Carmelo Borg Pisani (10 August 1915 – 28 November 1942) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

artist and

Italian Fascist Italian fascism (), also called classical fascism and Fascism, is the original fascist ideology, which Giovanni Gentile and Benito Mussolini developed in Italy. The ideology of Italian fascism is associated with a series of political parties le ...

spy, condemned to death for treason in 1942. Pisani was a nationalist who believed that

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

's best chance for independence was to expel the British and unite the island with

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Early life

Born into a

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

family in

Senglea Senglea ( ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the Port Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa, and has a popu ...

on 10 August 1915, Borg Pisani enrolled as a student at the pro-Italian

Umberto I Umberto I (; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination in 1900. His reign saw Italy's expansion into the Horn of Africa, as well as the creation of the Triple Alliance among Italy, Germany an ...

art lyceum in

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

. In his teens he attended the network of pro-Italian and pro-fascist organisations in Malta: Valletta's

Casa del Fascio A ''casa del Fascio'', ''casa Littoria'', or ''casa del Littorio'' () was a building housing the local branch of the National Fascist Party and later the Republican Fascist Party under the regime of Italian Fascism, in Italy and Italian Empire, i ...

(headed by professor Umberto Biscottini) and OGIE (Organizzazioni Giovanili Italiane all'Estero), through which he attended youth camps in Italy, such as Campo Dux in

Viareggio Viareggio () is a city and ''comune'' in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. With a population of over 62,000, it is the second largest city in the province of Lucca, after Lucca. It is known as a seaside resort as well a ...

in 1930 and another camp in Rome in 1932. He moved to Italy to attend the

Accademia di belle arti di Roma The Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma is a public tertiary academy of art in Rome, Italy. It was founded in the sixteenth century, but the present institution dates from the time of the unification of Italy and the capture of Rome by the Kingdom ...

along with other prominent Maltese artists such as

Emvin Cremona Emanuel Vincent "Emvin" Cremona (27 May 1919 – 29 January 1987) was a Maltese artist and stamp designer. He was as one of Malta's leading artists of the 20th century, and a pioneer of modernism in Malta. Cremona is known for designing most Ma ...

. He lived in the Italian government-funded "Casa della Redenzione Maltese", where he met other Maltese

irredentist Irredentism () is one state's desire to annex the territory of another state. This desire can be motivated by ethnic reasons because the population of the territory is ethnically similar to or the same as the population of the parent state. Hist ...

s, with whom he shared the conviction that the British colonial government was destroying the "Italian soul" of Malta. He also believed that the best opportunity to restore Malta to its original state was to expel the British and unite the island to the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

. In Rome, Borg Pisani chaired the "Circolo degli Amici della Storia di Malta" and joined the "Comitato d'Azione Maltese", headed by exiled

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

Carlo Mallia Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

from the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...

. As Director, Borg Pisani took part in the publication in exile of the

newspaper ''

'', which had been forbidden by the British colonial authority. CBP_with_friends_in_Rome

Borg Pisani was a supporter of

Fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. In 1935, he unsuccessfully tried to embark as a volunteer for the fascist war in Ethiopia. Between 1939 and 1940, he joined the

Gruppi Universitari Fascisti The Fascist University Groups (, GUF) were the student branch of the Italian National Fascist Party. Founded in 1920 and restructured in 1927, they brought together all the Italian students who were obliged to enroll there. The purpose of the GUF w ...

and then the

Partito Nazionale Fascista The National Fascist Party (, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian fascism and as a reorganisation of the previous Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, Italian Fasces of Combat. Th ...

During World War II

Carmelo_Borg_Pisani_PNF_Party_membership_card

After the entry of Italy into the Second World War on 10 June 1940, Borg Pisani renounced his British citizenship, returning his British passport through the American embassy (which represented British interests in Rome). Yet he never formally requested nor obtained Italian citizenship, despite later serving in the Italian army. He also wrote a letter to Mussolini to volunteer for service, but was refused by the

Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

due to his strong

myopia Myopia, also known as near-sightedness and short-sightedness, is an eye condition where light from distant objects focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry, while close objects appear normal. ...

