Arthur Wait recounted his life as a child in Birzebbuga and the hardships endured by the Maltese during the post-Second World War years. He described how he joined the navy and what life was like in the navy. He retired in Malta in 2007.

Arthur Wait, his sister Gladys, brother Tony and an unknown English boy

Arthur Wait and his wife, Stella, at their home. The photo was taken just after Arthur Wait's interview.

View of the Freeport being constructed near Pretty Bay, Birzebbugia, c. late 1980s.

This manuscript was written by Arthur Wait and proofread and edited by Sandra Blake of the National Archives of Malta. The author dedicated this book to "all Maltese boy seamen who served in the Royal Navy aged fifteen years, and who joined HMS Ganges; some of whom are no longer with us. I salute you all".

Dates covered: 1940-1980. Arthur Wait was born in 1940. He came from a long standing naval family. He described life as a child in Birzebbuga and the hardships endured by the Maltese in the post-Second World War years. He recounted how he joined the navy and his life as a Maltese man in the British navy. He also mentioned the closing of the military base in Malta and how it affected those people who worked with the British Forces.

American sailors at Larry's Bar in Birzebbugia

A colour illustration of Pretty Bay, Birzebbuga, Malta.