大象传媒

Maltese Childhood Chapter 5

鈥淭his story has been added to the People鈥檚 War site by volunteer Anita Howard from Essex Action desk on behalf of herself as Anita M. Sackett and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions鈥�

Valetta was the capital city of Malta, a very ancient town with many mediaeval buildings 鈥� cathedrals, churches, spires, domes, opera houses Governor鈥檚 Palace and other imposing buildings. After Brownies the school bus would drop me off at the bus terminal outside the main gateway to Valetta where my mother met me.
The buses were different colours so you knew your bus from a distance and also if you could not read or write. All buses started and ended at Valetta so sometimes you had to go there and change buses to get to your destination.

Once there, mum would take us to the gardens which overlooked the Grand Harbour. From there we could see all the ships in harbour and the great walls that were built as fortification to protect Valetta from invading forces.
Sometimes she took us to Queen鈥檚 Square, near the Governor鈥檚 Palace,
where there was an outside cafe. Another favourite place was near the bombed site of the Opera House where we could get our favourite Wembley鈥檚 ice cream.

Valetta was a warren of little streets with tall, balconied buildings and slatted shuttered windows. Across the steep, narrow streets washing was hung out to dry.
There were many little shops - tobacconists, confectioners, shoe menders, bars, haberdashers, basket shops, jewellers which sold Maltese filigree gold and silver, lace and many general shops. No supermarkets in those days.

Amidst all this business I could hear the 鈥渃hink, chink鈥� of the masons鈥� adzes chipping new blocks of limestone to rebuild the damaged of Valetta. There was rubble everywhere. How sad the buildings looked.
Sometimes we saw older women wearing the 鈥渇aldetta,鈥� a black garment with a 鈥渉ood鈥� over their heads.

Once we went to the carnival to see the wonderful floats and people in fancy dress. On foot, people dressed as giant vegetables and walked between the floats. My mother was amazed at the floats because you could not see the lorries beneath them. They were decorated from top to toe. Streamers were thrown everywhere and the evening finished with a grand firework display.
One year our parents took us to the Carnival Ball in Valetta. We dressed up, my sister as a pirate complete with painted moustache and earrings and me as a cowgirl or Robin Hood. I can鈥檛 remember what my parents wore but the Maltese people wore splendid costumes and some of the ladies wore beauty patches on their faces and carried pretty fans. The building was very ornate with decorated ceilings. Later we joined in the dancing.

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