Faith, Hope & Charity: Three Planes Against An Air Force

by Kenneth Poolman

Faith, Hope and Charity is a story of three Gladiator biplanes flown by six volunteers from their base on Malta and fighting alone against the Italian ‘Regia Aeronautica’ between June and October 1940.

The story is also about the bravery and spirit of the Maltese people who gave their lives to keep the aircraft in the air and the men who toiled to keep the runway fit to fly on.

The defense of Malta can justifiably be included among the epics of World War Two. The part played by ‘Faith’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Charity’ is symbolic of the courage and endurance displayed by the people of Malta during the struggle against vastly superior Axis Air Forces.

Genres: Military History, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

Reviews

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the start of the siege of Malta during Wolrd War 2, where the island was thought to be undefendable. Yet a handful of brave pilots, flying 3 antiquated Sea Gladiators, and supported by ground crews working day and night, put up a brave fight during these early days to put of the Regia Aeronautica out of it's stride to defeat the little island. They were alone for weeks until reinforced by Hurricanes and later by Spitfires. The fight put up by Hope, Faith and Charity led to the successful defense of Malta and the ultimate defeat of the Axis forces in North Africa and the Mediterranean. This is a great read and the only book I have found about an in-depth look at the early defense of Malta. Highly recommended.

[Mark Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much of its time. Packed with patriotic pep. God and country and all that. But I learned a few things about the scale and relentlessness of what my grandfather was involved in. And the story of Malta, through time, is one worth hearing.

[Stefan Kozul · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books that i read

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of how three obsolete aeroplanes defended Malta against the Italian Air Force.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels shameful to admit that, despite living in Gloucester, I had never seen flying any of the iconic aircraft designed and built in the area by the Gloster Aircraft Company. This was rectified earlier this year when I saw the only two currently airworthy Gloster Gladiators flying together at Duxford. And equally shamefully, it was only then that I first learned of the legend of Faith, Hope and Charity. Seriously, how can I call myself an avgeek and not know these things?

For those not in the know, Faith, Hope and Charity were the names given to the four Gloster Gladiators (yes, three names, four aircraft, bear with me on this!) that were Malta's only air defence for three weeks in June 1940.

Because of its position in the Mediterranean, Malta was a key strategic point during the Second World War, and when Italy joined the war in June 1940, one of their tasks was to ensure that Malta, then part of the British Empire, was seized, thus ensuring clear passage for ships to get supplies to troops in North Africa. Malta was considered indefensible, and so no air defences had been put in place.

The Italians expected to seize Malta in a day. The didn't expect to meet any air defence; so they were on the back foot when they were greeted by three out-dated bi-planes.

These three were the now-legendary Faith, Hope and Charity. In an effort to prove that Malta could be defended, senior officials at Hal Far airfield got permission to take over 4 Sea Gladiators left by the Navy; at any one time, 3 of the 4 were kept serviceable, with the fourth as a spare for when one of the other three was rendered temporarily unserviceable.

Kept airborne by courage, skill and sheer hard work, these Gladiators showed that Malta could be defended, and as a result, eventually more aircraft were sent in, including Hurricanes, Swordfish, Blenheims, Wellingtons and Spitfires. Despite many raids by Italian fighters and bombers, and later the Luftwaffe, the island never gave up, and never fell into enemy hands.

This book tells the tale of the island during the siege of 1940-41, and the huge contribution made by the Gloster Gladiators and their pilots. It's packed full of anecdotes that remind you of the spirit showed by Britain during the war, as well as the sad losses suffered by our armed services. It had me smiling, laughing and teary-eyed.