The Congreve Memorial
“Passing away of a perfect gentleman and a gallant soldier.” These were the opening headlines in the Daily Malta Chronicle on Wednesday, March 2, 1927 . The newspaper was reporting the death of the Governor of Malta, General Sir Walter Norris Congreve V.C., K.C.B., M.V.O., A.D.C., which had occurred two days previously.
General Congreve had not been Governor of these islands for long. He came to Malta in 1924, from the Southern Command where he was general officer commanding-in-chief. Apart from being well loved by the people of Malta , General Congreve has a special connection with these islands. He chose to be buried at sea between the island of Filfla and Malta .
His long-standing love of the sea had become more manifest during his stay in Malta . General Congreve had a cabin cruiser and used to go sailing in it even in strong winds. As a result he fell into the sea many a time, which worsened the asthma attacks of which he was known to suffer. Doctors had recommended the seaside air as a relief for this ailment and General Congreve began to frequent the fishing villages around the coast of Malta . This made him extremely popular with the local fishermen and farmers, especially since he was known to chat with whenever he could. However his greatest love is said to have been the island of Filfla where Congreve would stand for hours on end at Wied iz-Zurrieq gazing out at the blue sea.
The Maltese affectionately referred to him as t'idu ganc (arm with a hook). General Congreve had lost his arm during the fighting in 1917 when on December 15, 1899.he was also decorated with the Victoria Cross for courageous action in the Battle of Colenso. The Governor's died at Mtarfa Hospital following a long illness and came in the middle of the carnival festivities on the island. Such was the grief of the people that all celebrations were spontaneously cancelled during his illness. The Daily Malta Chronicle of March 2, 1927, reported, “as his Excellency insisted on reading the Chronicle right through every day, we had to print for a him a special copy of paper omitting the announcement of the cancellation of the Palace Balls”. It was of no wonder, that the people of Malta mourned the death of General Congreve and “the loss of a kind benefactor, a true and tried friend, and a sincere well-wisher”.
A proclamation issued by the Acting Governor, His Excellency Sir Thomas Alexander Vans Best, declared that death “ took place at 11 p.m. on Monday, February 28 at Mtarfa Hospital ”. Friday, March 4, was declared a national day of mourning and that all constituted bodies and civil servants “put themselves into mourning for a period of six days”.
The funeral was scheduled to take place on March 4. Flags were to be flown at half-mast, no bands were to play and “black crape will be hung from the top of the colour Staff of Infantry battalions”. The burial at sea of the deceased was also announced. HMS Chrysanthemum , which was on her way to Famagusta and Alexandria , had been recalled to Malta in order to be present at the funeral. Since the Mediterranean Fleet was away and many ships were in China , the Chrysanthemum was to be the only ship in Malta.
The official arrangements for the funeral were published in full in the Daily Malta Chronicle on Thursday, March 3, 1927 . “In accordance with the express desire of His Excellency, his body will be buried at sea, in keeping with the lifelong love which he felt for the element which is to be his final resting place”. There followed a long Special Fortress Order detailing the timings, route to be followed, escorts, vehicles, detachments, mourners and other participants for the funeral. One could not fail to notice the participation of a considerable number of Malta Boy Scouts, whose island headquarters known as Congreve-Bernard Hall at Floriana stands on the same site of the Congreve Memorial Hall destroyed by enemy action in 1942.
More announcements were to follow the next day, March 4 itself. Of note is that of General Congreve's son, Lieutenant A.C.J. Congreve, of the Rifle Brigade, who had been replaced by Colonel G.N. Salmon as representative of His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught, during the funeral cortege. Another item worthy of note stated that “we are requested by the head of the ministry to state that no ladies, except family mourners in cars”, were to take part in the late Governor's funeral that day. A rather strange request!
