Join Book Club Gozo for this free library event, in which the author, and engineer will talk about his recent book, which documents major aircraft losses over Gozo during the Second World War, combining archival research with rare first-hand eyewitness accounts.
This illustrated talk, which will be given in English, will explore three key themes:
Waqa’ Ajruplon – The Awfully Mesmerising Spectacle of a Crash Site
This first section will focus on the abject peculiarity of an aircraft tumbling out of the sky onto Gozitan soil. The sight of a flaming behemoth burying itself deep on the island presented the Għawdxin an unknown realm. Foreign tongues and skin tones, and technologies that seemed incomprehensively futuristic. How was it, that the instinct of the Għawdxi at the site of a crashed aircraft was not take shelter, but to run to the flaming wreck?
L-Għaqal tal-Għawdxin – Tales of Thrift and Gozitan Wisdom
The Għawdxin were frugal and wise, stark in contrast with the intoxicating modern world of the disposable and the convenient. The instinct to be frugal was not a value more than a necessity to survive in wartime. The wreck of an aircraft presented a bountiful supply of material. This part of the talk will focus on the Għawdxin, their creativity, wisdom and frugality, and the theme of reuse and repurposing of airplane wreckage.
Biża’ u Wġigħ – The Airmen, the Traumatised, the Hurt and the Departed
Thirdly, a glimpse into the psyche of an airman. This part of the talk will recount human tales of the men within the cockpit; our own, and the enemy; so to speak. The social dynamics of the Għawdxin interacting with enemy airmen varied from acts of compassion, to in some cases, more threatening and hostile tendencies. What did the Għawdxin make of foreign airmen, landing on their isle, and what did the airmen make of the Għawdxin?
Speaker Profile
Matthew Curmi (b. 2001) is an engineer by profession from the Gozitan village of Nadur. Motivated by a childhood fascination with wartime aviation history, his first book ‘ Waqa’ Ajruplon – Chronicles of Fallen Aircraft in Gozo’ was published in 2025, by Midsea Books.
Curmi began researching the subject while pursuing his degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Malta. His work involved interviewing elderly Gozitans alongside extensive research in historical archives, police occurrences, hospital admission records, and the family histories of downed airmen. The book highlights both the human dimension of wartime experiences and the folklore surrounding these events within the Gozitan community.
Although Waqa’ Ajruplon is written in English, Curmi is actively developing his creative writing in Maltese, with a focus on preserving local memory and Gozo’s lesser-known historical narratives and social history in general.
Book your place
Seat reservations are encouraged in advance by sending an email to [email protected]
