Malta this year marks the 35th anniversary of the end of the British military base on March 31, 1979. It is one of the anniversaries being covered by an important exhibition organised by Heritage Malta at the Museum of Archaeology, commemorating an incredible year in which so many important anniversaries of our history are being remembered.

This is a commemoration that has been much discussed in the past but is, without doubt, one of the important milestones in our national history.

This commemoration, however, not only covers the end of Malta as a British military base but also the end of 449 years since Malta started to be used as a military base.

Malta has been a colony over many years, and it was so mainly because of its strategic position in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Control of Malta meant control of the centre part of the Mediterranean. The military aspect of the island was always very important but a real dramatic change occurred in 1530 when Malta was handed over to a military organisation.

Not only was Malta a colony unable to rule over its own national interests, but with the arrival of the military Order, it became a very strong and important military base and remained so until 1979.

The Order was [and still is] a sovereign military order. When Malta passed under their rule, they built up the island as a military base, the most important defensive position of Christian Europe. There is no doubt that the presence of the Order in Malta brought a period of great economic activity for the Maltese.

One can imagine the demand for Maltese masons and workers to build the new city, the fortifications and all the rest.

But it was also a moment in which Malta became a military base, and with this all the problems it brought with it.

Control of Malta meant control of the centre part of the Mediterranean

Malta became the centre of continuous attacks. Hundreds of Maltese ended up as slaves or killed in the many battles. In 1565, the Great Siege (next year will be the 450th anniversary) almost saw Malta become part of the Ottoman Empire were it not for the very brave defence of the Maltese and the Knights. After the Great Siege, the Knights made Malta their permanent base and sought to make it as defensive and as impressive as possible.

Malta became a really fortified island, almost unconquerable. They built a new city with one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.

They brought over the best engineers, the best artists, the best craftsmen. The Maltese learned quickly. Yet we were still living primarily in a military base. Malta became the most fortified island in the world.

The short but active French period saw the continuation of Malta as a military base because even the French only looked upon Malta as a strategic military base in the middle of the Mediterranean. The French were, however, not here long enough to construct military buildings.

The arrival of the British Empire brought with it a very strong reconfirmation of Malta as a military base. They looked upon Malta primarily as a strategic military base in the centre of the Mediterranean. They brought about changes to the fortification system of the Knights and built additional forts and their own fortification system. The main constructions were military villages with barracks, parade grounds, hospitals and schools [most of which we have destroyed].

The ports of Malta were very important for the British navy and they continued to maintain and build ships. Later, they built a number of air strips. Malta was very simply a very large military base. This, of course, brought the historic consequences of being heavily bombarded in the last world war and the destruction of a lot of our heritage to make way for military installations.

The 35th anniversary of the closure of the British military base, much discussed and misinterpreted over the years, is therefore also the record of the end of 449 years of Malta as one of the most important military bases in the Mediterranean.

It is indeed a historic date of great importance as it marked a complete change for Malta. Our priority was no longer the exploitation of our position as a strategic military base in the centre of the Mediterranean but, on the contrary, we had to look for other means to ensure our economic and social viability.

The Maltese, in spite of many setbacks, proved they could develop the island, economically and socially, to withstand these great changes and to eventually find its position among one of the countries of the EU.

Ray Bondin is a former ambassador and permanent delegate of Malta to Unesco.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.