Malta will today be “first in line” among the contingents following the band of The Rifles Regiment during the second procession in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London. Judge Joseph Galea Debono, honorary president of the George Cross Island Association, will represent the country as one of only three collective recipients of the George Cross. Malta will also be officially represented at the funeral by President George Vella, who will be among the world leaders at Westminister Abbey. The George Cross was introduced in 1940 for gallantry and is the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross, the UK’s highest military award, for valour. The first GC award went to Malta, by Queen Elizabeth’s father King George VI, on April 15, 1942, “to bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people” during World War II. Speaking to Times of Malta ahead of the funeral, Judge Galea Debono, 77, said the invitation had come as a “surprise”. “I discovered that the organisers wanted to recognise the three recipients of the collective awards of the George Cross medal since 1942,” he said. “Namely Malta, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and, more recently, the National Health Service of...