Malta at War Museum

Armed with an impressive list of ‘Must See’ sites, Tuesday 9 May saw us start to tick them off.  First stop was the Malta at War Museum (WWII) which is situated in the Birgu city walls on the opposite side of the creek to our mooring.

The museum focusses on the 1940-1943 siege of Malta. primarily looking at it from a social perspective. There are mannequins dressed in RAF and German flying kit and explanations of the air defence by the RAF against the Italian and German air force attacks. However, the majority of the exhibits are about the impact of the attacks on the people of Malta.

Searchlights and anti-aircraft batteries were hurriedly installed around Valletta but equally important as the siege progressed were the Victory Kitchens, which desperately tried to feed the civilian population. With food and fuel stocks incredibly low, the Victory Kitchens served a dual purpose both in providing food for people whose homes had been destroyed and also in providing food for a very large number of people whilst minimising food wastage and the use of fuel.

More bombs were dropped on Malta during the siege than on the whole of London during the Blitz and in the first six months of 1942 there was only one 24 hour period without an air raid attacking the island. There were excellent explanations of how the locals had to seek refuge underground from this barrage of bombs. Church catacombs were used but eventually these were augmented by new tunnels carved out of the soft limestone rock. Having viewed the museum exhibits we donned hard hats and explored the rabbit warren of passages underneath it.

The state-paid miners could not expand the tunnel network fast enough and so families were permitted to dig their own areas off the main tunnels. These normally had a floor area of about 2m square floor area and were furnished with essentials. However, each labyrinthine tunnel complex protected many hundreds of people from the bombing so most did not have the luxury of their own compartment and had to sleep in communal dormitory areas.

Malnourished and weak, the survivors were susceptible to illness and infections in these cramped conditions as well as the obvious threat of injury from the carnage outside. The tunnels had areas for first aid close to the entrances and more serious injuries could be dealt with in an operating theatre. There was even a dedicated birthing room to look after pregnant women who went into labour.

The museum’s story was fascinating and highlighted the immense struggle and hardship endured by the Maltese people. We watched the original ‘Malta GC’ film made on the orders of King George VI, which was produced in 1942 using unique combat footage from all 3 services and which was released just after the people of Malta were awarded the George Cross.

Having started to learn about the events of WW2 we decided that we should also visit some of the other WW2 sites such as the Lascaris War Rooms. However, first we would jump back over 400 years and visit St John’s Co-Cathedral, the church of the Order of the Knights of St John, in the centre of Valletta.

Valletta, Malta