest thing in life is to change something, even though it is clearly wrong! Like most battered wives, because they are afraid of change, they stay in desperate situations.
The mind is a strange thing! Most are simple and act like goats.
As Alex Ciantar said, our society is slowly being cleansed from submissiveness and sheer apathy.
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 25th 2012, 10:36
@ Norman Grech
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but just remember before insulting anyone you can do so freely because those people put their life on the line so you can express your opinion, however offensive.
I lived through the war in Malta and I am servile to no-one, least of all the likes of yourself.
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 14:28
@ T Gatt!!
Why do you keep going out of subject? boq! Most of the things you write are irrelevant!
Can't you keep a healthy argument? Try to convince me and others like me why, we should have on OUR flag an emblem denoting the name of a past foreign person? I know, people like you would react by saying: 'ahh but it's the symbol!
Let me have the patience and explain to you by an example:
Imagine Valletta FC's president decides to constitute an emblem in the form of a red lion and decides genuinely to present this emblem to Bubaqra FC (This time I am not saying Floriana FC so no one can tell me they are adversaries) Bubaqra are in the 9th division in the local football league. The president of Valletta presents this emblem, genuinely, as a SYMBOL, as a gesture of appreciation of the up-coming football clubs in Malta to Bubaqra club in a ceremony for the occasion. Remember this is the highest honour Valletta FC have ever bestowed on any one! The question is, do you think that Bubaqra will then put the red lion emblem on THEIR flag? Ofcourse not!!! That's the whole point!
I think even a 5 year old can understand this, so why don't you and the likes of you?
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 25th 2012, 17:16
@ Norman Grech
Not being a football fan I couldn't care less who does what with which and to whom, as the saying goes. This is an entirely different matter and as you can see I'm not alone in my view.
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 23:32
L'ikbar injorant huwa dak li qatt ma haseb b'mohhu u jirrepeti dak li dejjem sema. Umbad l'ikbar arroganti hu dak id defsa li jithol fejn ma jesaghux!!
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 24th 2012, 22:45
@ Alex Ciantar, today at 21:17.
Of course you were referring to the George Cross displayed on our national flag. And I was referring to the different coloured crosses on the Union Jack and the progressively increasing number of stars on the flag of the U.S.A.. They are all clear examples of proud moments of history being displayed on national flags and not being confining them to history books, as arrogantly proposed by you.
Now tell us, who is arrogantly showing ignorance and an inability to understand? me or you?
Alex Ciantar
Apr 25th 2012, 13:35
@ Frans
What an absurd example you put in......The crosses on the union jack are their own hence representing the union of GB and the stars and stripes on the US flag are also their own hence being the united states of America .....NO FOREIGNER PLACED THEM THERE
DUHHHHHHH
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 24th 2012, 21:52
The rightful place of the George Cross on our flag is undeniably declared in Article 3 (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malta as accepted by all the legal representatives of the Maltese people, It continues to be pridefully enshrined there because no noisy unrepresentative malcontent has even dared to initiate the attempt to have it removed according to law.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 21:17
@ F Saliba
I was referring to that part of history (the GC) should not be displayed on our national flag or are you to ignorant to understand that?
but then again ignorance and might also mention arrogance is one of your better virtues!!
Gerry Cowie
Apr 24th 2012, 19:46
It is hardly surprising that Norman Grech has, as a member of a tiny minority of people with enormous chips on their shoulders, should have written this letter. He seems misguidedly convinced that what he wants to happen will happen - but it will not! Let him wallow in his fantasy!
The majority of people simply do not agree with him. He has inferred in previous comments that anybody who does not hold his view is not even patriotic!
Just see the comments below and judge for yourself how great the movement to remove the GC is - or should I say, is not!
