Many Of You Will Recall Lt. General Sir William ...  PRO

Many of you will recall Lt. General Sir William Dobbie (Dobbie of Malta) who was Governor General of Malta during the Second World War – at a time when the defence of Malta was at its darkest hour.

The Italian forces had overwhelming superiority, both in numbers and firepower. Yet Malta never fell to the enemy – and for their courageous stand - the whole island was awarded the George Cross..

Historians still cannot understand why the Italians did not take the island, given its strategic position.

Dobbie, a committed Christian, realised the weakness of his position and that God alone was “his present help in trouble”.

His first “Special Order of the Day”, defining policy governing the defence of the island read:

"The decision of His Majesty’s Government to fight until our enemies are defeated will have been heard with the greatest satisfaction by all ranks of the garrison of Malta.

It may be that hard times lie ahead of us, but however hard they may be, I know that the courage and determination of all ranks will not falter and that with God’s help we will maintain the security of this fortress,

I therefore call...