This is the third, and final, part of my Maltese father's memories of his experiences in Malta in June 1940 during WW2. He recalls the hellish voyage from Malta to Alexandria, Egypt, on the decoy battleship ‘Royal Sovereign’, which was part of a convoy of several warships. During the four day voyage, they were constantly attacked from the air by the Italian Air Force and by Italian warships and submarines.
My father, Loreto (1918-2009), describes in detail how he, as part of a group of approximately 30 Maltese Royal Air Force men, were trucked to the Grand Harbour from Kalafrana base and boarded the ‘Royal Sovereign’. He describes the conditions on the battleship, the constant enemy attacks and the return fire from the ship, and their eventual arrival at Alexandria.
A highlight for me is his recounting of an incident when the Maltese group was being ordered to leave the air raid shelter at Kalafrana, during an air raid, to go to the Grand Harbour and the ‘English boys’ – the UK Royal Air Force men – strenuously challenged the senior officer and urged him not to make the Maltese leave the shelter during the enemy raid. These were not pilots but airmen, like my dad, who served on the ground like soldiers. It was great solidarity and the men won.
My dad and the other Maltese might very well have been killed had the senior officer not changed his mind in light of the English airmen’s rebellion.
The human voice telling a story based on experience is hard to match and I’m so glad I recorded my dad’s memories 32 years ago.
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I am compiling this third and final instalment to mark the 80th anniversary of the awarding of the George Cross to the people of Malta in 1942. I am compiling the series from excerpts from the oral history interview I recorded with my father, Loreto (1918-2009) in 1989 and 1990. His memories of the War are detailed and insightful and constitute a significant historical source. They are brought to life by his own voice.
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Loreto Meilak was born in Sliema, Malta, on 14 December 1918. His parents and siblings were all from Ghajnsielem, Gozo, but Loreto, the eleventh child (four died as babies) was born after the family moved to Malta.
He worked in Sliema as an apprentice ladies hairdresser and volunteered with the Royal Air Force in Malta in 1940. He served in Malta, the Middle East, Africa, Palestine and France and was stationed in the UK after the War. He demobilized in 1953.
In London in 1947, he changed his name from Meilak to York and also married a Londoner, Olive (nee Turner) that year.
In 1954, Loreto and Olive migrated to Melbourne with their three year old son.
In the mid-1990s, he was presented with the Malta George Cross 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medal by Malta's High Commissioner in Australia.
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