On March 3, the Governor's body was laid in state in St Paul 's Anglican Cathedral, Valletta , from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. “whither the community flocked in large numbers to pay their last token of respect”. The coffin, covered by the Union Jack, was placed on the chancel. On it were placed the late Governor's cockade and sword. At each corner of the coffin stood an army officer leaning on his sword, while all around was one mass of wreaths sent by all the departments of the civil government, navy, army, air force, and by various institutions and private persons. On the day of the funeral, enormous crowds “all somberly attired”, from all over Malta , poured into Valletta and Floriana, taking their position along the long route of the procession, to wait for the cortege to pass. The funeral procession, headed by a detachment of mounted civil police left the palace square exactly at the scheduled time. The regiments taking part marched slowly with reversed arms, followed by the drums, buglers and the band of the King's Regiment and the Royal Artillery ( Malta ) band. Both bands played alternately throughout the route.
The decorations of the late Governor carried by an officer, preceded the gun carriage, on which rested the coffin covered with the Union Jack, surmounted by the sword and the general's cocked hat of the deceased.
The bearer parties followed with Boy Scouts carrying wreaths from the three services of Malta and the various departments of the civil government. The late Governor's charger, led by its groom, preceded two motorcars carrying the only women who took part in the funeral. Next came the various and numerous representatives from the Church and civil authorities. Ex-servicemen, representatives from constitutional, social and band clubs brought up the rear accompanied by the Malta police band playing funeral marches. It took 45 minutes for the procession to pass through City Gate from start to finish, and an hour and twenty minutes to reach the Customs House, after leaving the Palace Square .
At the Customs house the coffin encased in a brass casket, which had been cast by the dockyard, was placed on board and Admiralty tug. The officiating clergy together with the four drummers of the King's Regiment accompanied the coffin and were conveyed to HMS Chrysanthemum. The body was received on board by a guard of honor and was taken ti its place on the aft part of the ship, watched by thousands of people,” who flocked to the Barracks, the bastions on both sides of the Harbour and every possible vantage point”. The Chrysanthemum sailed out of the Harbour in “A silence that could be felt”, and as she passed the breakwater, the 17-gun salute echoed across the Harbour. The drum party on board sounded the last post followed by the “Reveille” from the buglers. The sea headed eastwards towards Marsaxlokk, closely followed by a tug carrying the wreaths. At Marsaxlokk the Chrysanthemum embarked representatives of the various branches of the services and the minister of the Malta government and took to sea again at noon .
The point scheduled for burial, halfway between the island of Malta and Filfla was reached at 1.30 p.m. The ship's crew was mustered on board and the mourners assembled in the bows.
The guard of honor presented arms, the Union Jack was removed and the ropes were slipped. Then to the notes of the ‘last post', the casket plunged cleanly into the agitated waves. The burial service was read immediately after the “reveille” was sounded. The ensuring silence was broken by the salute of 17 guns from the Chrysanthemum's three-pounders.
The wreaths were then dropped overboard and the ships turned back towards Marsaxlokk and Kalafrana. Thus ended the short governorship of General Congreve, whose love for the Maltese was reciprocated by the people of Malta in a “whole hearted and spontaneous public feeling”. A year later a memorial slab was raised off the cliffs between Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples and close to Torri Hamrija looking out towards his final resting place in the channel between Malta and Filfla that now bears the name of Congreve channel.
A simple hard stone monument raised in memory of General Sir Walter Norris Congreve, Governor General of Malta who died in 1927 during his term of office. Sir Walter spent many hours admiring the beautiful surroundings and directed that his body be buried at sea in the immediate vicinity. So was his wish, as he was laid to rest on the 4 th March 1927 beneath the waves between this spot and the island of Filfla .
SACRED TO THE MEMORY
OF HIS EXCELLENCY
SIR WALTER NORRIS CONGREVE
V.C. K.C.B. M.V.O.
GOVERNOR OF MALTA
BURIED AT SEA ON THE 4 TH MARCH 1927
Mario Schembri - THE TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2002