Claude Baldachino was born in Gibraltar in 1931 and was eight years old at the start of the Second World War. He was evacuated to Jamaica with his mother and younger sister. The evacuees were never told their destination. When they arrived in Jamaica they believed at first that they were in England. Mr Baldachino gives a vivid account of life in the camp in Jamaica, hurricanes and an earthquake. When he returned to Gibraltar, after leaving school he became and apprentice in the dockyard. He then joined the police and rose through the ranks to become Chief Inspector. After his retirement from the police he worked as an ADC for nine years serving two Governors.

He is married to the historian and writer Cecilia Baldachino who contributes to the interview speaking about MI5/MI6 in Gibraltar after WWII.

AUDIO

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Track 1  (20 mins 6 secs)

Track 2  (17 mins 20 secs)

Track 3  (12 mins 54 secs)

Claude Baldachino – TRANSCRIPT