MALTA 2007
We arrived in Malta on 17th April 2007. I knew my grandfather had manned the AA guns around Sliema and Valletta defending the Grand harbour. 62 years after the second world war ended you dont expect to find anything left, but I was suprised at what still stood. After months of researching I was ready to locate any places I could where my grandfather had been. I must thank all the people who I asked for help and directions. The Maltese people are a friendly and helpful bunch.
My Grandfather had been stationed at Fort Tigne, and would have spent time at Floriana Barracks near to the entrance of Valletta. Fort Tigne is no longer standing so I was looking to locate the barracks at Floriana. I met a maltese gentleman in my hotel who now lives in England. He had served in the Malta forces during WW2, and he told me that many British Royal Artillery soldiers would be sent to Floriana. funny enough he was on the same bus as me to Valletta and showed me where Floriana Barracks was. I can never thank him enough for the kindness he showed me and the comments he made about my grandfather helping the Maltese people.
And so I was at Floriana Barracks. It is now a government building so I was unsure about taking photgraphs, I managed to take a couple and one of the football pitch at the front which was once the parade ground.
Floriana Barracks
The football pitch is the old parade ground at Floriana Barracks
_The Grand harbour is an awsome sight and as you sit looking at it your
mind wonders why such a beautiful place suffered so much during ww2. The
best way to see it is to take a Dghajsa (water taxi). we saw how large
the fortifications where and found the Bighi hospital at Kalkara point. My grandfather had been a patient in hospital on Malta between 13th September and 27th
October 1943, though the hospital he was at is not listed in his service records
Bighi Hospital
Fort St Angelo
Fort St Angelo. The fortifications are hundreds of years old, Malta with her prime Mediterranean Sea location has faced many invaders. WW2 became the second Great Siege for Malta, the First began in 1565_
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_Fort St Angelo. The Maltese and the British defended the Grand Harbour from these fortifications as they fought off the German and Italian Airforce_
_Upper Barakka Gardens And Lascaris Bastion-Operations HQ. The British forces transformed the site into the headquarters of the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet and centre of operations during WW2
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Upper Barakka Gardens
View From Upper Barakka Gardens Over The Grand Harbour
Looking across Valletta towards the entrance of the Grand Harbour. It's hard to believe that this was the most bombed place during WW2
__The siege Bell. It is rung daily at noon in honour of Malta's War dead. Over 1500 civilians died during the WW2 bombings. Below the Siege Bell and Lower Barakka Gardens
_Fortifications And a Gardjola Tower At Senglea. The toweres were so valued that they were removed for safe keeping during WW2
_Fort St Elmo. For you movie buffs this is where the main character left the prison in the last scene of ' Midnight Express'
Gun Position Near To Upper Barakka Gardens
Gun Position Near To Grand Harbour Entrance
The war museum in Valletta is well worth a visit, you can see the George Cross that was awarded to Malta and Gozo in 1942. General Eisenhower`s jeep and the Gloster Gladiator aeroplane ‘Faith’. Also on show are many photographs showing Malta`s plight during the war
General Eisenhower`s Jeep
The Gloster Sea Gladiatior N5520. Malta had only three of these planes against the Italian air force in the first few weeks of WW2. They were called Faith, Hope and Charity. This is "Faith" the only survivor
An AA Gun at the war museum
_The George Cross awarded to Malta, and the Sign On The Parliment Buildings In Valletta
Vittoriosa is one of the three cities and here you will find The Malta At War Museum. You can view and buy the Malta G.C film, an original wartime documentry. You can also go down into the wartime shelters, it is an incredible maze of tunnels burrowed some 40 feet into the rock. It makes one feel humble to see the tunnels and to realise just what the people were up against during the constant bombing. It also shows the Maltese determination to survive the siege
_The underground war shelter at Vittoriosa. The Maltese
dug these shelters to protect thmselves from the constant ariel
bombardment. Pictures are the chapel and the hospital
Birth room and dormortories. It was all dug out by hand and is a very humbling place to visit
A typical room in the shelters and the air raid wardens room
_The Freedom Monument in Birgu, Vittoriosa, stands next to the quay where the last British
troops left Malta in March 1979 aboard H.M.S London. Thus ending a 180
year British military presence on the island. The figures represent the
Maltese bidding farewell to a British sailor. Malta celebrates this moment every year on 31 March with Freedom Day
_In Mosta is The Rotunda of St Marija Assunta church. The church has
become legendary due to the events of 9th April 1942, when an Axis bomb
burst through the domed roof and crashed to the floor. over 300 people
where gathered in the church for mass and it was considered a miracle
that the bomb failed to explode. You can see the patch in the dome where
the bomb entered and a replica of the explosive is on show. While there
one of the ladies who cleans the church told us the story of the bomb,
how it crashed through the roof and shot sideways hitting the painting
of Jesus with his arms outstreached before safely coming to rest on the
floor. Wether true or not she was a great story teller and thrilled us
to bits. They should employ her as a guide. Apart from the bomb the
church is well worth a visit as it is a place of real beauty
Count 5 Squares Up From The Middle Window To See Where The Bomb Penetrated
Replica Bomb
_The saddest place I visited I stummbled across by accident. I saw the
barracks at Pembroke and made my way up towards them, here I found the
Pembroke Military Cemetery. The cemetery is very well maintained and is a
fitting tribute to all the fallen that rest there. It was nice to see
that it also contains graves of the local people as well as servicemen.
Walking around a war cemetery really brings home the horror of conflict,
so many brave people, so many young men. Because of them I have never
had to live through events like they did. I thank them all
Entrance To Pembroke Cemetery
British war graves at Pembroke Cemetery. The earth in Malta is very shallow on Malta and many joint or collective burials were made as graves had to be cut into the rock. During WW2 work was dangerous because of the many air raids. The cemetery contains graves of servicemen from both world wars
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_ Cap Ribbon From H.M.S Wildfire, places on a tree near to war graves
The former Pembroke barracks
_ A Gun Position At The Tiny Harbour Of Weid Iz-Zurrieq, Close To The Blue Grotto
_The Island Of Filfla, Used By The British For Artillery Practice. It is now a a bird sanctuary and they can live in safety as not many humans are brave enough to go onto the island due to the many unexploded shells
War Memorial to the war dead from the island of Gozo
I could have filled this page 50 times over with photographs as there is so much military history to see in Malta. I hope I have selected correct and that you enjoy reading and seeing the pictures here. I will visit Malta and Gozo again in the future, The place has something special about it. No matter what was thrown at them during WW2 they came through it all and im proud that my grandfather was a part of the defence. When you see the beauty of the country and the friendliness of the people it is hard to imagine that the second world war ever came to their door. they are a credit to themselves. I look forward to my return.
When my grandfather was stationed in Malta he bought and sent home a crucifix to his mother in Liverpool. It was passed onto my father who kept it sitting on his fathers medal case. Sadly my father passed away in 2006 and the crucifix and medals came to me. The crucifix has been in Liverpool over 63 years, but it came back to Malta with me to where my grandfather once defended the Island . I wish I could show all this to my father, but I guess his dad has took him round Malta by now
The Crucifix My Grandfather Sent Home. Its Now Back In Liverpool, Sitting On The Medals Case
This page is dedicated to Sue, Michael and Sam, for all the patience and help they have shown me during my research, and for their constant support and understanding for what this all means to me. Without them none of this would have been possible. This is my history, they are my life.
This page is dedicated to Sue, Michael and Sam, for all the patience and help they have shown me during my research, and for their constant support and understanding for what this all means to me. Without them none of this would have been possible. This is my history, they are my life.