This Malta story really begins when John Mason
of the regiment of the South Wales Borderers was sent from Gallipoli, in the Dardenelles, to Malta, after sustaining wounds in that battle on April 25th 1915. He convalesced on the island and was to transfer to the Northumberland Fusiliers who were on Garrison Duty on the island. This transfer and extended stay meant that his family were to join him after the war. The family, wife Catherine (of Irish descent) and four children were to live at the "House of the Four Winds" high above Marxamaxett Harbour, for some 10 years. Their children, 3 daughters and a son, had known only army life and had already experienced life in South Africa and China. John, the youngest child, was born in China.
John's wife, Catherine, with daughters Evelyn,
Violet and Doris, and her baby son John (jr.)
John Mason (senior) became Garrison Sergeant Major and worked at the Castille Offices [photo: below, left]. He was for a time on the Governor's staff. During this time he was involved with members of the Russian Royal Family, who had been rescued from the Crimea after the Russian Revolution. It appears that he was seconded to their service on board the Royal Naval vessel that had been involved in their rescue.
John Mason's daughters, Evelyn, Violet and Doris, would tell the stories of invitations to the Governor's Ball and visits to the Opera House [photo: above, right], which were indeed a privilege. John was a keen musician and played the Mandolin. There is a silver Maltese Cross with an engraving of a view from the “House of 4 Winds” of the Carmelite and Anglican Cathedrals, and also an inscription, to tell us that it was a gift from Madam Genova, who, it is believed, may have been the wife of Professor Genova, a musician.
click to enlarge wedding photo
Both Evelyn and Violet were to meet their future husbands and marry in Malta. Evelyn at the, Maddelana Garrison Church, Strada Mercanti, and Violet, at the English Church, in Floriana. Evelyn married James Henry Edward Bailey R.A.F. in February 1926 and their first son, John Edward was born at Bighi Hospital. Violet married Henry Vize and their first son, Victor, was born at Mtarfa.
click this photo to zoom in on the family
It is our great good fortune that many photographs were taken of these times and the aged album containing them has caused us to visit the places depicted. With the help of the friendly, hospitable Maltese people, we have discovered so much about what life would have been like for the family. In 1994 we visited Malta for the very first time, taking with us this treasured album. One of our first encounters, at a Fare Stage, was with Doris Fenech. This meeting founded a deep and lasting friendship that survives to this day. This friendly lady was the first to help in the identification of places and buildings that we subsequently visited.
In our attempts to discover the church where the marriage of James and Evelyn took place, we first visited the Public Records Office in Valletta. Officials here were extremely helpful and made a copy of the relevant entry in the Marriage Register. You can imagine how exciting it was for my husband Colin and I, to see the hand written entry in this document, with all of its detail.
Please proceed to Part 2 now.
author: Morag Bailey
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EXCERPT FROM PART 2:
"This beautiful Arch, we learned, had been broken up and used for fuel, in those terrible and desperate times during World War II. He was furnished with a copy of this photograph and it was published in the Programme for the Festa of St. Dominique. This was particularly heartening for us, to find that, after 80 years, the photographs were useful and brought pleasure to all who saw the album. The “Grand Studios” inscription features on many of the photographs in our possession. It seems that John Mason senior was involved, in some way, in the business, so had perhaps an unusual number of family portraits taken and had access to scenic photographs that would not otherwise have been the case."
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Please proceed to Part 2 now.
This town (Gelibolu in the local language) is situated on the straits known as the Sea of Marmara, a narrow water corridor between the Aegean Sea (East of Greece) and the Black Sea, at the entrance of which Gallipoli was so strategically situated. Whilst Allied leaders pushed for a sea strike and landing at the Dardanelles, their Admirals were much against this campaign as they would not risk their best ships in such an impossible task. The intention was to open the passage between the Med and the Black Sea, offering support to Russia while hoping to provoke an uprising in Turkey, thereby causing Germany and Austria-Hungary to draw their troops away from the Western Front, which had reached a deadlock by March 1915.
