Malta developed a very sophisticated defence system during the Second World War that helped the Allied Forces defeat Fascism and Nazism. Land, sea and air forces worked in close co-ordination with the civil authorities to create a defensive barrier that proved an impregnable fortress in stone. The development of the radar contributed significantly to the Axis defeat. Malta’s strategically placed position in the centre of the Mediterranean permitted the island to play such a crucial role during the war.
The importance of Malta was that it served as the base for a concerted assault by RAF and Fleet Air Arm aircraft and Royal Navy submarines on Axis supply lines across the Mediterranean from Italy to North Africa. These attacks played an important part in hampering Rommel’s forces in North Africa and greatly assisted General Montgomery in his final drive for victory that began at El Alamein in October 1942. It was from Malta that reconnaissance sorties were flown which led to the destruction of the Italian Fleet at Taranto by the Fleet Air Arm. In 1943 Malta was the launching pad for the invasion of Sicily in what was nicknamed “Operation Husky”.
On 26 January 1940, Air Commodore F. H. M. Maynard, AFC, a New Zealand officer in the Royal Air Force was appointed to Malta as Air Officer Commanding, Royal Air Force, Mediterranean. Maynard had long service in the air arm. He joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1915, and in the inter-war years spent two tours of duty in the Middle East and held various commands in the organisation for the Air Defence of Great Britain. He came to Malta from the Air Ministry
Malta offered special problems for an Air Commander. From the air it was a compact and seemingly easy target, measuring only 17 miles by nine, with an area of about 95 square miles. Two islands, Comino and Gozo, lie conveniently off the northwest tip to orient any incoming pilot. The four military targets, Grand Harbour and the three airfields, were confined in the eastern half of this small area and linked only by dusty and tortuous lanes. The condition of the airfields was poor. Hal Far on the south coast was a narrow strip, limited by rocky outcrops and ravines. Ta Kali to the north, dominated by hills on three sides and familiar to Italian civil pilots, had been built on the site of an ancient lake and its grass surface bogged easily. But despite the unpromising future, Air Commodore Maynard persisted with the building of a bomber airfield at Luqa, in the centre of the island, overlooking Valletta and Grand Harbour. Its construction was a triumph of ingenuity, since the whole area had to be levelled from hills and quarries. Villages, each with its large church, surrounded the airfield. There were no tools for airfield construction, yet the most primitive Maltese labouring methods with horse and cart succeeded in building the longest runway on the island – 1200 yards of tarmac. Aircraft dispersal was a major problem, since every yard of the island’s poor soil was needed for food crops. But Malta’s stone-walled roads were put to good use in forming the celebrated Hal Safi strip, which linked Luqa and Hal Far airfields in a unique dispersal area.
The Air Office Commanding Mediterranean for the Under Secretary of State for Air was responsible for the Air Ministry, Directorate of Works, Air Headquarters Royal Air Force of Malta which was at 2 Castile Place, Valletta, which in turn was responsible for many aerodromes and other air force stations around the island. The civil engineering work carried out at these strategic military zones was contracted to Maltese workmen and Maltese firms in conjunction with the Royal Engineers Tunnelling Company. The island had Air Force Stations at Lascaris War Room, Kalafrana, Hal Far Air Field, Luqa Airfield and Ta Kali Airfield to mention some of the most prominent ones. The Air Ministry Works Office was at Marlborough House in Ta’ Xbiex.
This feature reveals some of the work contracts given to a Maltese firm by the Air Ministry’s Directorate of Works during wartime (1940-1943) and gives some idea of the nature, type and price of the work that was carried out during these crucial and critical years in Maltese history.
The contracts awarded were very detailed and contained up to 42 clauses ranging from scope of contract, damages, suspension of work, wages, and work during air raids and termination of contract. The contracts covered here refer to the construction of underground operations chambers, shelters, stores and hangars, removal of rock, stone, spoil, rubbish and the clearing of sites. All the work was to be done with speed, efficiency, and a system of control in getting full value out of scarce resources due to the war effort.
The contractor in this case, Angelo Grima of Zejtun, purchased materials from other Maltese firms such as Galea Brothers who were also government and military contractors and were at Blanche Street, Sliema. They were importers and dealers of bathroom accessories and fittings, lavatories, sinks, closets, baths and so on. They also manufactured modern fireplaces, concrete pipes, banisters and wall tiling and operated both wholesale and retail. One particular list refers to items sold to Messrs. Anthony Falzon and Joseph Grima dated May 1940. These materials were used in work connected with the tenders awarded to the contractor.
Widening of road, underground operations chambers, shelters, stores and hangars
8/10/1940 – Road widening
This contract was awarded for the widening of Kalafrana at Hal Far Road. The work was to be completed within 9 months.
25/2/1941 – Excavating and refilling of Cable Trench (Luqa)
This work was for the excavation and after refilling of cable trench. The work was to be completed on 30/4/1941.
