Malta National War Museum

The National War Museum provides you with a good insight of what Malta went through during the two World Wars

The National War Museum is located in the Lower St. Elmo in Valletta, facing Marsamxett Harbour. It is one of the top places of interest and amongst the most popular museums in Malta.

This War Museum represents the important role Malta and its people played during World War II as well as Malta’s important military role after 1800 under British rule. However, the museum displays also items from the First World War and from the two years of French Occupation. The collection recounts the story of events that led the two world wars, how they developed and as well as their consequences on both Malta and abroad.

The National War Museum in Malta opened in 1975 and completely refurbished in 2009. It consists of a large vaulted hall, 2 long annexes, one on each side of the hall and 3 smaller rooms. The left annex is largely dedicated to the Royal Navy with various uniforms, equipment, emblems, Malta convoys, a Junkers Juno engine and several other related items on display. 

The large main hall at the War Museum in Malta has several important items on show such as the Italian E-Boat, a Bofors anti-aircraft gun, the Willis Jeep ‘Husky that General Eisenhower used during his visit to Malta’, the Gloster Gladiator ‘Faith’, the George Cross, the Book of Remembrance, the illuminated Scroll presented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and wreckage of a Spitfire and a Messerschmitt Me-109 fighter aircraft recovered from the sea bed.

The photographic panels are also worth examining as they portray the extremely harsh conditions that Malta and its people had to go through during the war. They show the great deal of damage that was caused to Malta and what had to be rebuilt. Other interesting features are the prestigious awards and decorations received by Maltese service men and civilians during World War II for their bravery and sacrifice that helped Malta through the war.

Perhaps the most important and interesting piece at the War Museum is the George Cross Medal which was given in 1942 to the whole population of Malta as a recognition for their bravery during the war. This cross now features on the Maltese flag.