The historic Royal Navy ship's bell of HMS Monkey, dated 1897, has been donated by Mr R. Tilly of Surrey to the Malta Maritime Museum.

The donation was arranged with the assistance of George Bonello de Puis, Malta's High Commissioner in London.

Lobnitz & Co., Renfrew of Glasgow was awarded the contract by the Admiralty to build three water-tank vessels in 1896, HMS Monkey, HMS Chub and HMS Tortoise.

HMS Monkey was launched in 1896. The vessel was stationed at Malta, arriving on October 7, 1897, remaining here the rest of her life, fulfilling the role of a water supplier to RN ships in Maltese harbours.

On September 14, 1939 she was taken over by the Contraband Control Service as an examination vessel and was returned to the naval authorities on August 7, 1940.

German aircraft eventually sank her on April 26, 1942 at the northwest end of Stores Wharf at the Dockyard, near the Sheer Bastion.

In April 1943, work began to cut up the wreck into 10 to 20 ton pieces, concluded by the end of summer of the same year.

The bell was given to the donor's father as a leaving present in 1949 after serving in Malta for many years.