From Malta to East London

Born in San Gwann, Malta, in November 1934, Carmel's story begins in 1938 with a family tragedy, when his father was killed in a fight, leaving the family to survive without a father, through some of the toughest years in Maltese history. When WWII started, Carmel was just four years old and witnessed the terrible events unfolding around him as his countrymen starved to death. This understandably affected his behaviour and he was out of control at school until he was able to leave at the age of fourteen. Thankfully, leaving school was the making of him and he turned his life around, playing football for Valletta FC and learning to play the guitar and the trumpet. By the age of eighteen he was working and had been promoted to Foreman, supervising over 40 men. His next move saw him emigrate to England where he found himself in Aldgate, East London. The area was renowned for violence and gang wars and Carmelo soon found himself caught up with some of the biggest players. Despite these nefarious activities, Carmelo always maintained a respectable working life and found employment with an excellent company which saw him promoted quickly to a senior management position. He remained with the company for forty-two years. His life has been filled with the usual trials and tribulations that everyone faces but sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if the issues he faced were just that little more challenging than most others would face in their lifetime? See more