Brotherhood of 36

The Brotherhood of 36 was a small Maltese rebel group, formed in 1798 during the Napoleonic French Revolutions when Malta was still under French rule, made up of 36 adolescents "against" the French rule which was led by the famous Scottish patriot, Willis McGee. Other influential members were the notorious Pawlu Gatt, Joe Cardona, Salv Buhagar and Pepp Iz-zghir. However, the group's efforts to expel the French were not successful and they were imprisoned for assault. Two managed to escape imprisonment, and a few were released. McGee committed suicide in prison.

The group's tragic victims were avenged when the British landed in Malta to recapture it from French rule. The French were using Malta as a naval base at the time, primarily for use in their invasion of Egypt, circa 1798.

It is said that when naval commander Nelson arrived in Malta ready to re-capture the island, Salv Buhagar organised the "Last Meeting of the 34" (after the tragic death of Willis McGee and another brotherhood member) in an attempt to aid the British, but it was not to be. Buhagar called off the rally as the British were ordered to stay indoors, to avoid the danger of being mistaken for Frenchmen.