A feeling of nostalgia settled in as WWII evacuees sang along to war songs at the formal launch of Honouring a Generation – an exhibition to mark the 75^th Anniversary of the Evacuation.

Dr Joseph Garcia, Deputy Chief Minister, opened the exhibition commemorating the Evacuation to French Morocco in May 1940 and the subsequent evacuations to Jamaica, Madeira, London and Northern Ireland.  Local trio Mount Opera started off the evening with renditions of Gibraltar’s national anthem and other musical favourites from the 1940s.

Dr Garcia said that he had been overwhelmed by the response, and more than 800 former evacuees have registered for the upcoming events later in the year.

He added: “The evacuation was a real turning point in the history of Gibraltar, and lead to greater political and constitutional reform.

“This has been a very important development in Gibraltar’s history and it will be commemorated throughout the year. 

“Our aim is to show the human side of the evacuation.”

Victor Sciacaluga, 84, was only 10 years old when he and his family were evacuated.  They returned to Gibraltar from Rabat in Morocco, and were then sent to London and then Northern Ireland.

He is delighted to see that the Evacuation is being commemorated and celebrated by the Government, as it was such an important time in his life. 

He said: “Life was not easy for us.  We were bombed most of the time and although I have a lot of fond memories of London and Northern Ireland, Gibraltar was still very much close to my heart.”

Sisters Ana Lydia Armstrong, 86, and Lina Searle, 80, spoke of their time in Madeira with their sisters Clementine and Charlotte, known as Lottie, and their brother Winston who was born there.

The sisters settled into the local community, and would participate in dance shows while living in Madeira.

Ana Lydia said: “We made a lot of friends while we lived in Madeira, that is when I started to notice boys.

“A lot of my friends stayed there and married local boys but we were pleased to return to Gibraltar.”

There are more than 500 photographs on display, provided by Joe Gingell, and display cabinets filled with original evacuation documents and materials and a 1940s kitchen provided by the Gibraltar Museum.  The exhibition is overseen by Government Archivist Anthony Pitaluga and staff from the archive library.

The exhibition will be open to the public from Tuesday 12 May to Thursday 28 May.