Scouting in Malta

The Scout Movement in Malta began with the official registration of 2 Troops in 1909 - just one year after its birth in the United Kingdom. In 1913, the "Malta Boy Scout Association" was registered as a local branch of the British Association, and consisted of 150 boys in 6 Troops.

Lord Baden-Powell had a special affection for Malta due to he, having been stationed on the Island during the early 1890's as the Governor's Military Secretary. He made it a point to pay a visit, even for a short duration during his many Mediterranean cruises, and when in 1934 when so ill that he could not land, he climbed up to the upper deck and seated himself in a chair facing Valletta. The resulting welcome which the Scouts gave him at his appearance, is said to have touched him that tears ran down his cheeks as he penned a letter of regret to the Island Commissioner, in which he said:

" ... I have, as you know, a soft place in my heart for Malta and the Maltese people through old and happy association, and hence my joy at seeing the success of the Movement and my sincere hope for its further development. "

The role played by the Maltese Scouts during the Second World War provides some of the brightest pages in the annuals of scouting. This is best shown in Hilary St. George Saunder's book "The Left Handshake":

  "One part of the Empire deserves special mention. The Scouts of Malta endured a heavier ordeal than any others. They were employed, like their comrades elsewhere, as coast watchers, messengers, telephone operators, they manned A.R.P. centres, worked in the censor's office in the hospitals, and those who were old enough, in the Volunteer Defence Force. One of their most important duties was that of acting as telephone orderlies when convoys were unloaded. The ships - those of them that were fortunate enough to survive a voyage beset by enemy submarines and aircraft - had to discharge their cargo with the utmost speed and nearly always under heaving bombing attacks. Telephone instruments were placed at intervals for collecting and relaying the necessary information. The bravery of the scouts during the frequent air raids became a byword among the population. Early in the war they adopted as their motto 'Scarred but no scared'. Their headquarters was destroyed together with all records; but two stories that have survived show their quality. One is that of an unnamed 17 year old Scout who held a lamp the whole night to enable men extricating the persons buried under the debris of a bombed house to see their way, and was killed a month later by a bomb which destroyed the room he was decorating for a children's party. "

The conduct of the Maltese Scouts caused them to be specially remembered by Lord Baden-Powell, who was then in the last year of his life, in a letter in which he stated:

" ... I would like to congratulate my old friends, the Maltese, on the plucky way in which they have stood up to the infernal bombing of the Italians… I know they have the spirit of fearlessness and patience, which enables them to face danger with a smile and to stick it out to the triumphant end. "

Continuing from "The Left Handshake" we read that: "... Despite the fierce attacks, camping and other Scout activities continued as usual, and only on St. George's Day 1942, did the bombing prove too severe to hold the customary Rally. On the next anniversary of that festival, the Bronze Cross, awarded to the Scouts of Malta, was solemnly presented in the presence of eight hundred of those who had contributed so valiantly to the winning of it. When in June 1943, the King visited Malta, the Scouts broke the police cordon and gave him a 'roaring welcome', running beside his car, so that he arrived at the Palace escorted by ' Scouts and Flags '. The George Cross conferred on Malta for its dogged resistance was earned as much by the Scouts as by many of its inhabitants. They were all a shining example to Scouts everywhere as long as the Movement endures."

Following Malta's Independence in 1964, the local Association became an independent body, and 2 years later, was listed as a full member of the World Scout Bureau.