Rummaging through car boot sales under the blazing Maltese August sun might not be the most recommendable of hobbies, but this does not exclude the possibility of finding some lost treasure that, if sifted accurately, adds value to Maltese cultural and sports history.

This was the case in point with this priceless photograph showing Maltese officers in uniform and members of the 1st Coast Regiment RMA Malta command & C.M.F Water Polo Champions 1945 in swimming trunks with trophies.

This photo, taken by Blackman’s Studio, Hamrun, Malta, has aroused quite some interest in me being a collector of militaria and also having written a few books on the war. I contacted Mr Leonard Zammit whose uncle, Virgilio Zammit, used to play for that team and used to take him in the services lorry to Robb Lido at St George’s, in the late fifties. Mr Zammit proved to be the right man at the right moment as he provided me with valuable historical information, for what could have just been another old photo, put away in the attic!

Waterpolo has always been one of the top favourite sports in Malta and it was no surprise that when Malta took part in its first Olympic Games at the Amsterdam Olympiad 1928, it was represented by its waterpolo team. Malta took part for the second time in the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 again in waterpolo and athletics.

Both before and after the Second World War Maltese sides played against teams from the British Fleet and crowds used to throng the venues of these matches. They played in various places all over the island, by the breakwater at the entrance to the Grand Harbour, alongside ships, at Kalkara, Vittoriosa, Senglea, Manoel Island and St George’s Bay.

After World War II two Maltese units in the Army (1st Coast Regt. RMA, as winners of the Malta Command KO competition and the 1st Battalion KOMR, as runners-up in the same competition) took part in an Inter Unit Army waterpolo league organised for British and Commonwealth teams. This competition was held at the Foro Italico in Rome.

The KOMR won their first round match against the 70 Field Regt RA 9-0 but lost in the quarter-finals to South Africa Royal Engineers 6-2.

The 1st Coast beat the B team of South Africa RE 10-0 in the first round, the 22nd Workshop of South Africa by 4-1 in the quarter-finals and in the semi-finals they defeated the A team of South Africa EC 3-2. 1st Coast won the competition beating New Zealand DC 6-2 in the final. (I suppose RE stands for Royal Engineers, DC could stand for District Command and maybe EC for Eastern Command)

One of the reasons cited for this success was that the 1st Coast team players went to Rome two weeks before the competition in order to acclimatise themselves to the different conditions they were used to in Malta. The winning RMA team was a well-knit side consisting of very strong swimmers with vast experience with their respective local sides.

Budgy Dowling was an outstanding swimmer together with Kanesi Demicoli who was endowed with excellent reflexes besides a perception for perfect positioning between his goalposts. Dowling was fast and powerful and a prolific goalscorer too. In fact in the final he scored no fewer than four of the six goals and Gunner Muscat scored the other two in that memorable final.

The players in the picture are:

Standing (left to right) BSM Joseph Galea (later he was also a football referee and was one of the linesmen in Malta’s first ever international football match against Austria on February 24, 1957. His eldest son Ronnie lives in Carmel St, St Julians), Emanuel k/a Leli Tonna (brother of Angelo), Emanuel ‘Budgy’ Dowling (also played football for Melita and Valletta), Charles Fenech (still alive and lives in Marsa. About 90 years old but still keeping fine), Sgt. J. ‘Kanesi’ Demicoli (goalkeeper who also took part in the 1936 Olympic Games).

Front row: (extreme left) Angelo Tonna (nicknamed BU-6 or Boo-6, still alive, lives in St Julians), played for Neptunes and Balluta WPC), (extreme right) Gunner Muscat (nicknamed it-2-O (it-TWO - OW), who played for Senglea and later joined Valletta Utd.)

The officers in uniform are Major Edwin A Camilleri (confirmed) and Captain Bartolo but the one wearing the beret is unknown).

If anyone has more contributions to add to this information please do not hesitate to contact me on email: [email protected]