The return of an ex-bomber

Graham Phillips, an 85 year old ex-bomber pilot who fought to ensure that Malta did not fall under Nazi control, is to return to Malta with 600 other veterans. It will be his first visit in Malta since December 1942. Andrew Robinson writes for the Yorkshire Post:

He flew missions on D-Day, bombed Germany and strafed enemy positions at the victory at Alamein. But for former Flight Lieutenant Graham Phillips these missions cannot be compared to the suffering and heroism he witnessed on Malta – dubbed "the unsinkable battleship" by Churchill.

Now, over sixty years after he completed his last drop of food to the starving Maltese, the ex-bomber pilot is to return to Malta with 600 other veterans who ensured this strategically vital island never fell under Nazi control. Mr Phillips, now 85 and living in Leeds, who has not set foot on Malta since December 1942, made numerous supply drops to the island over two years. He and his crew were attacked several times in the air and on the ground.

He recalled: "Dropping food on Malta was bloody dangerous. We just did not know when Jerry was coming over. We just got in and out quickly. We were just doing our bit to help Malta." During the war he flew dozens of dangerous operations over Egypt, Libya, Germany, France and Crete during stints with 162 Squadron and 109 Squadron, and was tasked with special duties such as locating and destroying communications posts.

He says the Maltese showed particular bravery and deserved their George Cross. "Malta had a terrible time. I wonder to this day how they survived. People were nearly starved out – their in-built courage was extraordinary. "Long after the war, I met a Luftwaffe veteran who told me that he and his comrades dreaded being sent on an operation over Malta. That says it all – the Maltese and all the Allies fought so hard to save this small island."...