In a few years' time it will all die down because those who cannot stop shouting about it will be dead anyway.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 25th 2012, 06:26
Gerrie, that's what they said about the Divorce issue as well that it was a minority ......... I think in a few years down the line it is those old dinosaurs who are self centred and have closed minds that are pro the GC being on our national flag that will die and the new breed of Maltese generation that are open minded and not with a servile mentality will see the light and the truth!!
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 24th 2012, 19:21
"History should either be in books or in a museum but NOT on our national flag!" (Alex Ciantar today at 15:45)
Where did you get this strange idea? Are you ignorant of the fact that history is displayed on flags as well as books monuments etc? Check up on the depiction of history in the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes.
Adrian Borg Cardona
Apr 24th 2012, 19:03
Once again, Mr. Grech shows off his prejudice and ingratitude. To start off, my father at a young 18 years of age volunteered to fight in the war and was injured - an injury he carried with pride (and for which injury the British government paid him an annual pension until he passed away). He fought for people like Mr. Grech to later come and throw insults at their own saviours. Secondly, there were loads of Maltese present at the GC ceremony in 1942- inluding the Chief Justice, other dignatories and ranks of the brave Maltese soldiers (whom now Mr. Grech loves to insult), apartfrom the people. Thirdly, unless you were a fascist supporter during the war (and there were plenty of those around in Malta and in Gozo), you would have happily supported the war effort as it was the fight of good against evil. The fact that we were a British colony (and thank God for that - look at us now!) is a fact, no matter how much people like Mr Grech try to specualte what might have been. We cannot change history by spinning tales and throwing insults.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Apr 24th 2012, 18:44
@ Norman E Grech.
Your letter “The cross of George – much ado about nothing” (24 April 2012) is grossly offensive not only to Malta’s head of state at that time, but much more so to Maltese survivors of that epic siege and to the relatives of those who lost their life in the defense of the island after it was attacked by the Axis powers.
Witnesses to that second siege of Malta testify to a bravery shown by Malta’s civilian population and its defenders, a heroism that will always be an indelible part of our history. The George Cross medal is no rubber stamp. It is the highest award for bravery that may be awarded to civilians. A parvenu Anglophobe who contributed nothing to save civilization from Nazi and Fascist tyranny, and who evidently never did anything to merit the award of the George Cross anyway, would not be able to appreciate that great honour and he would be much more likely to express a “sour grape” reaction.
It is not true that Malta suffered the rigours of war because “ … the British were sinking supply ships from Europe to North Africa.”. Long before that contribution by Malta to the war effort, actually within hours of Italy’s declaration of war, the Regia Aeronautica was raining death and destruction on Maltese soldiers and civilians by aerial bombardment at a time when Malta’s air defenses were extremely poor and when Malta’s offensive power was totally inexistent. It was Italy, not Britain, that forced war on Malta because Mussolini was determined to annex Malta to his desert “empire” and because Malta was an island strategically situated in the middle of what he considered to be his “mare nostrum”. Malta’s fate was determined by this geographical position and it would have been the same whether Malta was the colony of any power and much more so had it been a small defenseless independent state. What the Allies did (not just Britain), was to thwart that planned occupation of Malta by Fascist Italy at great cost to themselves and to the civilian population of Malta.
The Maltese do not need your sermon about peace. We are not a warlike nation but we cannot prevent that war would be trust upon us. If we want peace we must be ready to defend that peace, if need be heroically, with the assistance of stronger allies. That is what happened during the Second World War. The George Cross is an international recognition of that supreme civilian effort. It is churlish of you not to appreciate that simple fact and to presume that we share your churlish sentiments.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 21:22
yes yes yes...we heard it all before francis ...................... the issue is that the George cross should be left in its little box in a museum not on OUR NATIONAL FLAG!!
Mrs Mary Fisher
Apr 24th 2012, 17:55
@ Norman - I am more Maltese than you are. I do not know how old you are but I am old enough to remember what I am taking about. An English surname does not give you a nationality. The same answer goes to your fans hereunder. I bid you farewell too.
