Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna became aware of this shameful incident while touring the area with a foreign military expert on account of a planned trip to Malta by an international society that specializes on fortifications scheduled for next year. Immediate steps were taken to inform the pertinent authorities in the field in an effort to investigate the matter and to take all possible steps to protect this historical monument from further damage.

To this effect the Ministry for Youth and the Arts, the Superintendent for Cultural Heritage, the Malta Planning and Environment Authority, the Estates Management Department and Heritage Malta were informed.

Separate site visits to inspect the damage done were also effected in the presence of the Minister for Youth and the Arts and the Superintendent for Cultural Heritage.

Fort Campbell is one of the nation's most precious forts in being the last one built for coast defence purpose as late as 1937/8. The general configuration of this fort is reminiscent of the inter-war period, a time when traditional fortifications had lost most of their impregnability due to the introduction of aerial warfare in the First World War.

Malta's coast defence infrastructure was generally designed in the mid-late Victorian period and consisted of sturdy geometrical artillery platforms intended to resist vertical naval or artillery fire hurled at them. Many of these forts survived in use practically unaltered till 1956 when coast artillery as a fighting arm became redundant to defence requirements following the introduction of rocketry.

The original 19th century scheme provided no forms of static defence capabilities beyond the 'great fault' on which the Victoria Lines where built in 1897. The concept behind this arrangement was that of concentrating on the defence of the Grand Harbour approaches and the security of the naval arsenal and dockyard from the back and to leave unattended all other territory considered to have little military value which included Gozo and Comino.

This doctrine remained in place till about the turn of the 20th century when it was reversed and the entire territory of the island started being considered of high strategic value with the exception of the sister islands which were to be left to their resources in case of an invasion.

Fort Campbell belongs to the latter scheme. It was built to challenge any dangerous shipping that might threaten the Grand Harbour approaching from the North.

The fort was built on high ground at Tal-Blata, Selmun and was named after Sir David Campbell who was the incumbent governor at the time. It was first intended to be armed with two 6-inch breech loading guns for counter bombardment purposes but a third one was later added in 1942.

The fort consists of a loose grouping of half buried structures namely three gun emplacements complete with gun crew shelter and ammunition magazines, a fire control position for the direction of the guns, a plotting room, guard room and underground generator room.

This complex was surrounded by a boundary wall built in a dry stone fashion having an irregular profile for better integration into the rural setting. The wall was pierced at crucial points by gun ports through which local defence of the enceinte could be done either from concrete machinegun posts or musketry platforms. Two coast artillery searchlights were also integrated into the wall for illuminating the coast during a night engagement.

Soldier accommodation for up to a battalion was provided immediately outside the fort. Since its abandonment in the 1970s, this fort has suffered immeasurably at the hands of vandals and other unscrupulous persons who have looted the buildings from all their fixtures including the steel joist that once supported the concrete roofs!

The place has been left open to all becoming a much sought after outing venue for families in particular. Most of the derelict buildings on the outside of the fort are in such a perilous state that they represent a danger to life and limb. Great mountains of litter have accumulated in the interior of most chambers, walls were sprayed over and what nature nor war have done man has done with his bare hands. The overall state of Fort Campbell is indeed in a sorry state and calls for immediate action.

The recent demolition of the Fire Control Position inside this fort, where explosives may have been used, only points at the general spineless nature of our society where much is said daily about the importance fop our national heritage but virtually nothing is done to stop the ongoing destruction of this important asset.

In the light of the recent vandalism at this site, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna calls on the pertinent authorities to act swiftly in order to stop the ongoing rampage at Fort Campbell.

“We also appeal for this fort to be cleaned from all the accrued rubbish and litter left behind by the week-end parties spending their leisure time at this place, and to seal it off to stop anyone from going into till a sympathetic use is found for it which will ensure its ongoing survival as a cultural asset.

“With respect to the recently vandalized fire control position we demand of the authorities to immediately step in to reconstruct it as it originally was in an effort to preserve the overall integrity of the fort, since this structure represented its nerve centre before little is left from it that will merit this intervention,” FWA said.