A group of students from King Edward’s School, Birmingham visited important Second World War sites on the island of Malta through the Their Past Your Future Commemorative Visits programme.
During the 5-day excursion, the students explored the Mediterranean theatre of conflict to think about issues of remembrance, commemoration and memorialisation. The trip gave the students the opportunity to learn about the unique position of the Maltese nation as recipient of the George Cross and other types of commemoration and remembrance associated with the experiences of the island, its inhabitants and the servicemen and women who gave their lives in its defence.
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Malta Itinerary
Malta Itinerary
Below is the itinerary that was followed by pupils on their 5-day visit of the island.
If you would like to find out more about the places to visit on an educational tour of Malta, please see the ‘Places to Visit’ section below.
Malta Itinerary
Day 1
Day 2
- Visit to The National War Museum
- Visit to Lascaris War Rooms
- Walking tour of Valletta – including the upper Barrakka Gardens
Day 3
- A visit to St Mary’s Church, Mosta
- Visit to the Aviation Museum, Ta Qali
- Tour of Mdina – including Luqa, Safi, Kalafrana, Marsalokk and Qrendi
Day 4
- Visit to Pieta Military Cemetery
- Visit to Floriana Malta War Memorial
- Visit to Floriana Air Force Memorial
Day 5
- Cruise of the harbour on Captain Morgan’s boat
- Visit to the Naval Cemetery at Kalkara
- A tour Fort Rinella
Day 6
Places to Visit in Malta
If you are planning a visit to Malta to learn about the Second World War visit some of the places described below. You could also visit the following websites for further information:
http://www.visitmalta.com/
http://www.holiday-malta.com/resort/malta/
http://www.visiteurope.com/malta
Disclaimer:
All the sites are checked regularly. However, the changing nature of the Internet means that some sites may alter after we have visited them. Their Past Your Future is not responsible for the content of external websites.
City of Mdina
Website: http://www.wordtravels.com/Attractions/Countries/Malta/Attractions/Mdina/
Mdina, known as the noble city, was the original capital of Malta before the arrival of the Knights of St John in the middle ages. It was originally a Phoenician town but spent periods under Roman, Arabic and Norman occupation. The elegant walled city, with its suburb, Rabat, can trace its origins back more than 4,000 years, although today all that remains is the medieval town, which has been largely restored. It is situated on a rocky outcrop about nine miles (15km) west of Valletta. At the heart of Mdina is its landmark Baroque Cathedral of St Paul.
Fort Rinella
Address: St Rocco Road, Kalkara CSP11
Tel: 2180 9713 / 2164 0131
Website: http://www.visitmalta.com/en/what_to_see/view-museum-mus_0040.html
Fort Rinella was built by British Royal Engineers between 1878 and 1886 at a time when the Islands were threatened by the supremacy of the Italian navy. The fort was equipped with a massive 100-ton gun as a coastal battery. The gun was designed by the great Victorian engineer and inventor Sir George William Armstrong, at his plant in Newcastle, northern England. Once built, the gun became the world's largest cannon and represented the limits of the craft and skill of gun makers of the era. The gun, still on show at Fort Rinella, has a barrel almost 10-metres long. It could fire a one-ton shell about three miles. Fort Rinella remained in use until 1906, when all riffled and muzzled loading artillery became obsolete. The Fort was then used by the British navy as a rum store. During World War II, it served a coastal watching point for the British forces. Re-enactments of the heyday of the Fort in the 19th century are held periodically between October and April.
Kalkara Naval Cemetery
Address: The Cemetery is located about 2 kilometres south-east of Rinella, a bay and hamlet opposite Valletta across the mouth of the Grand Harbour and on the southern outskirts of the village of Kalkara.
Website: http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.
aspx?cemetery=11204&mode=1
This cemetery, which once belonged to the Admiralty, is close to a Capuchin monastery. It is two sections; Protestant and Roman Catholic. There is a triangular 1914-1918 War plot in the Protestant section with a granite Cross of Sacrifice which was erected after that war. Most of the 1939-1945 war graves are in the Protestant Section in a plot near the entrance and there is another group in the Roman Catholic section but there are a few others in scattered positions. There are now 351 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-18 war, 5 of which are unidentified, and there are 694 burials of the 1939-1945 war commemorated in this site. In addition there are 137 Foreign National burials, including 2 unidentified Italians and a further 1,444 non world war burials.
Lascaris War Rooms
Address: Lascaris Ditch, Valletta
Tel: 2123 8396
Website: http://www.wordtravels.com/Attractions/Countries/
Malta/Attractions/Lascaris+War+Rooms/
Valletta suffered a great deal of damage during bombing raids in the Second World War. The Battle of Malta and other events involving the islands during the early years of the war are featured in a series of 17th century tunnels, which were used for military operations during the war. It has now been restored and acts as a museum, with charts, models and dioramas.