Etienne bonello dupuis
Apr 24th 2012, 16:56
Er, hello,,,,,hello,,,,,,,,,,Norman. is there anything in there?
no, thought not.
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 09:50
@ E Bonello Dupius!!
Erm ... hello.... hello..... I think you should answer that question to the mirror.
I had told you that when we were both studying law..... together!!!
Manuel Briffa
Apr 24th 2012, 16:29
Mr Grech, by the same token, should we also be removing any legacy left us by the Knights of St John, including the eight pointed cross and all their palaces and treasures, and raze Valletta to the ground perhaps? I understand their rule wasn't exactly benign and their riches too could be construed as 'a constant reminder of past foreign rule and exploitation', to use your own words.
Norman E Grech
Apr 25th 2012, 09:51
@ M Briffa
But why is it so hard to get it!!! hello!!!
None of what you refer to are on OUR FLAG!!!! That's the whole 'so clear to grasp' point!
Mrs Mary Fisher
Apr 24th 2012, 15:17
Norman A. Grech - You must be very proud of what you wrote today as you have continually been answering other commentators all day. You seem to have time on your hands - are you retired? out of work? fed up with yourself and trying to find who to offend next? I do not suppose you remember much of the war. Together with the loss of Maltese life there was great loss of British life as well and they were here to defend us and not themselves. I was one who suffered a loss and also the destruction of my family home and possessions. I did feel bitter against the Germans as it was a German bomb that hit us but should we still bear that grudge and take it out on all the Germans that come to Malta? The George Cross was uniquely given to the island as a whole as a show of appreciation for what we were suffering. At that time anything to boost our morale helped and even now the presence of the George Cross on our flag fills us with pride for what we went through and the courage that we all had. Seeing the Maltese flag flying with the flags of other nations the George Cross makes it stand out, and there was never anything wrong when we put Malta G.C. either. Maybe we could put your face on our National Flag or maybe a favourite flower of yours?????Or maybe an icon of your choice? I await your answer.
Pierre Mazzacano D'Amato
Apr 24th 2012, 15:42
Dear Mary, re: “Maybe we could put your face on our National Flag or maybe a favourite flower of yours?????”, congratulations, you just showed us how cheap your arguments are. PMD
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 15:44
@ Mrs Mary Fisher
Are you suggesting I have no right to voice my opinion?
If you're English, with all due respect, stay out of this. We're discussing OUR Maltese flag here. If you are remotely Maltese, I suggest you read my letter again, carefully this time! You can also have a look what other contributirs had to say!
I bid you farewell!
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 15:44
Mary Fisher your comment is childish to say the least.
Malta did not need a tin cross to boost out morale we needed food to feed our families and money to rebuild our homes.
May I add to your suggestion of what we should put on our national flag .....maybe we should put in writing around the george cross " this is all we got for our sacrifice and suffering"
Pierre Mazzacano D'Amato
Apr 24th 2012, 15:15
Norman E. Grech is a true postcolonial author who is only trying to offer an alternative to a dominant yet highly submissive discourse. As a proud Maltese citizen, I congratulate Norman for continuing this very important debate.
The George Cross is a prestigious civil decoration which every Maltese citizen should be proud of; but with respect, it belongs in a museum, and not on our national flag.
PMD
Chris Tuckley
Apr 24th 2012, 15:11
Yet again I read, the rants of the fors and against the GC on the Maltese flag, I believe that the award was made to the people ( some of whom are related) for there courage and bravery in the sad and barbaric times during th second world war, to debate and decry the award is surely an insult to the memory of the Maltese who died in this conflict.
What better way for all who see the white and red flag of Malta, seeing the George Cross in the left top corner to remind them of the forfeit that many Maltese made.
I am writing this as a descendant of Maltese from the 1803-1806 time all we know is that the family are from the parish of St Lawrence. If I have butted in on something I should not have done I am sorry.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 15:07
Lots of history lessons in these comment aren't there? I think no one is disputing this, history is history and it cannot change so history is not the issue here.
