Photos are a means of extracting social, cultural, and historical information by analysing their contents. Researching a historical subject, such as family or town history, old photographs are a type of primary document that yields information about people, events, culture and places. Armed with a set of questions, this feature reveals information that complements, fills in, and enriches Maltese history shedding light on people, places, events and moments in time. Indeed 'a photo speaks a thousand words'"
As with many old Maltese family albums, it is incredibly amazing how many historical sketches may be retrieved providing readers not only with rare photos but enriching information about political, social and cultural events as well as places visited. This is a case in point with the Family Aquilina album. Dione Aquilina, who hails from San Gwann is a fraternal twin with his sister Doris and is the owner of this album. These are some photos and accompanying stories.
Maltese employment with the Canadian Pacific Rail Company
Background information about Dione gives interesting aspects of his working career in Canada where he migrated in the 1950s and later on when he returned to his home country, Malta. He now enjoys his retirement years after spending the last 22 years of his working life in Canada.
During his working career in Canada, Dione worked with the Canadian Pacific Rail Company which later became the Via Rail. Starting off as a Soda Jerk (which is another name for an ice-cream and salad maker), he progressed in his career being promoted to several positions and terminating his career in Canada as a Train Steward.
The Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPR), formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I rail carrier founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Company, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, it owns approximately 14,000 miles (22,500 km) of track all across Canada and into the United States, stretching from Montreal to Vancouver, and as far north as Edmonton. Its rail network also serves major cities in the United States, such as Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago, and New York City.
The railway was originally built between Eastern Canada and British Columbia between 1881 and 1885 (connecting with Ottawa Valley and Georgian Bay area lines built earlier), fulfilling a promise extended to British Columbia when it entered Confederation in 1871. It was Canada's first transcontinental railway, but currently does not reach the Atlantic coast. Primarily a freight railway, the CPR was for decades the only practical means of long-distance passenger transport in most regions of Canada, and was instrumental in the settlement and development of Western Canada. The CPR became one of the largest and most powerful companies in Canada, a position it held as late as 1975. Its primary passenger services were eliminated in 1986, after being assumed by Via Rail Canada in 1978.
Other Family Members
Dione's father, Gaetano was a butler to Lord Strickland before the Second World War and Gaetano's siblings numbered 24. Maltese family size was large before the war as it was influenced by the Catholic church's teaching on sexual morality.
Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland, 6th Count della Catena, 1st Baron Strickland, GCMG (24 May 1861 - 22 August 1940) was a Maltese and British politician and peer, who served as Prime Minister of Malta, Governor of the Leeward Islands, Governor of Tasmania, Governor of Western Australia and Governor of New South Wales, in addition to sitting successively in the House of Commons and House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Jane Mansfield distributing autographed photos to admirers in Canda. Anthony Aquilina is seen with dark opened shirt
Jane Mansfield Photo
The front cover of the album is adorned with a large photo showing the famous actress and sex-symbol Jane Mansfield distributing her photographs to a crowd of admirers. Mr. Anthony Aquilina, who is Dione's brother is seen in the photo gazing at the actress. This photo was taken in Canada.
Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 - June 29, 1967) was an American actress in film, theatre, and television. She was also a nightclub entertainer, a singer, and one of the early Playboy Playmates. She was a major Hollywood sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s and 20th Century Fox's alternative to Marilyn Monroe who came to be known as the "Working Man's Monroe". She was also known for her well-publicized personal life and publicity stunts, such as wardrobe malfunctions. She was one of Hollywood's original blonde bombshells, and, although many people have never seen her movies, Mansfield remains one of the most recognizable icons of 1950s celebrity culture.
Mansfield's professional name came from her first husband, public relations professional Paul Mansfield, with whom she had a daughter. She was the mother of three children from her second marriage to actor-bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. She had a son with her third husband film director Matt Cimber. In 1967, Mansfield died in a sensational car accident at the age of 34.
Dione Aquilina reading one of his wife’s letters at the Dortmund Barracks
The Territorials
Dione had aslo a stint with the local Territorials in 1959. These were part-time soldiers attached with the King's Own Malta Regiment. The Territorials trained twice a week and learned the skills similar to those of the Scouts such as making knots, camping and other tasks plus the military tasks of cleaning and maintaining a uniform, firing a rifle, tossing a grenade and preparing camoflouage.
