In the conclusion of his three-part feature, Charles Debono recounts the immediate reactions to the German invasion of Poland, the Allied declarations of war and the reactions of the Maltese to the feared onslaught.

In August 1935, just two months before the Italian onslaught on Abyssinia, the government in Malta called for volunteers to form the nucleus of a passive defence organisation. This civil force was known as the Passive Defence Reserve (PDR) and was placed under the command of Brigadier General de Brett. At the same time an Air Raid Precaution (ARP) was formed, of which the secretary was Captain B.W. Webb-Carter. The reservists attended a course which included the study of war gasses, decontamination, and first aid. By the end of the Abyssinian crisis in May 1936, about 250,000 civilian respirators were assembled and made available for issue, but soon after were subsequently withdrawn.

From 1936 to 1939, the PDR continued to function in its still embryonic form. A supplement to the original nucleus of Passive Defence Reserve and Air Raid Warden (ARW) organisation was raised. The ARW were practically independent of the ARP Office but occasionally attended lectures given by the ARP instructors. In the spring of 1939, district committees were formed under the direction of the Governor for the purpose of raising additional local bodies of ARWs. On July 23, 1939, Mr C.H. Sansom was appointed ARP officer, and a month later, it was decided to issue respirators to the Maltese population. This was put into effect by September 2, 1939.

The distribution of these gas masks was also confirmed in the diary entry for August 24 of Governor Sir Charles Bonham-Carter in which he says: “a meeting was held at Auberge de Castille, where orders were issued for stores of gas masks to be sent out to the hospitals, for the extra doctors to be informed that they would be needed, for tools to be bought by the ADOS on the understanding that if there were a shortage for the ARP purposes, all tools would have been rationed. I also arranged for the concertina wire to be sent out to the beaches ready to be put down in the bathing places as soon as orders were given.”

During the last days of peace the local authorities were not certain what civil precautions were to be taken in case of war with Germany or Italy.

A decision was taken to impose a blackout all over Malta, but no curfew, but, if a war erupted with Italy, a curfew might be necessary also. On the next day (September 3, 1939) it was decided not to call up the Passive Defence Reserve.

Immediate reactions in Malta to Polish invasion

After Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, the Governor received a telegram warning that war against Germany and Italy was imminent and all preparations were to be taken.

This arrived at about midday. However, during the afternoon the Italian government announced that it would take no initiative in military operations. At 9pm the Governor broadcast on the Rediffusion the following decisions as to what Malta’s conduct would be in the event of war with Germany, but not with Italy:

1) There would be a ‘blackout’ each night;

2) Families would remain in their homes and not move into barracks;

3) The Fortress Reserve would remain in barracks;

4) Castille would remain the headquarters of the British armed forces in Malta;

5) There would be no curfew;

6) There was to be no fishing-boat control;

7) There was to be no evacuation of the population from the Three Cities, etc.

8) Anti-aircraft defences were not to fire on any aircraft unless the latter undertook offensive action;

9) Coastal defences and beach guns were not to fire on any vessel unless the latter committed or was obviously about to commit a hostile act;

10) Everyone must avoid committing any act that could be considered aggressive by Italy.

Men decontaminating St George’s square opposite the Governor’s Palace. Photo: Michael Cassar

The Allied declaration of war on Germany

The next day, on September 2, 1939, the Italian government called for a conference between Germany, Italy, Britain, France and Poland to address the Danzig-Polish crisis. The British government, however, refused to participate as long as German troops remained on Polish territory. Soon afterwards, the Allies sent an ultimatum calling for a German withdrawal from Poland.

The Maltese thought that they were doomed to die like rats

The German government flatly rejected the Anglo-French demands for a withdrawal from Poland. Hitler responded by sending back a note blaming the British government for encouraging the Polish government to adopt a policy of persecution and provocation.

On September 3, 1939, after Hitler’s refusal to withdraw German troops from Poland the day before, Britain gave Germany a deadline of 11am to withdraw its troops or else a state of war would exist between Britain and Germany. The deadline passed with no response. Therefore, 15 minutes after the deadline passed, at 11.15am, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced on BBC Radio that Britain and Germany were at war.

France followed suit, and at 12pm gave Germany an ultimatum similar to Britain’s with a 5pm deadline. The deadline came and went with no reply, and so France had no other alternative but to declare war on Germany, thus the two main powers in Europe found themselves again at war with each other.

In his broadcast to the Empire from Downing Street, on Sunday, September 3, 1939, Chamberlain said: “This morning the British ambassador in Berlin handed a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o’clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.

“You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed… Up to the last it would have been quite possible to have arranged a peaceful and honourable settlement between Germany and Poland but Hitler would not have it… His action shows convincingly that there is no chance of expecting that this man will ever give up his practice of using force to gain his will. He can only be stopped by force.

“We and France are today in fulfilment of our obligations going to the aid of Poland. We have a clear conscience. We have done all that any country could do to establish peace… It is evil things that we shall be fighting against – brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution – and against them I am certain that right will prevail.”

Despite the Allied declaration of war on Nazi Germany, Italy’s ally, the Italian government did not commit itself to the war, and remained neutral. However, the British, were suspicious of Italy’s real intention, and they remained on alert in the Mediterranean.

Adults wearing gas masks or preparing to wear them.

Reaction of the Maltese

The declaration of war happened while many of the Maltese were gathered in churches for the Sunday Mass. One can only imagine what the Maltese population thought about this new and fearful reality of the possibility of an outbreak of war in which they found themselves involved in a matter of three days.

