Appeal on behalf of the King George V Merchant Seamen's Memorial Hospital, Malta, by Lt.-Commander T. L. Metters , R.N. (Retd.)
Contributions will be gratefully acknowledged and should be addressed to [address removed]
The King George V Merchant Seamen's Memorial Hospital, built in 1922, was totally destroyed during the siege of Malta in April 1942, and was rebuilt by the Scottish Branch of the British Red Cross Society in 1948. The hospital, which has 64 beds, overlooks the Grand Harbour of Valletta; it has four general wards and the Princess Elizabeth children's ward, as well as physiotherapy, dental, and X-ray departments, ante-natal and post-natal clinics.
Though the building stands as a memorial to those merchant seamen who sacrificed their lives in two world wars, treatment, both out-patient and in-patient, is available to anyone in need. It is, however, a voluntary hospital depending to a large extent upon patients' fees and voluntary contributions. Medical and nursing staff accept modest salaries but maintenance costs are high, and there is an annual deficit of about £ 4,000 to be met.