Frankly everyone that is proof the george cross is deviating from the issue at hand, the dispute is simply that it should not be our national flag and the insult is that it was put their by foreigners....................
History should either be in books or in a museum but NOT on our national flag!
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 15:45
Lots of history lessons in these comment aren't there? I think no one is disputing this, history is history and it cannot change so history is not the issue here.
Frankly everyone that is pro the george cross being on our flag is deviating from the issue at hand, the dispute is simply that it should not be on our national flag and the insult is that it was put their by foreigners....................
History should either be in books or in a museum but NOT on our national flag!
Anthony Spiteri
Apr 24th 2012, 15:58
You are totaly right Mr Ciantar - Lots of history lessons, and history is history. What must be kept in mind is who is doing the lesson or - to put it clearer - who is trying to re-write it. Apparently Norman E. Grech is no historian, and most of his article is his own immagination. One of his suppositions is that Malta was bombed because there was a British base. Now perhaps he is lucid enough to indicate why France, Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, Russia, Poland and most of the other European Nations received the same treatment from nazi Germany. Surely there were no British bases in any of them. It would help a lot if the proper and ACTUAL history is sought and not be fooled by ones misconceptions. The George Cross on our flag is a universal reminder that our ancestors faught and sacrificed for the sake of freedom from oppression as was being received by all of the occupied nations, and thank God, we were on the winning side. We should be proud that our island went through two Great Seiges and was victorious in Both. Again in both of them we were protected by a foreign power, and in both of them we were on the right sides.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 16:41
@ Anthony Spiteri
What ever the course of history it still does not justify the tainting of our national flag with the george gross.....the cross should be in a museum where it belongs and not staining our pride and joy!!
Mark Micallef Eynaud
Apr 24th 2012, 17:16
Mr Ciantar, I am not certain who put the GC on the Flag of Malta and to be honest I don't really care.
Both our political parties have had the chance to remove it: in 1964 when Malta became independent and in 1974 when Malta was declared a Republic. Neither party chose to do so.
The truth of the matter is that the majority of Maltese from both sides of the political divide take pride in what the GC symbolises - gratitude and respect from our Monarch at the time for the hardships we endured and the courage we displayed. I doubt very much that you will see any appetite to champion the removal of the GC from our flag from either the PN or PL - they won't want a vote loser!
So just accept the GC, and the GC on our Flag, as part of our rich national heritage.
David Buttigieg
Apr 24th 2012, 23:01
Alex Ciantar,
The George Cross was NOT put on our national flag by foreigners.
We did not have a national flag until 1964, simply because we were never EVER a nation before 1964. Do you consider Gozo a nation? Do you consider people from Gozo foreigners? No? But Gozo is the perfect example of what Malta was until 1964.
The Maltese in 1964 decided on the flag for Malta and it became our national flag in 1964, and it did so George Cross and all as chosen by the Maltese!
Charles Zammit
Apr 24th 2012, 12:58
Any fool that thinks that Malta would have been untouched by WW.2 is a fool indeed . If the Nazi regime had to have been in Malta , the Maltese Nation would have been wiped out as a small inferior people , seeing that 6 million jews were wiped out it would have taken an afternoon to wipe all Maltese So a lot of crap spouted is just that .
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 14:24
@ C Zammit
I completely agree with you!
I wasn't suggesting that in my letter. I explained the factual back-ground! Churchill said that Malta was like an air-craft carrier in the Mediterranean! Malta was the highest bombed country by far. We needed money, and lots of it! Maybe that piece of metal is worth billions and we haven't realised it yet?
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 24th 2012, 16:29
@ Norman Grech,
Actually, you may have hit on the truth with your last sentence- the Brits. have been holidaying in Malta for at least the last 60 years, partly because of wartime connections, and have been spending millions in coming over. In fact they have been the mainstay of Malta's tourist industry.So yes, if one wants to be mercenary the G.C. is worth something. .
