Hi. Back from a short break in Sicily. Had a wonderful time and will show some pictures after I process them. In the meantime I am continuing on my series of the feast of St Pau’s shipwreck.l
This picture shows the banner of the the La Valette Band Club which bears the coat of arms of Grand Master La Valette. Jean Parisot de la Valette came from a noble French family and was Grand Master between 1557 and 1568. He was the hero of the great siege of Malta by Turkish and Islamic forces when Turkey, under her great leader and Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, was rapidly extending its domain into western Europe and the Mediterranean. With a small force of Knights, Maltese soldiers and foreign mercenaries heavily outnumbered by the Turks, La Valette resisted the Turkish invasion for months until the approach of winter – together with a small relief force from Sicily - forced the Turkish invaders, now much reduced in strength and vituals to raise the siege and sail away. La Valette was lauded all over Europe as the saviour of Christianity.
Many thanks for your comments on my previous pictures.
