A day after war veterans in Malta marked the 68th anniversary of the award of the George Cross to the country, residents of a small seaside town around 2,300 kilometres away in north Wales held a ceremony to commemorate the bravery of a spitfire pilot shot down over Malta during the Second World War.
Flight Lieutenant Norman Carter Macqueen, who died aged 22 when his spitfire sustained damage in an enemy attack on May 4, 1942, and crashed just short of the runway at RAF Tà Qali, was honoured in his hometown of Rhyl last Friday.
He had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) just days before his death and a replica of the medal was presented to Rhyl mayor Glyn Pickering at a ceremony organised by local historians Charles Leach and George Hornby at Rhyl Library.
"One of the main reasons we organised the ceremony was to inspire young people in Rhyl and show them that people from this area have done great things," Mr Leach, 56, told The Sunday Times.
A day earlier, war veterans at the George Cross commemorative ceremony in Valletta had expressed concern that the younger generation is forgetting the plight suffered by the Maltese during the war, when Malta withstood 3,000 bombing raids over a period of two years.
Upon awarding the George Cross to Malta, King George VI spoke of the Maltese people's "heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history".
When asked about the relevance of the war to Maltese youngsters today, Mr Leach said: "The younger generation in Malta must never lose sight of the sacrifice made by older generation".
Mr Leach came across the name of Flt Lt Macqueen on the war memorial in Rhyl's garden of remembrance and decided to research more about him when he noticed he had been awarded a DFC.
It was reported in the London Gazette on May 1, 1942, that Flt Lt Macqueen had been awarded the DFC in recognition of his exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy in the air.
It is not known if he was aware of the award before he died.
The ceremony in Rhyl was attended by around 25 invited guests including Air Commodore of Wales Adrian Williams, retired squadron leader Peter Sinclair, vicar of Rhyl Canon Glover and representatives of Fettes College in Edinburgh, Flt Lt Macqueen's former boarding school.
In a speech, Mr Hornby outlined the valuable contribution made by Flt Lt Macqueen and the famous 249 Squadron based in Malta during World War II.
The replica medal and a copy of a short biography of Flt Lt Macqueen written by Mr Leach and presented to the mayor will form part of the Rhyl local history exhibit on the first floor of the library building.
Flt Lt Macqueen is buried in plot E of Kalkara cemetery and Mr Leach laid a cross on his grave during a holiday to Malta last October with his wife.
"People might think it strange that we visited graves on our holiday, but I wanted to honour his sacrifice and I'm glad we made the effort," Mr Leach said.