Joseph Bonnici’s Royal Navy Career
Bonnici at Sea
a v y, th e R o y a l N in jo to d re e ld . n ic i v o lu nte s 2 0 y e a rs o a Jo se p h B o n w e H . 5 3 b e r, 19 21st D e c e m
Above: HMS Glorious
Contents 1. The Ships ser ved on
2. Medals Awarded
3. Service Records 19 35 - 19 59
Above: HMS Triumph
December 1935 - April 1937
HMS GLORIOUS
~ Courageous-class Fleet Aircraft Carrier
At the outbreak of the Second World War HMS Glorious was stationed at Alexandria with the Mediterranean Fleet.
The Ships
December 1948 - March 1949
HMS TRIUMPH
~ Colossus-class Fleet Aircraft Carrier
HMS Triumph was completed too late to see active service during the Second World War. Joined the Mediterranean Fleet as Flagship of Flag Officer (Air)
April 1949 - June 1949
HMS OCEAN
HMS Ocean in Venice, April 1949
Joseph Bonnici on shore leave Venice, April 1949
The Ships
October 1949 - October 1950
HMS GLORY
Glory’s visit to Malta for H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth’s visit
January 1952 - October 1954
The Ships
HMS DARING
After commissioning, Daring served with the Mediterranean Fleet and Home Fleet, and took part in rescue operations following earthquakes in Greece, and the Eastern Mediterranean operations in 1956 after the Egyptian seizure of the Suez Canal.
January 1956 - January 1958
HMS SURPRISE
After sea trials Surprise was commissioned in September 1946, and sailed to Valletta, Malta, where she remained with the ships of the Mediterranean Fleet for exercises and visits throughout the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
The Ships
March 1958 - April 1958
HMS SHEFFIELD
HMS Sheffield took part in actions against several major German warships. Unlike most Royal Navy ships of her time, her fittings were constructed from stainless steel instead of the more traditional brass. This was an attempt to reduce the amount of cleaning required on the part of the crew. Her nickname, the “Shiny Sheff �, stemmed from this.
April 1958 - September 1958
HMS FORTH
HMS Forth at anchor in Malta
The Ships
October 1958 - July 1959
HMS UNDAUNTED
Joseph Bonnici retired from active service from the Royal Navy on 3rd August 1959 following stationing at Fort St Angelo.
The following service medals were awarded to Joseph Bonnici in recognition of his service.
The 1939-45 Star
The Medals
Awarded: The 1939 – 45 Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in the Second World War. The medal was awarded for operational service between 3rd September1939 and 2nd September 1945 and it was the first in a series of eight bronze stars. To qualify for this medal, members of the Royal Navy had to complete 6 months service in areas of active operations. . Medal: The medal itself is a 6 pointed star with the Royal Cipher “GRI VI” in the centre, with an inscription of “THE 1939 - 1945 STAR” around the cipher. A crown is mounted above the cipher. The reverse of the medal is blank as with all World War II medals. Ribbon: The ribbon is 1.25” and represents the 3 services (dark blue - Navy, red - Army and light blue - R AF).
The Africa Star
The Medals
Awarded: for entry into an operational area in North Africa between 10 June 1940 (the date of Italy’s declaration of war) and 12 May 1943 (the end of operations in North Africa), as well as service in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Somaliland, Eritrea and Malta. Also any sea service in the Mediterranean counted for the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy. The qualifying period was one day. Medal: is a six pointed star, in the centre the royal cypher “GRI VI” , within a circlet bearing the title “THE AFRICA STAR”. A crown is positioned on the circlet at 12 o’clock. Ribbon: Africa Star Ribbon: Pale buff to represent the desert sands, with a narrow dark blue stripe on the left, a wide central red stripe and a narrow pale blue stripe to the right. These are symbolic of the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force.
The Italy Star Awarded: for operational service on land in Italy, Sicily, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Aegean area and Dodecanese islands, Corsica, Sardinia and Elba at any time between 11 June 1943 and 08 May 1945.
The Medals
Navy and Merchant Marine - service in the Mediterranean Sea directly connected with active operations in the Mediterranean theatre. The 1939-45 Star must be earned first. Medal: The Medal is a six-pointed star with a central design of the Royal Cypher of King George VI, surmounted by a crown. The cipher is surrounded by a circlet containing the words ‘The Italy Star’. Ribbon: The ribbon for this medal, along with those of the other Second World War campaign stars, is reputed to have been designed by King George VI. Equal width stripes of red, white, green, white and red represent the colours of the Flag of Italy.
The Defence Medal Awarded: to service personnel for three years service at home, one year’s service in a non-operational area or six months service overseas in territories subjected to air attack or otherwise closely threatened.
The Medals
Medal: The obverse of the medal (shown here) shows the uncrowned head of King George VI. The reverse bears the Royal Crown resting on an oak tree, f lanked by two lions, wavy lines representing the sea below and the words ‘The Defence Medal’, with the date 1939 top left and 1945 top right. Ribbon: The Ribbon has two broad stripes of green (this green and pleasant land) superimposed by narrow stripes of black (the black-out) with a wide stripe of orange (fire-bombing ) in the centre.
The War Medal 1939-45
The Medals
Awarded: The War Medal was awarded to all fulltime personnel of the armed forces wherever they were serving, provided they had served for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. It was granted in addition to the campaign stars and the Defence Medal. Medal: The obverse of the medal (shown here) shows the crowned head of King George VI, while the reverse bears a lion standing on a dragon with two heads, symbolizing the Axis powers, above are the dates 1939 and 1945. Ribbon: The Ribbon is in the colours of the Union Flag, a narrow central red stripe f lanked by narrow white stripes, wider blue stripes and then red.
Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (RN)
The Medals
Awarded: Any rank who completes 15 years service shall be eligible for consideration provided that their character has continuously not been lower than ‘ very good’. There are a number of offences / misconduct which would normally preclude award of the LS&GCM. Awards are only made after a comprehensive check of a sailor’s record of service. Medal: Silver and circular in shape. The obverse of the medal shows the effig y of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse (shown here) bears the image of a threemasted man-of-war surrounded by a rope tied at the foot with a reef knot with the words ‘For Long service and Good Conduct’ around the circumference. Engraved naming denotes the name: Post J Bonnici RN LX22012 only on the original issue copy. Ribbon: The Ribbon is of dark blue f lanked at the edges by narrow stripes of white.
Information sourced from ‘The Medal Yearbook, 2010’
The Service Records
Jos e ph b e ga n hi s R o y a l Na v y ca r e e r st a t i on e d a t F o r t S t An ge l o, t h e f ir st ship h e s e r v e d on w a s t h e H MS G l o r i o u s , a C o u r a ge o u s cl a ss Fl e e t A ir c r a f t C a r r i e r. D u r in g hi s ca r e e r Jos e ph s e r v e d a t l a n d ba s e s F o r t S t An ge l o, H MS Fa biu s , H MS Vi c t o r y, H MS Ph o e n i c i a a n d H MS D r a k e a n d on n in e v e ss e l s e n d in g hi s s e a fa r in g ca r e e r a b oa r d H MS Un d a u n t e d in 1959 .
Bonnici at Sea Compiled to celebrate Raymond Bonnici’s 50th Birthday