As part of the monthly series of cultural talks organised by Din l-Art Helwa, at the Judge Caruana Curran Hall,  Denis Anthony Darmanin will deliver a talk entitled ‘Military Graffiti at Fort St. Elmo, Valletta’.

Mr Darmanin holds a Diploma in Baroque Architecture (Distinction) and is a researcher and illustrator of army badges and uniform buttons.  For many years he has regularly contributed articles in the journals of various international societies of which he is a member, as well as in numerous local publications.  He is the co-author and illustrator of eleven books on British and Colonial uniform buttons and author of ‘Pembroke, From a British Garrison to a Modern Civilian Town’.

His talk, ‘Military Graffiti at Fort St. Elmo, Valletta’, looks at the various graffiti within the fort, in particular those left as memorials on the baroque fountain in the lower yard. 

It describes the various and less elaborate graffiti crudely made by British and Maltese soldiers during their time of service at the fort.  Even though under today’s perspectives graffiti are considered as an act of vandalism, those that remain serve as testimonials to these soldiers; their names, army regiments, place of origin and other such details that are now considered by many researchers as ‘unwritten pages of history’. 

Such graffiti are commonly found etched in the soft limestone of many of the fortifications and former services establishments around Malta from the time of the Order of St. John.

The talk will be delivered, in English, at The Judge M. Caruana Curran Hall, Din l-Art Helwa, 133, Melita Street Valletta at 6pm, on Thursday 10th January. Attendance is free of charge, but donations to Din  l-Art Helwa will be appreciated.