British heroes honoured for wartime bravery
Emotional British veterans have told of their pride at seeing a memorial to their bravery unveiled in Malta.
Sailors who faced savage air attacks on the way to the Mediterranean island were honoured at a ceremony in Valetta last night.
Malta’s prime minister Lawrence Gonzi unveiled a large black anchor as a symbol of the courage shown by the islanders and the convoy that delivered vital supplies. He said: “On my behalf and on behalf of the Maltese people, I would like to thank the veterans here for their bravery, which protected our island fortress in its darkest hours during the war.”
The veterans - eight of 100 still alive - were key players in Operation Pedestal, a dangerous wartime mission to relieve the island from enemy bombing and starvation.
More than 23,000 Royal Navy and merchant sailors sailed from Gibraltar during August 11-15 1942 against an onslaught of 21 enemy submarines, 23 E-boats and 540 aircraft. More than 350 service and merchantmen lost their lives.
Only five merchant ships made it to Valetta – the most famous of which was the SS Ohio. She had been bombed so badly by enemy fighters that her back was broken and she was in danger of sinking. But she was supported into port by HMS Ledbury and HMS Penn on either side with HMS Rye acting as a stabilizer at the stern.
Despite the best efforts of the Italian and German attacks 30,000 tonnes of cargo reached the islanders, including aviation fuel for Spitfires based on the island. It sustained Malta for 10 weeks and showed that the tide of the war in North Africa and the Mediterranean was not moving away from the Allies.
John Suddaby from Warrington was a 19-year-old Petty Officer on the cruiser HMS Kenya, which was damaged when the engine room was bombed and caught fire. The 89-year-old said: “Seeing the memorial means a lot in terms of what we went through, although it is very little in comparison to what the Maltese people here had to endure.
“At the time it was just something I was told to do – I didn’t really realise the significance of it until afterwards but it was a tough couple of days. I am extremely proud of what we did and it is important that it is remembered in this way.”
Adm Stanhope said: “We lost four warships, damaged five more and out of 14 merchant ships only five got through – but they were a critical five and key to the survival of Malta.
“The Navy was at sea, in the air and under the sea, because it was vital we got these supplies through.”
