The National Archives of Malta has launched The Salter Album, Encounters in Malta’s Prisoner of War Camps (1914-1920). The book has been published, with the support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War 1.
The Salter Album is an autograph book of prisoners of war detained in Malta during the Great War, kept by George Salter, an English soldier serving at the camps.
Eventually, Mr Salter married Mary Tabone, a Maltese lady who also worked at the camps, and this album was inherited by their daughter Marylyn Peringer.
Besides a reproduction of the album, the book will include articles by Marylyn Peringer herself, Giovanni Bonello, Alan Green and Stephen Spiteri.
The book launch took place at St Margaret College Boys’ Secondary (Verdala), Bormla. The hall of this school and several areas of its grounds served as detention centre of a number of the prisoners of war feature in this book.
It included an address by Marylyn Peringer as well as presentations by Prof. Wolfgang Kruse and Prof. Henry Frendo on the impact of World War I on the Mediterranean.
The cost of the book is €28. For more information on purchasing a copy please send an email on customercare.archives@gov.mt [1].