Award of the George Cross to Malta Award of the George Cross to Malta The George Cross was awarded to the island of Malta by King George VI in a letter to the island's Governor, Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie, so as to "bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people" during the great siege they underwent in the early part of World War II. Italy and Germany besieged Malta, then a British colony, from 1940 to 1942. The George Cross was incorporated into the Flag of Malta beginning in 1943 and remains on the current design of the flag. While Italian and German bombers brought
1949 NCAA Cross Country Championships national championship was retained by the host Michigan State Spartans, their third. The individual championship was retained by Robert Black, from Rhode Island, with a time of 20:25.94 after setting the distance record the previous year. 1949 NCAA Cross Country Championships The 1949 NCAA Cross Country Championships were the 11th annual cross country meet to determine the team and individual national champions of men's collegiate cross country running in the United States. Since the current multi-division format for NCAA championship did not begin until 1973, all NCAA members were eligible. In total, 18 teams and 131 individual runners contested this