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Ms Mabel Strickland - Politician Esprit Barthet - Painter
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Maltese Personalities in History
s Mabel Strickland
M
Mabel Edeline Strickland, born in 1899, was the third of six daughters in the household of Count Gerald Strickland and Lady Edeline, née Sackville, who were married in 1890. Mabel’s mother was of English noble lineage, whist her father, who was half Maltese and of noble ancestry from his mother’s side, was to become the Prime Minister of (then colonial) Malta in 1927.
Owing to her father’s foreign postings, in his capacity as official of the British Empire, Mabel’s childhood and youth was spent in different countries, including Antigua and Australia. Then, towards the end of WW1, in May 1917, the Stricklands left Australia, sailing westwards with the intention of returning home to England, but circumstances involving Lady Edeline’s ill health brought them to Malta instead.
In her book entitled ‘Mabel Strickland’, biographer Joan Alexander tells of the judgmental advice eighteen-year-old Mabel received from her ‘Italian speaking-uncle’. During a motor ride in the countryside, upon learning that she intended to take up, amongst other subjects, Maltese language classes, uncle Charlie exclaimed, “I wouldn’t bother with Maltese! Everyone here speaks English, and besides it’s a very difficult language to learn – quite unnecessary.” Later in her life, Mabel was to regret having listened to his advice.
In 1935, Mabel assumed the editorship of her father’s publications, ‘The Times of Malta’ and the Maltese language paper ‘il-Berqa’, both expressing pro-British sentiments during times of ripe political controversy and rising social unrest. Later, between June 1940 and September 1943, during a continuous WW2 blitz on the Maltese Islands, this proved to be a source of inspiration both to the defenders and to the enduring civilian population.
After Lord Strickland’s demise in 1940, the Constitutional Party went through some very uncertain times, losing much of its earlier popularity. Picking up the pieces, in 1953, Mabel formed her own Progressive Constitutional Party which, contrary to the trends of her father’s party, given the political exigencies in earlier years, leaned in favour the Nationalist Party (formerly largely anti-British and championing the Italian Language). Finally, when the local political climate came to a boil in the late 1970’s, Mabel had to deal with two major setbacks.
The first was an ‘ad hoc’ legislation passed in 1977 by a government she wholeheartedly opposed and designed to disallow her the right to leave her estate to her kinsman, Robert Francis, whom she eventually considered marrying, if only to defy the recent amendment in the Adoption Law. But legislation was yet again amended to bar that possibility too.
The second blow was the torching of Mabel’s printing press in October 1979 by a political mob rallying in the streets of Valletta. Hence, the 15th October was dubbed ‘Black Monday’. Mabel Strickland was now a venerable 80-year-old and still the object of attention from friend and foe. She died during her sleep on 29th November, 1988, acknowledged as one who made a difference in Maltese political life.
Sources include: Mabel Strickland, by Joan Alexander (Progress Press Co Ltd – 1996)
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