St Andrew's Scots Church
First World War Memorial

Hidden inside St Andrew's Scots Church in Valletta is a beautifully engraved brass memorial commemorating three members of the congregation who lost their lives during the First World War. Unlike many larger Rolls of Honour listing dozens or hundreds of names, this intimate memorial records only three men who worshipped at the church before serving in the British Army. All were killed in action on the Western Front between 1915 and 1917. The memorial reflects the close relationship between the Scottish Presbyterian congregation in Malta and the British military community during the early twentieth century.

Memorial Inscription

TO THE GLORY OF GOD

AND
IN MEMORY OF THREE SONS OF THIS CHURCH

SERGT. JOHN N. MORRISON
1st Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders

2ND LIEUT. RONALD M. MORRISON
1st Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment

2ND LIEUT. ALEXANDER S. PRATT
10th Battalion Scottish Rifles

KILLED IN ACTION IN FRANCE
1915–1917

"They loved not their lives unto the death."

The Men Commemorated

Second Lieutenant Ronald MacDonald Morrison

Son of Maj. and Mrs. W. Morrison, of 5, Prospect Rd., Southborough, Kent. Born in Malta.

Personal Inscription NOT GONE FROM OUR MEMORY NOT GONE FROM OUR LOVE BUT GONE TO OUR FATHER'S HOME ABOVE

Second Lieutenant Alexander Stewart Pratt

Alexander Stewart Pratt was born in Malta in 1895 and later moved to England. By the time of the 1911 Census he was living as a boarder at 76 Petherton Road, Highbury, London, where he was employed as a probationer telegraphist with the Eastern Telegraph Company, a major communications company with extensive operations linking Britain and Malta.

On 11 November 1915 he was commissioned as a Temporary Second Lieutenant in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), his appointment being published in the London Gazette. He subsequently served with the 12th Battalion and was attached to the 10th Battalion, the battalion recorded on the brass memorial in St Andrew's Scots Church.

Second Lieutenant Pratt was killed in action in France on 24 March 1917, aged just 22 years. As he has no known grave, he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in France (Bay 6). His name is also recorded on the First World War memorial inside St Andrew's Scots Church, Valletta, reflecting his connection with the Scottish congregation in Malta.

Sources

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• London Gazette, 15 November 1915
• 1911 Census of England and Wales
• St Andrew's Scots Church Memorial, Valletta

Historical Background

St Andrew's Scots Church was completed in 1857 and is recognised as Malta's first Neo-Gothic church. Built to serve the Scottish Presbyterian community, it became an important spiritual home for British military personnel, civil servants and their families stationed on the island during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The church remains one of Malta's most significant Protestant places of worship.

Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, many members of the congregation volunteered for military service. This memorial was erected after the war to remember three men who left Malta to serve with British Army regiments and were subsequently killed in action in France. Although modest in size, it represents the sacrifice made by the church's own congregation during one of history's most devastating conflicts.

Future Research

Research is currently underway to identify the military service records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission entries, battlefield histories and burial locations of each soldier commemorated on the memorial. As additional information becomes available, this page will be expanded with individual biographies and photographs where possible.

See Also

• St Andrew's Scots Church, Valletta
• Malta Military Memorials Catalogue
• St Paul's Pro-Cathedral Military Memorials

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