Letters

From: Former RM Don Ligertwood

Jessie’s Bar

Sir, I refer to the Globe & Laurel Letters page in the September/October edition regarding the Commando Bar, which I visited many times whilst serving in Malta. However, the most well-known bar was ‘Jessie’s Bar’.

Therese Bezzina or ‘Jessie’ as she was known by everybody, had always been at St Andrew’s. St Andrew’s grew around Jessie and her bar which was situated opposite the Barracks on the road leading to I-Ibrag. Jessie’s Bar had been open for many years and although time appeared to stand still all-around Malta, St Andrew’s was then developing into a major town which to this day has modern living and shopping areas, a cinema and night clubs and bars, hotels and a sandy beach.

Jessie provided a cooling drink in the summer, the daily newspapers, or a chat with those who needed company. The Royal Marines Association also met there. Jessie’s son delivered newspapers to the married quarters alongside the barracks. It was amazing to see this wonderful lady mentally calculating her bills, never getting anything wrong with her sums, until just before she passed away, leaving her bar and customers to three girls and one boy who managed the bar for many years.