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A new book revolving around wartime Malta, Malta’s Greater Siege & Adrian Warburton – The Most Valuable pilot in the RAF, was launched by Paul McDonald.

The book focuses on the story of Adrian Warburton, the RAF’s most highly decorated recce pilot to date, better known to many as Warby. When Warby went missing on April 12, 1944, he had flown at least 395 operational missions, a staggering total, the majority from Malta in the most hazardous of circumstances. He was also credited with nine enemy aircraft shot down, which was a most unusual tally for a photo-reconnaissance pilot. He then lay undiscovered by the public for nearly 60 years.

In Malta, Warburton met the vivacious Christina Ratcliffe and a relation-ship between the two developed amid a desperate war.

Christina was a cabaret artiste stranded on the island when Italy declared war. One of the most attractive girls on the island, she was a member of the famed Whizz-Bangs concert party before becoming an aircraft plotter operating from the top secret world of Lascaris, which lay deep beneath Valletta’s fortress walls.

Later, as captain of her watch and then assistant controller, she was decorated for gallantry. Both Christina and Warby remain a celebrated part of Malta’s folklore, their story highlighting the tensions and fears of an island under siege.

A tragic and touching tale of two people

Malta’s Greater Siege & Adrian Warburton is a true story of war in the air, at sea and on land. It is also a tragic and touching tale of two people thrown together amidst dramatically unfolding history.

The book is aimed at both the history and military reader, as the author invites the reader to travel back to the days of war to retrace the steps of the main characters over the changed face of the island following World War II.

The book is published by Pen & Sword.

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