As I compile the December 1940 editions of the daily diary of Malta in World War ll for the website www.maltagc70.com, I am struck by the warmth and generosity shown by the Maltese in an unusually bitter wartime winter 75 years ago.

A report in Times of Malta described how rural villages had adapted to a massive influx of refugees from the Grand Harbour area: 900 in Dingli alone, where the normal population was only 1,200.

And in one of the coldest months on record, an appeal by the Special Constabulary received hundreds of pounds, plus gifts and free entertainment tickets, to put on Christmas parties for 21,000 evacuated children.

These actions demonstrate the spirit of an island which earned the George Cross for its endurance in World War ll. They also have much to teach other European countries presented with refugees from war-torn regions today.

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