. Thanks to recommendations, including Biscottini's, Pisani was admitted into the

Blackshirts The Voluntary Militia for National Security (, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts (, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, known as the Squadrismo, and after 1923 an all-vo ...

, the fascist militia, and later also joined the

Servizio Informazioni Militari The Italy, Italian Military Information Service (, or SIM) was the military intelligence organization for the Italian Royal Army, Royal Army (''Regio Esercito'') of the Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946), Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1925 u ...

, the military intelligence. With the Blackshirts he participated in the Italian occupation of

Kefallinia Kefalonia or Cephalonia (), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallonia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th-largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It is also a separate ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, where he was injured. Together with other Maltese irredentists he then attended the military school of

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

.CARMELO BORG PISANI E I FASCISTI MALTESI
ISSES On 18 May 1942, Borg Pisani volunteered for an

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

mission to Malta, to check British defences and help prepare for the planned Axis invasion of the island (

Operation Herkules Operation Herkules (; ) was the German code-name given to an abortive plan for the invasion of Malta during the Second World War. Through air and sea landings, the Italians and Germans hoped to eliminate Malta as a British air and naval bas ...

). He disembarked at the

Dingli Cliffs Dingli () is a village in the Western Region of Malta, with a population of 3,865 as of 2021. It is from the capital Valletta and two kilometers () from the nearest town, Rabat. The village lies on a plateau some 230 metres above sea level, ...

in Ras id-Dawwara and transferred all his rations to a cave that he knew well from his youth. Unusually inclement weather and a rough sea, however, washed all his possessions away within 48 hours, and he proved unable to climb the cliffs. He was forced to wave down a local boat. Upon rescue by a British

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...

, he was brought to the naval hospital

RNH Mtarfa The Royal Navy Hospital Mtarfa, also known as ''David Bruce (microbiologist), David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital'', is a former British Royal Naval Hospital, naval hospital in Mtarfa, Malta. It was built during World War I and opened soon after ...

.The Independent
Italian Group commemorates Carmelo Borg Pisani’s hanging There, Borg Pisani was recognized by one of his childhood friends, Cpt. Tom Warrington, who denounced him. British Intelligence kept him under arrest in a house in

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

till August. He was then transferred to

Corradino prison The Corradino prison, officially known as the Corradino Correctional Facility () is a prison located in Paola, Malta. It is Malta’s largest and main correctional facility; hosting different sections for males, females, and children. The prison t ...

, accused of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

. On 12 November 1942, he stood trial under closed doors in front of three judges, headed by

Chief Justice of Malta The chief justice of Malta is the primus inter pares of the members of the Maltese judiciary and leads the business of the superior courts of Malta. Appointment The chief justice is appointed by the president of Malta by a two-thirds resoluti ...

Sir George Borg, and defended by two lawyers. His plea that he had renounced

British citizenship The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and Nor ...

by returning his passport and acquisition of Italian citizenship (which would have granted him the status of

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

) was not upheld by the military court. On 19 November 1942, Borg Pisani was

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

for

, for taking up arms against the Government and forming part of a conspiracy to overthrow the government.The Santa Marija Convoy: Faith and Endurance in Wartime Malta, 1940–1942
/ref> Borg Pisani's brother, Paul Borg who was a priest, tried in vain to save Carmelo's life by submitting a petition to the Governor of Malta,

John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, (10 July 1886 – 31 March 1946) was a senior British Army officer. As a young officer during the First World War, he was decorated with ...

and beseeched the Governor to use the prerogative of mercy, and to reverse the sentence to long-term, or life imprisonment instead of execution. The petition for clemency was denied with a

note Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...

stating that the Governor "sees no reason to interfere with the course of the law".His execution by

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

took place at 7:30am on Saturday, 28 November. Feliċjan Bilocca was the priest that gave him his last rites and accompanied him to his execution. His remains, initially buried inside Corradino Prison, are now in the ossuary of the cemetery of

Paola Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. In Greek it is Polina. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment * Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer *Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consist ...

. According to Mark Harwood, Borg Pisani might have been betrayed by the Italian Fascists themselves, who by sending him alone on an espionage mission to Malta (where he was very likely to be captured and executed) could have been looking for a propaganda coup against the British with the Maltese population at the height of the war — but the plan did not work.Times of Malta
/ref> Frank Leighton considered him "a gullible victim of fascist Italy's propaganda".