The other connection with money is, of course English, a language which is the essence of modern communications and I.T.
Does that answer your question?
David Buttigieg
Apr 24th 2012, 12:58
Norman -
"The true story of the cross of George is that Malta was used as a military base during the war!"
Duh!! Mur obsor!
"The Germans and Italians bombarded the British base in Malta due to the fact that the British were sinking supply ships from Europe to North Africa"
Otherwise you honestly believe we would have been left alone!
"Many people like me do not see any merit in that medal which was normally given to soldiers for bravery."
Uhmm, can't you at least verify some of your facts? The George Cross is a civillian medal, wakey wakey!
"The Maltese couldn’t care about any medal."
Hekk iddecida l-iehor!
"The British are welcome here, we appreciate their touristic custom as I am sure the British appreciate the Maltese having their holidays in their country."
Your anti British bias doesn't allow you a single compliment does it? Let's face it, the Maltese market is a drop in the ocean to the UK's tourism industry!
"The great pity is that, so far, even the powers that be have not realised how insulted many Maltese people feel about this"
That's because you live in a strange lonely world of your own!
"We spend well-earned taxes paid by the Maltese people to invite foreign princes and members of monarchies, and in senseless ceremonies"
Ah yes, monarchies, the true chip (massive boulder) on your shoulder!
"Nazism and Fascism were very bad news and thank God they were destroyed thanks to America joining in!"
Can't give Britain a compliment can you, it's against your very essence!
"not by portraying some medal given by a past oppressor"
Aha, now they were oppressors!
Norman, grow up old chap, drowning in 'hdura' is a very unpleasant way to go!
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 14:21
@D Buttigieg
Many thanks for your contribution. This is EXACTLY the type of mind conditioning still lurking between us! Thanks for helping other reading wake up and smell the roses!
Your comments are distasteful, unreasonable and completely thwarped!
Anthony Spiteri
Apr 24th 2012, 16:05
David, it seems that you irritated the gentleman and he seems offended. It does not matter a hoot to him that he offended the whole of the Maltese population excluding biased people like himself who wish to impose 'his' version of our history. He even goes about commenting that your comments are distasteful, unreasonable, and completely thwarped. Well at least they are the truth, and for his type, truth hurts.
Jonathan Attard
Apr 24th 2012, 12:17
Mr Grech,
I am no historian but I believe the British were practically invited in "to get rid of" the French. Had they not been here, it would have been some other nation, possibly one of those on the wrong side of history. Had Malta been given a medal for committing atrocities, I would say renounce the medal by all means. However, this medal represents all the sacrifice and suffering, imposed or otherwise, that our forefathers went through. It also represents the part this country played in the War that eventually led to the triumph of good over evil. I personally would have been proud to wear such a medal. I expect my country's flag to do the same!
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 14:30
@ A decent comment and I respect you opinion! Let's agree to disagree!
Do not believe everything that you have been told! There is much to be investigated and read about what really happened 200 years ago!
Lina Caruana
Apr 24th 2012, 15:05
Why do people forget that the past had its context and that people then were deciding for themselves. Why do we want to teach them how to reason now when everything is all over and they are in merited resting place. May God give them eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon them. God be with us for we are here because they were.
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 24th 2012, 12:13
"Bravery? What bravery?" You are the one who is dishing out insults, Mr. Grech because some of the first Maltese to die in the air raids were soldiers manning an AA Battery.
My father, although not a soldier because of age, died shepherding my mother, my sisters and myself to an air-raid shelter and the G.C. remids me of him every time I look at the flag.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 15:35
Tony Gatt when you look at the flag with the GC on it it reminds you of your father and of what he went through ....likewise I do the same but with the exception that the GC represents the reason why he met that faith and that is why it must be removed!
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 24th 2012, 16:53
Alex-
Many children had their parents taken away from them during the war- death by bombing, or by being gassed in a concentration camp. I can assure you that had the Nazis taken Malta many more Maltese would have died, but of the latter cause.