Between 1961-65, Dione was posted in Dortmund Barracks at Camp 10 serving in the Royal Malta Artillery (RMA) as part of the peace-keeping force. Still remembering his army serial number as 18136026, he vividly recalls his experience when he was on duty with the RMA when they were attached to the 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery. The Barracks was divided into different sectors for the British, French and American forces. One of the first tasks of the RMA was to assist in the transport and disposal into the sea of the remaining German Panzers (tanks) and military trucks from the Second World War which had been stored in the said compound. Dione remembers clearly the Britsh vehicles towing these trucks and tanks and the long convoy that made its way to the coast to dump these vehicles far away offshore, to rid a sore reminder of the Second World War.
The RMA, at the time formed part of the British Army and was used as a transport wing for the British and US Army. The main role was to transport missiles. The average age of a soldier in the Regiment was just 20 years of age. The 1st Regiment, Royal Malta Artillery arrived in Baor during 1960 where they were accommodated at Moore Barracks, Dortmund. They then moved on to Wrexham Barracks, Mülheim, where they served until 1978. Unfortunately, on being recalled to Malta the Regiment was disbanded, with the crown being removed from the badge. The Maltese Army is now called Armed Forces Malta (AFM).
The early 1960s were the years known for the Cuban Crisis and the assassination of President J.F. Kennedy of the United States. After Kennedy's assassination, Dione remembers that the base camp at Dortmund was in full alert as the possibility of a nuclear war was looming.
Old Maltese postcard showing Maltese Milk Seller. The person in the photo milking the goat is Emmanuel Aquilina
The Maltese Goat Postcard
Dione's grandfather, Emmanuel was a milk agent and he would be aged 96 if still alive. Interestingly, Emmanuel is shown on a Maltese postcard milking a goat. It is very rare that one comes across someone who knows the person pictured in a Maltese postcard that was sold in thousands as a souvenir.
Emmanuel was also an agent of the shoe-shine nugget brand. He was a familiar face at 'Piazza Regina' in Valletta until before he died in his 90s. He plied his trade bent on his knees polishing shoes at Republic Square (also known as Queen's Square or Piazza Regina) which is the small square found in front of the National Library of Malta.
Sir Paul Boffa Dockyard Photo
Perhaps, the most historical photo is the one which showing Dione's father, Gaetano together with a group of other Dockyard workers posing with the then Prime Minister of Malta, Paul Boffa (later Sir). The Prime Minister is wearing his familiar hat and in his characteristic pose with one hand in the right pocket of his suit jacket. The flames can be seen emerging out of the forge on the far right of the photo.
The photo was taken after the Second World War at a time when Contino L. Preziosi formed the National Assembly. During the period following the Second World War, the Labour party won the elections in 1945 but in 1946 resigned en masse due to the layoffs at the HM Dockyard. On 10th September 1947, Douglas Governor-in-chief pushed the new constitution which took effect on 22 September 1947. With this, the senate was abolished and the legislative body which the Labour Party won. Dr. Paul Boffa M.D became Prime Minister but the split in 1949 brought the party to a downfall and Mr. Dominic Mintoff was elected leader of the labour Party, which he then styled as Malta Workers Party. Dione remembers his father saying that the photo was taken during Boffa's visit to the Dockyard during October as Gaetano celebrated his birthday during that month.
Prior to the commencement of the Second Word War hostilites, Gaetano had been asked together with other Dockyard workers to work in North Africa. During service in North Africa, war broke out and Gaetano was one of the workers who had escaped capture by the Germans when they advanced on Benghazi. His family had already abandoned hopes of seeing him again him, but providentially he made it back home to Malta. He suffered shell shock as a result of the bombardments and other close calls from the German and Italian artillery and airforce shells.
After the war, Gaetano was employed as a blacksmith at HM Dockyard producing rivets for ships and boilers and other equipment. This trade died out with the advent of welding. As a blacksmith the work consisted also of creating objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut.
Blacksmiths in Malta also produced objects such as gates, grilles, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and weapons. This was the case during wartime Malta, when the local availability of such items was scarce due to supply convoys not reaching the island.
It is hoped through this feature that anyone holding family albums and wishes to extract historical sketches with the help of the author to kindly contact the author at:
[email protected]