Legacy

After his death, inside his own jail was found written by him: "I vili ed i servi non sono graditi al Signore" (''The cowards and the servants are not esteemed by the Lord''). These "last words" have been taken up by many of his supporters. In Italy, Borg Pisani was posthumously awarded the

Gold Medal of Military Valor The Gold Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers. The face of the medal displayed the profile o ...

, the highest Italian military award, by King

Victor Emmanuel III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...

a few days after his death. Newspaper_Eulogy

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

called him a "Maltese Martyr" and in November 1943 created in his honour in

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

the

blackshirts The Voluntary Militia for National Security (, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts (, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, known as the Squadrismo, and after 1923 an all-vo ...

''Battaglione Borg Pisani'' in which other Maltese irredentists fought. The art academy where he had studied in Rome was for a brief time rechristened ''La Regia Accademia di Belle Arti Borg Pisani'', and streets in Rome, Turin, Bari and Legnano are still named after him. A neo-fascist group commemorated his death in front of Malta's embassy in Rome in 2010. Borg Pisani is very well regarded in Italy. Italian historian Giulio Vignoli wrote that Borg Pisani is to be considered one of the last Italian "

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

" martyrs of the

Italian irredentism Italian irredentism ( ) was a political movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Kingdom of Italy, Italy with irredentism, irredentist goals which promoted the Unification of Italy, unification of geographic areas in which indig ...

, like Cesare Battisti and

Nazario Sauro Nazario Sauro (20 September 1880 – 10 August 1916) was an Austrian-born Italian irredentist and sailor. Life Born in Capodistria, in what was then the Austrian Littoral (today Koper, Slovenia), he took to sailing from a very young age ...

. Requests have been made by his family and the Italian government to exhume his body and give it a burial outside prison grounds, but so far not acceded to. In his native Malta, Borg Pisani remains a controversial figure. Many view him as a traitor who betrayed the nation to fight for Fascist Italy. On the other hand, many others view him as a patriotic hero who wanted the very best for Malta by breaking free from British rule and unite the island with Italy.

Norman Lowell Norman Lowell (born 29 July 1946) is a Maltese ultranationalist writer and head and founder of Imperium Europa, a far-right political party. He is also a retired banker and artist. Politics Imperium Europa advocates Europe as a homeland for Whi ...

, the leader of the far-right political party

Imperium Europa Imperium Europa is an Ultranationalism, ultranationalist List of political parties in Malta, political party in Malta. It was founded on 9 February 2000 by Norman Lowell, who was also its leader. Its primary aim is to Pan-Europeanism, unite Europ ...

, is known to be a staunch admirer of Borg Pisani. He is known for the quotes ''"Carmelo Borg Pisani, presente!"'' and ''"Onore a Carmelo Borg Pisani!"'' during a tribute to him in a television interview on

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

In popular culture

A person similar to Borg Pisani appears in the 1953 film, ''

Malta Story ''Malta Story'' is a 1953 British war film, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, set during the air defence of Malta during the Siege of Malta in the Second World War. The film uses real and unique footage of the locations at which the battles wer ...

''. Borg Pisani appears in the game,

Hearts of Iron IV ''Hearts of Iron IV'' is a 2016 grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. It is the sequel to 2009's ''Hearts of Iron III'' and the fourth main installment in the ''Hearts of Iron'' s ...

as an espionage operative. Borg Pisani appears in the game, Enlisted as Carmelo Borg.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

A hero and a martyr or a spy and a traitor – who was Carmelo Borg Pisani?
TVM, December 2018
"Medaglia d'oro al Valor Militare alla memoria" awarded to him after his death (with photo of Carmelo Borg Pisani).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borg Pisani, Carmelo 1915 births 1942 deaths Executed Maltese people Italian irredentism Italian spies Italian military personnel killed in World War II World War II spies for Italy People from Senglea Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor People executed for treason against the United Kingdom People executed by the Crown Colony of Malta by hanging Executed spies Executed revolutionaries Executed collaborators with Fascist Italy Maltese artists Maltese nationalists