I say if Malta wants to remove the G.C. a simple referndum would do it. It hasn't happened so far.
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 21:24
Tony, up to last year that's what they said about divorce..........should I continue?
M. Hills
Apr 24th 2012, 12:01
I've posted some comments on this subject on and off whenever it appeared...the bone of contention,I think, is not the awarding of the George Cross medal in itself ,which the Maltese graciously and politely accepted or those in high office then did on behalf of the rest, but that it got put on the red and white Maltese flag. I don't know whose decision it was but I don't think it was an act done by the British. Is it some inferiority complex we, as a small dependent nation suffered from,and, as a result of this, someone with this mentality,stuck the British GC on the flag to add importance to our identity by association with the British not realising that the medal signifies only a moment in time, just a few years in history and Malta has a long rich history but it chose to stop at the George Cross time capsule. We love the British and the British should not feel insulted by what sometimes sounds as anti -British..We are not anti British .It is the British Foreign Policy past and present that some of us have issues with. Perhaps someone can clarify on whose decision the GC got put on the flag.
David Buttigieg
Apr 24th 2012, 13:03
M Hills,
The decision to have the GC on the National flag of Malta was none other's than the Maltese Government.
Malta, no matter what we would like to believe, only became a nation, for the first time in her history, in 1964. The decision on which flag will be our National flag was taken by the Maltese, nobody else.
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 14:13
@M Hills
Now a reasonable a balanced comment at least!
The stain on our flag was put by non other than lord Gort! Borg Olivier, in 1964, did not have what it takes to cleanse our flag!
Ms Maria Vella
Apr 24th 2012, 11:34
Mr. Grech, your statement, which I am copying below is an insult to our grandparents and parents who stood fast and fought for the freedom we so gladly enjoy.
"Bravery? What bravery? We had no say in this! We had no choice! We had to endure simply because we were a military base"
Whether we had a choice or not they were bombarded and fought with what they had, nearly starved to death etc etc. Malta's strategic position, would have seen it battered by either forces, irrespective of whether we were a colony or not.
Your constant hankering for the removal of the George Cross is an insult to those people who fought bravely and lost their lives for our freedom.
You should show some more respect for people who gave you this freedom you so happily make use of.
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 14:11
@ M Vella
My respect is apparently much greater than yours! I want that stain to be removed from the flag! You are happy flying OUR flag with a mark denoting the name of a past FOREIGN person!
Ms Maria Vella
Apr 24th 2012, 14:59
A past foreign person who acknowledged the bravery shown by the Maltese, who would have been dragged into war irrespective of whether we were a British colony or not.
I still cannot understand the hate you have towards the British - yes they had many faults but they had their good points too - it is part of our history and we cannot and shouldn't deny it !
Anthony Spiteri
Apr 24th 2012, 16:14
Mrs Vella, please have some pity on Mr. Grech. You can easily deduce that he needs help, first and foremost in his history lessons. He states that the George cross denotes the name of a FOREIGN person. It actually denotes St. George killing the dragon - a symbol of courage. It only happens to be that the king of England at the time was King George VI.
Nicholas Borg
Apr 24th 2012, 10:51
Mr Grech, do you really believe that had Malta not been a British territory at the time we would have been "neutral" and unaffected by WW2? If you do then your knowledge and understanding of history is zero. Mussolini would definitely have moved to take Malta over and use it as a military and naval base, and in all probability the Germans would have joined in as well. How well would the Maltese people have been treated then? Just ask the people of those countries occupied by the Axis powers. Will Malta have been unscathed, very unlikely.
I agree that the Maltese people role in and contribution to the Battle for Malta has long been overblown. In reality the Maltese suffered relatively much less than the peoples of other countries caught up in the war. I also feel that as a sovreign nation part of the EU there is no place for the medals of former colonial powers on our flag. However, to claim that the awarding of the George Cross was an insult to the peace-loving Maltese people is downright silly.
