Family Memories War

Places in Malta

Sun 3 Dec1944

Best day so far. Changed into shorts and walked about 16 miles. Started at 9am with seven of eight others. Food collected from canteen and went places named below:-

St. Andrews, Birkirkara, Balza, Lia, Altara, St. Anton Gdns (the governors palace) Boschetto gardens and Rabat. Back via Verdala Palace.

Houses like large pill boxes, small square windows very simply constructed. At the centre of each village dominated by very large R.C. churches, cathedral like in proportion. Houses lit by oil and candles. Roads all yellowy white in colour, stone walls with prickly pear hedges at times. Quarries on the hill near the barracks. Deep and shallow, the shallow cultivated. Soil only about 2 ft deep. Centre of villages one or two decent places. Outskirts very dirty and smelly. Plain and very simple, built to give maximum protection from the sun. Flat roofs on which massive gourds/melons are ripened. Coffee in a bar at Birkirkara. Flies everywhere. On to Rabat for our sandwiches eaten in a bar with appropriate drinks. Rabat is near the sea on a hill top. Was the old fortified capital. Usual massive walls, narrow streets very medieval in appearance. Went in St. Antons gardens en route. Marvellous gardens with oriental fruits, shrubs , trees, flowers. Saw the first sight of oranges, lemons, grapefruit growing on the small trees. Other trees palms, figs, pomegranates. Bougonvilleas in flower with their wonderful scent. No grass. Wonderful gardens to find in an almost desert like island. On the walk melons/gourds were so big only one could be put on their donkey carts. Herds of goats following their owners. Donkey and pony cart. Saw a trotting contest. Ponies small and decorated. Broccoli a speciality in the small fields. Sampled a prickly pear. Juicy and red with woody seeds. Passed Verdala Palace. Orange glades in Boschetto gardens. Natives poor in English mostly using their own Maltese language based it is said on the ancient Phoenician. Children drink the local wine which is very strong. Sunday with locals standing and strolling about their evening relaxation.

Tues 5 Dec 1944

System of leave after 3 years was 28 clear days. Two only from those eligible approx 2 only out of 36. Other leave as usual.

Sat 9 Dec 1944

Down to Valetta, walk and bus from Balluta Bay. To Command Hall for show at 8pm. The Command Hall a very solidly built place was the Hospital of the Knights of St. John with alcoves where the beds for the invalids used to be placed. Palm Courts etc. inside. It looked a museum piece and had fortunately escaped destruction.

Sun 10 Dec 1944

Another walk. Collected food from cookhouse, bread and marge, spam tomatoes and tin of pears. To Inya via Moasta a village with an immense cathedral round in shape. The 3^rd largest in Europe by repute. Rocky country with fertile plains with fields of broccoli and vines. Passed Victoria lines old trenches built in Victorian times right across the island as precaution against French invasion. In a small town with a beautiful church large and domed. Some rain. Sandwiches in a local bar with tea and a little wine “ham-tut” peanuts and almonds. Saw ruins of ancient temple 5-6000 years old Rain again got a lift to Birkara. Back for 5.30 pm Quite cool. Lit a fire in recreation room. Jessies bar at 7pm for chips and tomatoes. A varied day, rain and wind but dry morning.

Tues 12 Dec 1944

To Sliema in evening. Lift down and walked back. Haircut by a boy of about 12 years old. Toc H and walked back. Very dark, not too pleasant. Read some John Donnes poems. “For love, all other sights control. And makes one little room as everywhere”.