14/3/1941 – Underground Operation Chamber and Shelter (Ta Kali)
An underground Operation Chamber and Shelter at Ta Kali (Torri Cumbo) was awarded for the price of £272 and the completion date was to be 10/6/1941. The contractor hired a number of Maltese miners higher than that required on the site without delay, and also used his own lorries for transport.
The contractor informed the Superintending Engineer of the Air Ministry that it was impossible to carry out the work without any interruption on holidays and Sundays, especially under the conditions of the continuous night blitz. In his letter the contractor also requested the use of impressed lorries and special permits for them in order to expedite the work, given its urgent nature.
8/9/1941 – Construction of Underground Hangars and Roads (Luqa)
This contract was for the construction of six underground hangars and approach roads at RAF Station Luqa and the price was £18,737.12s 6p. This was undoubtedly one of the most expensive contracts given to a Maltese contractor during the war. The site was handed to the contractor on 14/7/1941 and the work was to be completed on 15/10/1941. The six underground hangars were tunnelled and excavated at the following rates:
Tunnelling in rock – 20/- per cubic yard
Excavating in soil for approaches – 3/6 per cubic yard
Excavating in rock for approaches – 12/6 per cubic yard
One of the conditions in the contract was that the excavation or tunnelling in rock was to form a segmental underground hangar not exceeding 550 feet in section and included the levelling of rock floor and trimming rock faces and excavation and all necessary struts, planking and timbering.
2/12/1941 – Dispersal Points (Hal Far)
This contract was awarded for additional dispersal points and standings at Hal Far Airfield and the payment was of 3/- per square yard for an area not exceeding 30,000 square yards and 2/9 for areas exceeding 50,000 square yards and not exceeding 50,000 square yards. Work was to be completed on 31/1/1942. Dispersal points and pens were constructed as substantial earth banking with small retaining walls on the inner edges in the rough shape of a letter “E” if viewed from above. These pens offered blast protection for fighter aircraft and their aircrew.
13/1/1942 – Underground stores (Luqa)
This contract was for the completion by 15/5/1942 of underground stores at Luqa RAF Station at the price of £1,778.8
28/1/1942 – Underground shelter (Luqa)
28/11/1942 – Protection for generator (Ta Kali)
This contract was for the provision of protected accommodation for a generator at Ta Kali at the price of £192 and to be completed on 4/2/1942
Removal of rock, stone, spoil, rubbish
24/5/1939 –This contract was awarded for the removal of rock, stone, spalls, spoil, rubbish etc. by means of carts as and were directed at all R.A.F installations on or before 31/12/1942. Payments were made in accordance with certified carting sheets. The contractor provided horses and carts with boxes for this work as well as the labour necessary to load, remove to the Air Ministry Store and stack timber and provide a watchman as necessary. This work commenced immediately when the contract was given.
20/11/1943 – A similar contract was drawn specifically for Hal Far Aerodrome. Twenty horses and carts with boxes (18 cubic feet in size) were agreed upon and a further 20 horses with carts with boxes were requested to work under the direction of Officer Commanding 5051 Squadron (Airfield Construction Squadron). The rate of payment was 16 shillings per eight-hour day.
Clearing sites (Luqa)
27/9/1941 – After an air attack on Malta’s airfields clearing work had to be done. This work involved the clearing of all sandbags blast walls, dismantled steelwork and corrugated iron and taking down existing sandbag blast walls and emptying the contents and afterwards attend on roller to consolidate serviceable bags. Unserviceable bags were to be carefully returned to Air Ministry Stores. The work also involved carefully collecting all steelwork of dismantled Bellman hangars and corrugated iron, including blots and small parts, which were to be placed in sandbags. This work was carried on during all possible daylight hours, Sundays and holidays included, and no portion of the work was to be sublet without the written approval of the Superintending Engineer.
After the war, in a letter dated 28/2/1944, the Wing Commander Superintending Engineer informed the contractor that under the contracts of 1943, horses and cars supplied under these contracts were to terminate from February 1944.
The RAF stations were the targets of concentrated Axis attacks because they were the launching pad of the Allied air force.
The air raids on the airfields at night and during the day, in the second and third week of March 1942 were furious.
Airfields resembled lunar landscapes and this carpet-bombing left its toll on the civilian population as well. Because of these air raids the works by Maltese contractors could not be finished as per the agreed deadline. The contractor, Angelo Grima, claimed compensation for the time lost. One of the conditions that the contractor had to comply with was that by 9am the day following any air raid he had to deliver a return of all the working time lost during the air raids, when stoppage of work occurred, names of workmen on the job and rate of wages.
A particular contract referred to a contract of work at Wied Dalam on which the Air Ministry paid compensation. But the contractor complained that on a large number of his wartime contracts his claims for this extra cost had not been paid. He also stated that the sum was very considerable and in many cases meant the difference between loss and
recovery of his costs on some of his contracts.
Acknowledgements and sources
• Private Collection of RAF Contracts
• National War Association
• Simon Cusens
• Victoria University of Wellington website (The official history of New Zealand during the Second World War)