Malta Historical Society (Socjeta' Storika Ta' Malta)

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It was Monsignor Professor Arturo Bonnici who, a few years after the end of World War II, launched a public appeal through the columns of Lehen is-Sewwa (the Catholic Action newspaper) for the setting up of a historical society. Writing on 14 January 1950, he stresses the need of researching and recording scientifically our past history as national greatness was intimately bound with what transpired throughout the ages. The past events of Malta were still buried to a large extent in public and private archives, and a proper history of Malta, in accordance with modern methodology, was still to be written.

The writer's plea was wholeheartedly supported by the editor of the paper (18 January 1950) who took the opportunity to complain Read Moreof the poor standard of teaching of Maltese history in our schools, the lack of encouragement for the study of archival material and the failure to reopen the National Museum. Likewise, a contributor to the Times of Malta (21 January 1950), signing himself as Commentator, praised Monsignor Bonnici for his initiative and deplored the general decadence of studies and standards in Malta which had Adversely affected historical research. The contributor blamed the Royal University of Malta for being "lost in the wilderness of top heavy administration", thus making very little original contribution to Maltese historical research.

On 28 January 1950 Monsignor Bonnici wrote in Lehen is-Sewwa a second article with the same title as the previous one Ghall-gieh ta' Malta in which he expounded on the subject of modern historical criticism and expressed strong frustration at the absence of scientific cataloguing of the manuscript collection and the Order's Archive at the National Library.

It was against this background that a meeting of all those interested in the advancement of Maltese history was called for the 2nd March 1950. It was held at the University Library in St. Paul's Street, Valletta, and about 50 people attended. The Rector of the Royal University, Professor Dr Joseph Manchè, was asked to take the Chair.

The first point that came up for discussion was whether to revive the Malta Historical and Scientific Society, which had been dormant since the war started, or whether to form a new Society. Chevalier Hannibal Scicluna, Librarian of the Royal Malta Library , was strongly in favour of reviving the old Society. It was pointed out that this Society had been instituted "with the object of promoting the study of the History and Archaeology of the Maltese Islands and of other scientific subjects of local interest " (sec. 1 of the statute) the Society most of those present had in mind was limited to historical research, with the exclusion of scientific subjects. At the end of the debate in which about six of those present took part, the meeting decided by 46 votes against 9 votes that a new Society be formed which would be more in keeping with the times.