‘I was determined not to leave this commitment’

Chocolates used to mysteriously appear in the jacket pocket of Major Carmel D’Anastasi when he was a young sergeant based at Fort St Elmo in Valletta in the late 1930s. He later learnt that the tasty treats were secretly placed there by a young girl who often passed in front of the fort on her way to school. That young girl, called Mary, became his wife seven decades ago as the couple celebrated their 70th anniversary last Thursday. “When I used to go out to the nearby shop, wearing my uniform, I’d remove my jacket. When I returned to the fort by 9.30pm I would find a piece of chocolate in my jacket… it took me a while to realise who was doing it,” says Major D’Anastasi who turns 94 on Friday. Sitting beside him at Villa Messina retirement home in Rabat, his wife recalls how, throughout their marriage, she retained her trademark secret gesture and slipped chocolates in his jackets or drawers. Ms D’Anastasi, who turned 87 last Tuesday, was only 11 years old when she first saw her darling Danny, as he is known by friends. As a member of the Royal Malta Artillery he was based on one of the canons of the fort, located across the road from her house. Whenever she passed in front of...