From Mr S. J. A. Clews

I would like to thank you for publishing the article “George Cross Island Association in Crisis” by John M Mizzi and to confirm the accuracy of its contents, which is backed by documents (TMIS, 12, April).

As Mr Mizzi stated, on Thursday 7 May, Malta Branch will be holding an extraordinary general meeting at 6pm at the Royal British Legion HQ in Valletta (by kind permission of the Committee). The main item on the Agenda is the future of the Branch.

A proposal is being made that we re-organise the Branch as “The Malta George Cross Association”, with our own Statute and Constitution keeping to the aims of its founder the late Mr Fred Plenty when it was under the National Presidency of the late Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin. The Malta Association would be under the patronage of the President of Malta.

We veterans now feel it is time that the younger generation takes over the reins since there are now only two such veterans on the present caretaker committee, Lt Col Antoine Pace Bonello, founder of Malta Branch, and myself a founder member, both of whom will be resigning as from the date of the extraordinary general meeting. Being 88 and 86 respectively, we feel the time has come to withdraw from the scene.

We are proposing that Col Pace Bonello be elected Hon President of the Malta GC Association. As Mr Mizzi stated, I will become a “back-bencher” and will resign from all posts at the start of the EGM.

As stated by Mr Mizzi, we are finding problems in being answerable to a council in the UK, in which, as currently constituted, the Malta Branch committee has no confidence.

The few surviving veteran Maltese and UK members of the 1940-1943 siege in our Branch seem to have become “The forgotten breed”.

Stanley J. A. Clews