Malta · 100 years since the first flight from Malta

Issue date25 May 2015

Total mintage325,000

EU maximum300,000

Editions2

Edge lettering2 ✠✠ × 6, alternately upright/inverted

InscriptionFIRST FLIGHT FROM MALTA / 1915-2015 / 100TH ANNIVERSARY / NGB

DesignerNoel Galea Bason

mintKoninklijke Nederlandse Munt, Utrecht

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first flight from Malta. On 13 February 1915, Captain Kilmer took off in a seaplane from the Grand Harbour and landed there again 55 minutes later. The design depicts the seaplane in front of the viewpoint in Senglea, as well as the inscriptions “FIRST FLIGHT FROM MALTA” and “100TH ANNIVERSARY” and the years “1915-2015”.

The design

The coin commemorates an important milestone in the history of Maltese aviation — the 100th anniversary of the first flight from Malta. On 13 February 1915, Captain Kilmer took off from the Grand Harbour in a seaplane carried by the seaplane carrier HMS Ark Royal. The aircraft landed back in the harbour after a flight time of 55 minutes. The design shows Captain Kilmer’s seaplane with the lookout point in Senglea in the background, a distinctive landmark of the Grand Harbour. The semicircular inscription “FIRST FLIGHT FROM MALTA” is located at the top. The years “1915-2015” can be read on the right. The inscription “100TH ANNIVERSARY” is located at the bottom left, while the artist’s initials “NGB” (Noel Galea Bason) can be discerned at the bottom.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Background on the topic

In 1915, Malta was a British Crown Colony and, because of its location in the central Mediterranean, an important base for the Royal Navy. Grand Harbour served as a sheltered naval, supply and repair port. During the First World War, the island was integrated into British operations in the Mediterranean. At the same time, wounded soldiers from the fighting around the Dardanelles were treated there, which is why Malta was temporarily referred to as the “Nurse of the Mediterranean”.

HMS *Ark Royal* was among the early ships specially equipped for the deployment of seaplanes. Unlike later aircraft carriers, it did not have a continuous flight deck. The aircraft were lowered into the water by cranes and took off from the water’s surface; after landing, they could be lifted back on board. Such aircraft were used primarily for reconnaissance: they were intended to observe coasts, ports, ship movements and enemy positions. *Ark Royal* was deployed in the eastern Mediterranean in 1915, including in connection with the operations at the Dardanelles.

The flight commemorated by the coin thus marks the beginning of Malta’s aviation history, but was also part of the connection between the navy and military aviation at the time. Captain Kilmer was the pilot of this flight; however, the coin depicts not him but his seaplane.

The viewpoint recognisable in the background is the so-called Gardjola at the tip of Senglea. It is part of the fortifications at Grand Harbour and served to observe the harbour and its approaches. Its relief symbols, including an eye and an ear, refer to vigilance. The combination of the Gardjola and the seaplane clearly locates the historical event in the Maltese harbour landscape.

The occasion was suitable for the coin issue because the anniversary marked a clearly datable beginning of Maltese aviation while also highlighting Malta’s role at the time as a British naval and military base.