The Maltese and the British military authorities in Malta were more fearful about the possibility of an Italian air attack or invasion, rather than attack by Germany. One of the worries of the Maltese was probably what Italy would do after Chamberlain’s declaration of war.

The Maltese knew from the press that the partnership between the totalitarian regimes of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, was both political and military in nature. If Italy abided by its treaty with Germany it would declare war on Great Britain, and half an hour later could bombard Malta. The Maltese thought that they were doomed to die like rats, fumigated by poison-gas, blown to pieces by high explosives in the roads or drowned at sea while trying to escape.

A particular document found at the National Archives reveals (according to the high authorities in Malta), that although Malta, which was part of the British Empire, found itself again in another world war, the Maltese were still loyal to the British Crown. To show this affirmation, the deputy leader of the Constitutional Party proposed a resolution at the sitting of the Council of Government of September 5, 1939, which said:

“That this House desires to reaffirm the unalterable loyalty of the people of Malta and Gozo to His Majesty King George VI, and desires His Excellency the Governor to convey to His Majesty, through the Secretary of State for the Colonies, an expression of this people’s determination to support His Majesty’s Government in the defence of the Empire and in the cause of justice, liberty and freedom.”

Essential commodities control

On September 4, following the British declaration of war, the military and civilian authorities in Malta published The Emergency Powers (Defence) Act, 1939, in the Malta Government Gazette.

Under Article 50 of the Malta Defence Regulations 1939 the government assumed complete power over agriculture. Wheat continued to be cultivated mainly for consumption by the farmers and their families. At the same time, steps were taken to create an organisation for the coordination of all imports both civil and military. Imports of essential commodities could be controlled, and if necessary restricted, by the Food and Commerce Control Officer. 

In September 1939, the government thought that it would be prudent to control the consumption of petrol because it was felt that it was a matter of time before Malta would be directly involved in the war and it would hence be difficult to replenish supplies to the island. Therefore, in September 1939, a scheme for the rationing of petrol was devised and a Petrol Committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Sir Edward St John Jackson.

British sailors from a destroyer about to board a neutral freighter.

Internment of enemy aliens

Immediately after the Allied declaration of war, and although Malta was not involved directly, the local authorities felt the need to start detaining foreigners, especially Germans and Austrians. A number of them were of Jewish origin. Also detained were three Maltese people, one of whom had changed his citizenship to German. Nearly all of those detained were resident in Malta and involved in commerce or working in local companies.

Nine Maltese lost their lives with the sinking of HMS Royal Oak

It was not only men who were detained but also women and children, most of whom were foreigners or Maltese who were married to foreigners. On occasions like Christmas, carnival and Easter the internees were allowed to visits from their relatives. The Jewish internees in detention reported being treated badly by fellow German and Austrian internees in the concentration camps and they offered their service to struggle against the Germans. Most of the German internees were interned in Fort Salvatur, but later were deported to Palestine, and some of them even found themselves in Uganda.

Contraband Control Service

Although, there was no military action in the Mediterranean between the belligerents at this time, the British war policies against Germany included the application of economic sanctions by blockading, blocking or restricting the passage of neutral shipping, or merchandise destined for the enemy industry even in the Mediterranean. British warships of the ‘Contraband Control Service’ intercepted neutral ships to examine their cargo and associated documents. In the Mediterranean, French warships patrolled the seas west of Malta and sent suspicious ships to a French harbour. The Mediterranean east of Malta was patrolled by the Royal Navy and suspicious ships were sent to Malta.

There were two Contraband Control stations at Malta, at St Paul’s Bay and at Marsaxlokk. As the neutral ships approached Malta they were met by a ‘warning vessel’ which led the ships to one of the stations. Here a team of investigators boarded the freighters, which were then sailed into Grand Harbour for a thorough, sometimes even physical, examination of the cargo.

The two stations were set up on August 28, 1939, and six Maltese vessels were chartered – the Gozo ferry boat MV Royal Lady, the Customs yacht Melita, the small motor-yachts Cygnet, Duke of Gloucester and Marjoe II, and the small tugboat Cornflower. The latter was later replaced by the water tanker Monkey on September 14.

First Maltese fatalities

Although at this time war was still far from Malta and the Mediterranean, Maltese servicemen, especially naval ratings, were already involved in action. However, a particular loss of Maltese ratings not in action related to Malta directly was the sinking of the battleship HMS Royal Oak at Scapa Flow. This warship served many times with the Mediterranean Fleet and in Malta. During the night of October 13-14, 1939, U-47 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien succeeded to penetrate the harbour, and sank the battleship.

A total of 833 men, including nine Maltese – comprising officers’ cooks and stewards – lost their lives with sinking of the ship.

The Phoney War

On October 6, 1939, Poland was defeated and partitioned by Germany and the USSR, and Europe entered a phase known as the Phoney War from September 1939 to April 1940.

No actual military actions occurred between the belligerents on the continent, apart from aircraft of both sides flying and patrolling over their enemy’s territories and frontiers, sometimes ending into dogfights.

Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank Michael Cassar, Douglas Austin, Tony Rogers, Joseph Caruana, John Manduca, the staff of both the National Archives and the National Library and many others, for their help.

Charles Debono is curator of the National War Museum. More information can be found in the author’s book Malta During WWII: The Strategic Role of the Island During the Conflict.