On Saturday 11 August 2018, High Commissioner of the Republic of Malta,
H.E. Joseph Cole and the Deputy High Commissioner Ms Chantal Sciberras attended
a Service of Remembrance and Commemoration at All Hallows by the Tower Church,
London. South East branch of the George Cross Island Association (GCIA) organised this annual
event to mark the seventy-sixth anniversary of Operation Pedestal.
The Service was followed by the Blessing of the Malta Siege
Memorial, located adjacent to the Church of All Hallows on Tower Hill, and a
Wreath laying ceremony. The High Commissioner and Ms Julia Gaw, GCIA National
Chairperson, laid wreaths of red poppies on behalf of the Government and people
of Malta and the George Cross Island Association.
In his address, High Commissioner Cole, paid tribute to the heroism,
devotion and endurance of the Maltese and the Allied servicemen and women
during the Second Great Siege of Malta.
This event was well attended by GCIA members from the Royal Navy,
Army, Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and the civilian population of Malta,
remembering those friends they made and lost defending the island fortress
during the Second World War.
