大象传媒

Speech Delivered by Dr.Paul Borg Oliver,Mayor of Valletta.On the occasion
of the Conferment of the title of. HONORARY CITIZEN OF VALLETTA to the
veterans of Operation Pedestal August 1942


Almighty God we Give Thee Thanks...as the simple prayer of all those who stood at the foot of the
unbeaten bastions,on the ramparts of the dauntless Fort St Elmo,on the dry
shores of the Grand Harbour and on the bare roof tops of the shattered homes
in Valletta and the Three Cities as they emotionally greeted the convoy ships
sailing in the harbour in the month of August 1942. Minister,colleagues,distinguished guests,Ladies and Gentlemen.It is a
great pleasure and honor for me,as Mayor of Valletta,and on behalf of my
colleague councillers and all the people of Vallatta,to welcome you to Malta
on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Operation Pedestal.
May I point out from the start that Malta`s gratitude and indebtedness to
you all and all your colleagues are infinite.
The passage of time will never strike off our memory of this glorious
event,for your suffering was our suffering and your hopes were our hopes,and
guided by the noble virtues of courage and,to quote Winston Churchill,"The
strength of Malta revived"
I am not a witness to the siege, of course my age gives me away.I have
never felt the suffering of hunger,the yelling of sirens,the blast of
bombs,and the fear of dying out at sea away from my family. These must have been your thoughts and feelings as they must have been of
all those who experienced these bitter moments of distress.
It appeared that this was the beginning of the end for you and
Malta.
Yet I am human,so allow me to share with you the grief for all those who
died at sea,or on land to give Me and many others the meaning of life.
We stand here today at the St.Jamea Cavalier,the former NAAFI as all of you
know it,in rememberance of one of Malta`s most difficult yet glorious
moments-a turning point in our history.
We stand here today,to give homage to those who gave their lives for
others,and to honor you,the survivors,of Operation Pedestal for the
outstanding noble virtues you have shown throughout your service.
During this operation,the Ohio,alone, was singled out,ferociously attacked
by the enemy.She was torpedoed and holed,fire broke out,her boilers blew up
and her engines failed.She was twice abandoned and twice reboarded.Repeated
attempts to tow failed,but the tanker did not sink,Ohio with the help of all
the other vessels in the operation shaped the fate of Malta.
.The ships resistance was equalled by the power of the seamen who,with no
time for food or rest,manned the crippled ships to port.
For everybody,then,it was felt that this was the beginning of the end,this
time,of war,of course.
Standing battered and bloody,Operation Pedestal and Malta made a great
history and paved the way to victory over the forces of the Third
Reich.
It is for these reasons that the Valletta City Local Government,has agreed
to confer,for the first time,the title of HONORARY CITIZEN OF VALLETTA to you
present and to others in absentia.

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