Size: 15.5mm

 

Weight (Silver): 2.1g

 

Material: .925 Sterling Silver

 

Enamel: EFCOLOR Transparent Red

 

Finding: .925 Clutch Back (NOT Handmade)

 

Come in smart Red Leatherette Box with a Numbered Provenance Certificate from the Malta Crafts Council.

All our items are individually hand crafted and will therefore be unique. As such they may vary slightly from the picture shown.

Not all lengths/sizes of the same item are stocked and that it may not be possible to post the next day. So, if necessary, please allow an extra 7 days for these items to be hand crafted for you.

All weights are extrapolated.

The George Cross was awarded to the island of Malta by King George VI in a letter to the island's Governor, Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie, so as to "bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people" during the great siege they underwent in the early part of World War II. Italy and Germany besieged Malta, then a British colony, from 1940 to 1942.

This medal is awarded only for acts of the greatest heroism or the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger. The George Cross was incorporated into the Flag of Malta beginning in 1943 and remains on the current design of the flag.

This award was made by King George VI by a letter in his own hand:

"The Governor

Malta

To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history.

George R.I.

April 15th 1942"

Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie answered:

"By God's help Malta will not weaken but will endure until victory is won."

A public award ceremony in Valletta was held on 13 September 1942, after the arrival of the Santa Maria Convoy.

The Cross and the King's message are today found in the National War Museum in Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta. The fortitude of the population under sustained enemy air raids and a naval blockade which almost saw them starved into submission, won widespread admiration in Britain and other Allied nations.

• Negative of George Cross pattern is laser printed on blue PnP paper.
• The negative is then heat transferred onto a polished silver sheet.
• Silver sheet is suspended upside down in Ferric Nitrate Solution.
• Exposed areas of the pattern are etched away over a period of hours.
• When the desired depth is reached the patterns are punched out.
• Item is constructed, sanded down, cleaned and polished.
• Colour is added by applying EFCOLOR enamel to the etched areas.
• Enameling is repeated 2 or 3 times to get desired depth.
• Item is cleaned of excess enamel and given a final thorough polish.