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 14:09
@ N Borg!!
I disagree with you but my point is that the cross of george should NEVER have neen rubber-stamped on OUR flag!
Anthony Spiteri
Apr 24th 2012, 16:23
Mr. Borg, you indicated that Mr. Grech's history knowledge is probably zero. You are perfectly right, but on the other hand you stand to be corrected when stating that the Battle for Malta is overblown. Just some statistics: During the Battle of Britain which lasted 6 months, 18,000 tons of bombes were dropped. More that a third of that amount (6,728 tons) were dropped on Malta during the first four months of 1942. Furthermore, the Battle for Malta lasted 5 times as much as the Battle of Britain. Historians say that if Malta fell, the British could have lost the war, because Rommel would have steamrolled across Egypt, and on to the oilfields of the middle east depriving the allies of their indespensible oil.
Nicholas Borg
Apr 24th 2012, 16:54
@Antony Spiteri
I said that the role of the Maltese population in the Battle for Malta was overblown and not the importance of the battle itself. The battle was very important bit was fought by Allied soldiers, airmen and sailors and not by the Maltese (Ok so a few Maltese were manning the anti-aircraft guns and acted as labourers in the port and airfields, but they were not doing the main fighting). As for the bomb damage this was mainly in the port area and near airfields. The rest of the island suffered very little damage and fatalities. All populations in the countries involved in the war suffered food deprivation (and much worse), we were nothing special. As I said in my original comment, compared to other populations the Maltese suffered relatively much less.
David Hill
Apr 24th 2012, 10:38
Firstly it's "The George Cross" not the Cross of George.
Secondly The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom.
It is never awarded to members of the armed forces.
Mr Duncan Scerri
Apr 24th 2012, 12:30
Almost there, David. It is the highest award for bravery not in the face of the enemy (immediate field of battle). Military personnel have been awarded the GC, but generally military persons would be more likely to be awarded a VC. This means that the GC is an even rarer award than the VC and those awarded a GC should rightly have our respect.
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 14:08
@ Davis Hill!!
The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom. SO WHAT!!!!???
For me it is just a cross of george!
Anthony Spiteri
Apr 24th 2012, 16:27
Mr. Hill, you see who are we dealing with - you explained the George Cross, and yet he insists on calling it the cross of george. You can deduce for yourself (and all other readers) why his history is so warpped. He insists of having it his way no matter what the truth is.
Peter Murray
Apr 24th 2012, 09:57
Rather ironic that you should write this diatribe utilising a language that you would not be familiar with if Malta had been captured during the Second World War-as it wasn't attacked solely because it was a British base(and Maltese were defacto British back then) but because it held a strategic position in the Med.It would appear that you submitted this zenophobic (masquerading as patriotic)nonsense with your eyes wide shut!
Ms Maria Vella
Apr 24th 2012, 11:30
For once I am in total agreement with your Mr. Murray.
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 24th 2012, 12:14
Well said, Peter.
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 15:05
@P Murray!!
A language is just a language! We Maltese speak at least 3 languages and fluently! Spanish is just as important now a days. And, whilst at it, bear in mind that English is widely spoken thanks to the Americans, due to their films and their technology like computers etc. but you will obviously oppose that too!
Alex Ciantar
Apr 24th 2012, 15:28
@ Peter Murray
"(and Maltese were defacto British back then) "
Now that is a real insult!!
The Maltese were never treated as equals during British rule......on the contrary they were foreigners in their own country and were classed as second class citizens.
Norman E Grech
Apr 24th 2012, 15:32
@ P Murray
... and MR Peter, It's Xenophobic, not Zenophobic!!
I expected a little better from you dear boy. My my, I mean after all it IS your language!
Mr Tony Gatt
Apr 24th 2012, 16:56
@ Norman Grech
Excuse me but could you tell me from whom the Americans got their English?
Please choose the reason of your report below: