Malta silences small arms training on board HMCS Charlottetown.
I have always had a fascination with Malta. As a boy I read of the daring of the Maltese air force. 3 Gloster bi planes names Faith Hope and Charity.
To say Malta's air defences were small at the beginning of WWII would be an under statement. The total air power on Malta consisted of 4 Gloster Gladiator biplanes. These were packed in crates & left at Kalafrana flying boat base by HMS Glorious which left to join the Norwegian campaign. In fact, there were enough parts to make up 8 biplanes but the Navy wanted 4 back to join the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle. The remaining 4 were assembled, 3 were to be used on operations with the reamaining 1 kept in reserve. After assembling the biplanes the Royal Navy decided on having them back for work in Alexandria, so they were taken apart for re-packing. Following talks between Air Commodore Maynard & the Royal Navy it was decided to leave the biplanes on Malta & they were re-assembled. Their first use in combat came at 0649 on the 11th of June 1940 when 10 Italian Savoia Marchetti 79 bombers bombed Grand Harbour. No aircraft were shot down in this encounter. On the 7th raid of the day the Gladiator's drew blood by shooting down a Macchi 200 fighter. Although the biplanes were slower than the Italian fighters they were more manouverable. The aircraft were given names but not until after the war 'Faith, Hope & Charity'. The 4th aircraft was called 'Desperation' but this was first used in the 1980's.. Three bladed propellers were fitted in place of the usual two to give the biplanes a faster rate of climb. Other parts were later used from a Swordfish. Superchargers were left on maximum during the climb after take off (which was against orders) so they could gain height faster. This put extra strain on the engines & 2 of them blew pistons. Maintenance crews converted Blenheim bomber engines to fit the Gladiators.
On the 3rd September 1943 what was left & tidied up of Faith was presented to the people of Malta by the RAF.
Now to the story of this past week:
OTTAWA - It seems the Maltese revel in their peace and quiet — even when it's at sea.
A Canadian warship on its way to the eastern Mediterranean caused a bit of ruckus off the island nation.
Earlier this week, the Halifax-based frigate HMCS Charlottetown conducted a small-arms firing exercise on the deck of the ship, which is routine training for the counter-terrorism mission the ship is about to begin.
Sailors were firing 9 mm pistols towards the empty ocean when they were ordered to stop.
Lt. Mark Fifield, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Navy in Ottawa, says Maltese Coast Guard officials hadn't authorized the exercise and shut it down after being notified over the radio.
Under international convention, warships conducting any firing drills in the waters of other countries are required to warn other vessels in the area and the host nation.
Fifield said the skipper of the Charlottetown didn't realize his warship had crossed into Maltese waters, but added that the radio warning had still been broadcast.
"No other vessels were in proximity to Charlottetown at the time of the incident and there was no risk to public safety," he said.
Canada delivered a note of apology to Malta over the incident and Fifield said it was something the navy "deeply regretted."
He said the weapons drill, conducted to ensure sailors are ready for the boarding of suspicious vessels, later resumed but only after the warship had hit international waters.
The frigate is on its way to join the NATO standing fleet, which is conducting counter-terrorism patrols. It was ordered to take up the post by the Conservative government, which wants to maintain a presence in the region given the instability and uprisings in Arab countries.
The GC was awarded to the island of Malta in a letter dated 15 April 1942 from King George VI to the island's Governor Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie: To honour her brave people, I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history. The Governor answered: By God's help Malta will not weaken but will endure until victory is won. The cross and the messages are today found in the War Museum in Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta. The fortitude of the population under sustained enemy air raids and a naval blockade which almost saw them starved into submission, won widespread admiration in Britain and other Allied nations. Some historians argue that the award was in fact a propaganda gesture to justify the huge losses sustained by Britain to prevent Malta from capitulating as Singapore had done in the Battle of Singapore.[26] The George Cross is woven into the Flag of Malta and can be seen wherever the flag is flown Photo is of Canadian fighter ace George Beurling known as the "Knight of Malta" shot down 27 Axis aircraft in just 14 days over the skies of Malta. Anyone interested in the Arab Spring or unrest in the Middle East please use this link for a great interactive map from the good old BBC,http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482309 HMCS Charlottetown must now be on station, may they have smooth sailing and God Speed in their dangerous operations. Please remember our Troops and their families. Nil Sine Labore Robby
