The Malta flag, white, red and carrying a British medal

The Malta flag looks simple, white and red, but it hides a little trap, and British visitors are better placed than most to spot it. The cross in the corner isn’t the Maltese cross. It’s the George Cross, a British gallantry award, and understanding why it’s there means understanding a good slice of Malta’s 20th century. Here’s what the flag looks like, where it comes from and the official flag rules that surprised me most. That mix-up of crosses is one of twenty I’ve gathered in my Malta facts.

What the Malta flag looks like

Article 3 of the Constitution defines it. Two equal vertical stripes, white at the hoist and red in the fly, with a representation of the George Cross edged in red in the canton of the white stripe. The Government adds that it’s one and a half times as wide as it is high, and points to the Malta Government Gazette of 25 July 1990 for the exact artwork.

What I like is that the Constitution doesn’t just describe the design. The article states outright that the cross was awarded to Malta by King George VI on 15 April 1942. That tells you how much 1942 still weighs in the national memory, because the law records not just what the cross looks like but where it came from and when.

Why is it white and red?

Here I’d tread carefully. The Government of Malta says it is alleged that the colours date back to the rule of the Knights of St John. That’s tradition, not proven fact, and I’ll leave it at that. The cross, on the other hand, is well documented. George VI awarded it to the island and its people for their bravery during the war, and the European Commission notes that Malta was the Commonwealth’s first recipient and that the cross joined the flag in 1943. The full story of the siege is in Malta in the Second World War.

One thing worth saying for British readers is that the George Cross on the flag is the medal, not the red cross of St George on England’s flag.

The cross that isn’t the Maltese cross

People ask about this constantly, so let’s be clear. The eight-pointed Maltese cross is the country’s national symbol, but it isn’t on its flag. It appears on other state flags instead. The President’s flag, introduced by proclamation on 12 December 1988, is blue, with the emblem in the middle and four gold Maltese crosses, one per corner. The merchant ensign is red with a white border and a white Maltese cross, and the naval jack combines the George Cross with four white Maltese crosses.

Nor should you confuse it with the Order of Malta’s flag, which is red with a white Latin cross. The national emblem, which contains the flag, is covered in the Malta coat of arms.

Flag rules that surprise visitors

The Government’s flag page has details I didn’t expect. It flies from sunrise to sunset, and at night only on special occasions and preferably floodlit. It goes up briskly and comes down ceremoniously. It’s never flown upside down, with the George Cross at the foot, except as a signal of dire distress, and never used for advertising in any way. It can’t be draped over a vehicle or used to cover a monument at an unveiling, and on a coffin the cross goes at the head, over the left shoulder.

The one that affects visitors is different. When the flag is raised or lowered, everyone present faces it and stands to attention, and the Government specifies that foreigners should too.

Days when the flags come out

The Government asks for the flag to fly by the main building of every public institution whenever the weather allows, and especially on national days. There are five, 31 March, 7 June, 8 September, 21 September and 13 December, and each marks a moment the flag itself tells the story of. If your trip coincides with one, Valletta is where you’ll notice it most, with the Grandmaster’s Palace, home of the President’s Office, and the rest of the capital’s public buildings flying it. The full calendar is in Malta’s public holidays, and the anthem played at those ceremonies in the Malta national anthem.