To our Fallen Heroes in Malta

Two days in Malta, a short jaunt across from Bari in Italy to continue our pilgrimage of paying respects to our fallen heroes and family members who lost their lives during the world war.

We arrived in Malta and were blessed with an early check of 11am into our Airbnb, boasting they have the most stunning harbour views and spot on; the views were unbeatable!

Malta truly resonates with a piece of heaven on earth. It is a tranquil island boasting sandstone architecture and cobblestone stairs to the doorsteps of homes, all nestled amongst the crystal-clear aqua waters of the Mediterranean.

You are constantly in awe of your surroundings, and no one can take a questionable photo being delivered such magical visionary views.

Malta is a playground for enthusiasts of crystal-clear aqua waters, ancient architecture, UNESCO World Heritage sites, stunning panoramic landscapes, and open caves with idyllic coastlines and watering holes.

First up, we jumped an Uber to the CWGC Pieta Military Cemetery to visit my Dad's Great Uncle, Private William Hubert Long, who sadly lost his battle at the raw age of 20 to Typhoid during WWI only after miraculously surviving being shot in the face during the conflict in Gallipoli, unfortunately in those days there was no intravenous feeding resulting in Typhoid.

More than 1,300 Commonwealth casualties buried at Pieta Military Cemetery are casualties of World War One, making it the most significant number of WW1 graves on the island. 882 of the burials here, nearly 60% of the total number of casualties, died in 1915 having been wounded or contracted sickness at Gallipoli and evacuated to Malta. As well as a large number of British war dead, a large ANZAC contingent at Pieta, with more than 230 burials of New Zealand and Australian casualties.

We arrived at the cemetery unbeknown to us; it was a public holiday in Malta, so everything was closed. After some busy online research, a combination code to the lock is available on a website, but there is no information on such a website. Fortunately, there was an email and phone of a contact to which we reached out for the details. We were also assisted by a few locals driving by who kindly stopped to help us out and make calls to obtain the code. He later shared that he lost his father during WWII, so he understood why we needed to pay respects.

The code was received, and we entered the cemetery, which was also well-maintained for all those laid to rest. We all walk through hunting down Private William. Fortunately, they were all by date, so we found him quickly enough. We are grateful we had the opportunity to visit Private William with Mum & Dad, as we are the first family members to do so. He has been lying there to rest since 1915, for over 100 years; we polished up his headstone and thanked him for his service.

We later learned William's mother, my great-grandmother, not only lost her 20-year-old brother during WWI but Edwin during WWII, who we visited in Bari, was her 21-year-old son, something challenging to comprehend and difficult to understand her significant losses.

Following our visit to pay respects, we were fortunate, especially on holiday, to locate a lovely little grocery shop where we could purchase all the essentials to head back to our stunning Airbnb and take advantage of such tranquil views.

With only two nights, we spent most of the time relaxing and intently watching the marine activity and the impressive superyachts mooring. It was the perfect location to enjoy the harbour views and be blessed to watch the sunsets.

We had front-row seats to the firing of the canon blast twice a day; we like to call them the Siestas alarms, the first at noon and the last at 4pm.

It was also fun to watch the gondolas ferry everyone across to Valletta for only €2 each and explore Senglea, our beautiful neighbourhood; it also has a lovely perspective overlooking Valletta.

Malta, you are also on our list for an extended stay. There is so much to explore; you need a few weeks to explore, take a breather, and relax genuinely. This is our third visit, and you are capturing our hearts. We visited Valetta on a cruise in 2018 and 2014. The people of Malta are incredibly kind and gentle; we can't wait to see more of you.