ANTHONY ZARB DIMECH
On 20 May 1946, the first group 600 German prisoners of war (POWs) who had been in Malta for nearly a year left the island. Many spectators lined the bastions at Lascaris Wharf to watch this first batch to be repatriated as they boarded the S.S. Empire Rival for Naples, The last prisoners to leave Malta, numbering 787 were embarked from Malta for Germany on 9 February, and on 17 February 1948 and the POW Camps were officially disbanded.
Before being captured by the Allied forces during the Second World War (1939-1945), these men were using their ‘swords’ to fight and attack Malta and other places. Having found themselves in Malta they were now using these same machines of war (mostly parts from destroyed airplanes and shells) and turning them into ‘ploughshares’.
Construction of POW Camp
and Security
According to Lieutenant-Colonel C.L. Borg, ED in his book, Salute to Maltese Infantrymen, the Royal Engineers built POW camps in Malta using high triple Dannert wire, lookout towers, a security walk and then another triple row of Dannert barbed wire all brightly lit by powerful arc lamps. Into the compound itself there were ridge double tents in sufficient numbers to take one thousand POWs. On each tower, a sentry with a Bren-Gun had a good all-round view.
POWs were inspected at all irregular hours amidst the heel-clicking and saluting with the senior German Non-commissioned Officers yelling ‘Achtung fur the Herr Major’.
Many times during the night, especially, the outside perimeter of the barbed wire was inspected to ensure that the prisoners were not engaged in any form of tunneling. The German POW’s wore khaki uniforms like British soldiers but with round blue patches on their shirts, battledress jackets, and trousers to indicate that they were POWs.
The soldiers were absolutely forbidden to go within the compound itself and had no form of communication with the Germans whatsoever.
After roll-call the prisoners were collected every morning and taken out to their respective places of work and returned every evening before sunset when a roll-call was again called.
Industriousness and Ingenuity
The industriousness and great ingenuity of German POWs was amazing. They used to make toys of first-class quality out of salvaged used tins and what they could do and turn out of scraps metal, bakelite, perspex, or even Maltese soft limestone was simply fantastic. Out of old pieces of leather and pieces of wood they made several lathes with which they used to turn out such beautiful objects. The POWs formed their own orchestra with instruments they were in possession on arrival at the Camp.
It is therefore, not an uncommon occurrence to come across a Second World War relic at some car boot sale, curio shop, bric-a-brac or bazaar and even auction sale around the Maltese islands. Some are very rare and others less so. These items may also be found in Maltese households and many might have a relic in some hidden corner or attic.
These interesting and useful items, which though small in size, could easily be exchanged with the local people for chocolates, food and cigarettes.
These items ranged from small metal planes, ashtrays to decorative plant holders, cups and saucers, to precision tools. They could do this work with the limited tools and equipment for the job which they created themselves. In the Autumn of 1947 a shop was opened in a Nissan hut which offered for sale a wide variety of items made by the German POWs. Prices were cheap but the workmanship was first class.
Carmel Zerafa
Mr. Carmel Zerafa, a very popular personality at the Sunday flea market in Floriana told me about his friendship with a German POW. During the period 1945 to 1947, he befriended a German POW captured during the North African campaign under Rommel’s Afrika Korps, his name, Theodore Manning. He was 21 at that time. Carmel Zerafa who was aged 18 was employed as a civilian labourer at St. Andrews’s POW camp with the Royal Engineers. Having been severely wounded in the leg and still recovering, Theodore Manning could not do any manual work so he was the tea-boy for the POWs. Mr. Zerafa used to bring bread and sugar to Theodore.
During the war the POWs were always under the escort of the ‘Red Caps’ or military police and were not allowed to venture out of the POW camps. But at the end of the war, 1945, they could mix with the local population and exchange the toys and other small items they produced at the camp and even return on back to their camp unescorted.
After the war, Theodore Manning was elected as Mayor of Westphalia in Germany. This friendship between Carmel and Theodore lasted till last year when Theodore’s wife passed away. Theodore died the year before. They had been in contact with each other for 64 years!
Golden Erich
According to Mr. Mario-Victor Vella, Golden Erich was a RAF pilot stationed Malta during the Second World War. He met Mr. Vella about 26 years ago at Msida (Ta’ Xbiex) where he lived. He recounted to Mr. Vella a wartime incident where he shot down a German Stuka dive bomber at Hal-Safi with his fighter plane. The German pilot survived the crash and was held as POW at St. Elmo. Mr. Erich visited the German airman and at this meeting he asked Mr. Erich to provide him with a sixpence and a safety pin and soldering iron. When they meet again the German airman presented Mr. Erich with a silver spitfire model made out of the length of the sixpence with the diameter of the model being that of the sixpence. Mr. Erich passed away some time after his meeting with Mr. Vella and sadly no information of the German airman’s name was given.