📍 Gharb World War II War Memorial
Location Map Coordinates 36.060358, 14.201091
The Għarb War Memorial where Triq Santu Pietru meets Triq Patri Albert Caruana, Għarb, Gozo, commemorates Ġużepp Cauchi (Ta' Neriku) and Kalanġ Mizzi (Ta' Brajġu), two men from Għarb who lost their lives as a direct consequence of the Second World War. The monument was inaugurated on 25 November 2018 on the initiative of Għarb Mayor David Apap Agius.
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About the Għarb War Memorial
The memorial was inaugurated on 25 November 2018 to remember Private Ġużepp Cauchi and Kalanġ Mizzi of Għarb. The December 2018 issue of Leħen il-Punent, the magazine of the Għarb Local Council, records that the monument was inaugurated in St Peter's Square to commemorate the two men who lost their lives as a direct consequence of the Second World War.
The memorial is a figurative military monument, with a standing soldier carrying a rifle, mounted on a stone plinth bearing the dedication and the names of the two men. The inscription identifies the memorial as a cherished remembrance of Ġużepp Cauchi and Kalanġ Mizzi.
The Memorial Inscription
| Maltese inscription | English translation |
|---|---|
|
TIFKIRA GĦAŻIŻA TA' ĠUŻEPP CAUCHI (TA' NERIKU) U KALANĠ MIZZI (TA' BRAJĠU) LI TILFU ĦAJJIETHOM FIT-TIENI GĦERRA DINJIA INAWGURAT MINN DR. JUSTYNE CARUANA MINISTRU GĦAL GĦAWDEX MA' DAVID APAP AGIUS SINDKU TAL-GĦARB 25 TA' NOVEMBRU 2018 |
A CHERISHED REMEMBRANCE OF ĠUŻEPP CAUCHI (TA' NERIKU) AND KALANĠ MIZZI (TA' BRAJĠU) WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR INAUGURATED BY DR. JUSTYNE CARUANA MINISTER FOR GOZO WITH DAVID APAP AGIUS MAYOR OF GĦARB 25 NOVEMBER 2018 |
The English column is a direct translation of the Maltese dedication. Names and nicknames are retained in their original form.
The Memorial Statue
Ġużepp Cauchi (Ta' Neriku)
The historical account published in Leħen il-Punent records that Ġużepp Cauchi was born on 3 January 1910 at No. 81, Triq il-Knisja, Għarb, the son of Ġorġ Cauchi and Ġulja Mifsud of Qala. He was one of five children. He travelled to Adelaide, Australia, on 10 January 1926, shortly after his sixteenth birthday, and later enlisted in the Australian Army.
Cauchi served as a Private with the 2/15th Australian Infantry Battalion. In March 1941 he was transferred with Australian, British and New Zealand troops from North Africa to Greece to fight the Germans. During the Allied evacuation from Greece in April–May 1941, he was captured and taken to Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin.
The source records that the official Australian account states that Cauchi died in Germany "due to illness", while the Għarb parish archive records his death in an infirmary in Germany. Frank and Charles Bezzina believed that he was killed during a second attempt to escape from the German camp. The sources agree on his date of death, 4 September 1944, and that he was buried in Germany.
Kalanġ Mizzi (Ta' Brajġu)
The same historical account records that on the night of 28 July 1942, German aircraft dropped bombs on Għarb, including the area around St Peter's and the Church of the Visitation. A bomb destroyed houses at Nos. 19, 20 and 21, Triq Santu Pietru. At No. 21, Kalanġ Mizzi (Ta' Brajġu) was seriously injured when rubble fell on him.
He was taken to the hospital in Rabat and died on 4 August 1942 from the injuries he had suffered. His death is therefore recorded in the local historical source as a direct consequence of the wartime bombing of Għarb.
Burial Information
| Person | Burial / Grave Information |
|---|---|
| Ġużepp Cauchi (Ta' Neriku) | No known grave. Ġużepp Cauchi died in the Sachsenhausen camp system in Germany on 4 September 1944. No burial place has been identified in the sources consulted. |
| Kalanġ Mizzi (Ta' Brajġu) | Rabat Cemetery, Gozo. Kalanġ Mizzi was seriously injured during the bombing of Għarb on 28 July 1942 and died at Victoria Hospital on 4 August 1942. Cemetery records indicate that he is commemorated at Rabat, Gozo. |
Historical Source: Il-Vittmi Għawdxin tat-Tieni Gwerra
These extracts are from Il-Vittmi Għawdxin tat-Tieni Gwerra by Charles Bezzina (2006), a work documenting Gozitan victims of the Second World War. The entries relating to Għarb provide an important historical source for the people commemorated by this memorial.
War Memorials of Għarb and Gozo
This memorial forms part of eMalta's growing catalogue of war memorials and commemorative plaques in Malta and Gozo. The catalogue is organised by locality so that memorials can be found alongside other historical sites within each town and village.
View the eMalta Catalogue of War Memorials and Commemorative Plaques