Pieta Military Cemetery
Address: Our Lady of Sorrows Street, (Triq Id Duluri) Pieta
There are 1,303 Commonwealth casualties of the First World War buried or commemorated at Pieta Military Cemetery, including 20 Indian servicemen who were cremated at Lazaretto Cemetery. Second World War burials number 166. There are also 772 non-war graves in the cemetery and 15 war graves of other nationalities.
St Mary’s Church, Mosta
Address: Rotunda Square, Mosta
Tel: 2143 3826
Website: word travels
A church occupies the centre of every Maltese town and village. One of the largest in Europe is St Mary’s in the central Maltese town of Mosta, with its blue, gold and white dome. The church is regarded as having been the site of a World War II miracle. In 1942 while 300 people were praying in the church, a bomb penetrated the dome and landed on the mosaic floor, but did not explode. A replica of the bomb is today displayed in the church sacristy.
The Aviation Museum, Ta Qali
Address: Malta Aviation Museum Foundation Ta'Qali RBT 13 Malta G.C
Tel: (00356) 2141 6095
Website: http://www.maltaaviationmuseum.com/index.asp
Housed at a former Royal Airforce Station - Ta' Qali, this museums' pride of place are a rebuilt Spitfire Mk IX and a Hawker Hurricane Ila. Also on show are a De Havilland Tigermoth, Douglas DC3, a Beechcraft 18, a De Havilland Vampire T11, a Hawker Seahawk, a Fiat G91R, a Pou Du Ciel, a Cessna Birddog, a Fairey Swordfish and a front section of an English Electric Lightning Aircraft. At the museum there also a collection of aircraft engines, models, uniforms, memorabilia and airfield equipment.
Museum visitors can also follow the progress being made on the restoration of derelict vintage aircraft to a pristine condition by professional museum members.
The Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial
Address: The Floriana District of Malta's capital, Valletta
Website: http://collections.ic.gc.ca/courage/airforcesmemorials.html
The Malta Memorial stands in the Floriana District of Malta's capital, Valletta and consists of a column, about 50 feet high, surmounted by a large gilded bronze eagle with outstretched wings. The column stands on a circular base, around which the names are commemorated on bronze panels.
The 2,300 Commonwealth airmen commemorated here died in the 1939-1945 War while based in and around the Mediterranean and as far north as Austria and south to Tunisia and have no known graves. The airmen were in the following Air Forces: 1,550 in the RAF; 300 in the Royal Canadian; 200 in the Royal Australian, 85 in the Royal New Zealand and 170 in the South African.
The National War Museum
Address: Fort St Elmo, Valletta VLT 02, Malta
Tel: 2122 2430
Website: http://www.heritagemalta.org/warmuseum.html
The National War Museum in Fort St Elmo, represents Malta’s important military role in the post-1800 period under British rule, especially during the Second World War. It was set up primarily through the efforts of dedicated enthusiasts and was opened to the public in 1975.
The museum building was originally a powder magazine. Around 1853 it was converted into an armoury, serving during the Second World War to train anti-aircraft gun crews. Fort St Elmo, renowned for its role against incredible odds during the epic 1565 Great Siege, was extended over the years into a formidable fortress. During the Second World War, it was once more the scene of heroic action by Maltese defenders against relentless enemy action.
A key feature of the museum is the numerous photographic panels depicting the harsh conditions prevailing in Malta during the crucial War years 1940-1943. These shows the hardships endured by the civilian population, the massive extent of war damage, the unhealthy living conditions within primitive underground shelters and above all, the heroic gallantry of a people who withstood the prolonged siege and the suffering it brought.
The War Memorial
Address: The Floriana District of Malta's capital, Valletta
This fifty-foot-high memorial was designed by Louis Naudi and takes the form of five superimposed crosses made of hard Gozo stone. The memorial commemorates those who lost their lives during the First World War and was unveiled on 11th November 1938 by the Governor of Malta, General Sir Charles Bonham-Carter.
Following the Second World War, the government decided that the memorial should commemorate both wars and the original panels at the base of the memorial were replaced by tablets reproducing Malta’s armorial bearings and tributes paid to Malta by HM King George V, HM King George VI and President Franklin D Roosevelt.
Valletta
Website: visitmalta
Valletta is Malta's capital city: a living, working city, the administrative and commercial heart of the Islands. The city is busy by day, yet retains a timeless atmosphere. The grid of narrow streets houses some of Europe's finest art works, churches and palaces.
