Wartime shelters

The article by Jeffrey Sammut on the history of wartime shelters (November 23) brought back some mixed feelings of my experience of over 80 years ago. The mid-1940s were accentuated by regular air raids with bombs raining mainly around the Grand Harbour, including Floriana.

Having lost our home, which was completely destroyed by the attacks on the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, my father managed to obtain permission to dig our private shelter in St Philip Garden, underneath the Argotti Gardens. We were a small community consisting of Carmelo Penza, the curator of those gardens, the Busuttil family, the Tonna family and the family of police sergeant Spiteri. We all had our private rooms but interconnected in case of any emergency.

Civilians and a serviceman in front of a shelter entrance. Photo: National War Museum Association

Together with my brother and others, we used to stay just outside the main entrance as the bombers invariably flew in from over Marsa and we could see them approaching. But, on one particular occasion, they came in from the opposite direction, from above the Argotti. We all rushed back in but a large bomb fell in the vicinity and the strong blast blew us further in. Luckily,  no one was injured but we were terribly shaken up.

That bomb had been intended to damage the central control room that had been established in the first part of the railway tunnel running from Portes des Bombes to the ditch underneath the Anglican church. All civilian defence controls were housed in there. The bomb was so strong that it uprooted and flung a very large tree. It also destroyed part of the bastion and badly damaged certain services.

It was not the only bomb to rain on us that day; one particular bomb fell halfway along the tunnel that continues to Valletta. It fell in the square where nowadays there is the Independence Monument. The tunnel is mainly dug in solid rock but that part is formed by arches, which collapsed and buried the many that were seeking shelter.

Later on, in 1942, after having received my Holy Confirmation, I got scabies and it was not practical to stay in the shelter. We moved into a temporary residence in the road along Sir Luigi Preziosi Gardens, corner with Gunlayer Street. In that corner there was the entrance to a big shelter that had many other entrances. In one particular raid, a bomb fell at one entrance and killed those who used to stay outside. Among the dead was a youth who had quarrelled with his fiancée. It is understood that the lady never married and always mourned her dead sweetheart who would probably not have died if they had not quarrelled. 

Another personal tragedy involved my godfather who was responsible for warehouses. Staying late out after the air-raid warning to make sure that the warehouses were securely locked, he was killed by a bomb that had caused substantial damage.

The greatest tragedy in Floriana was the destruction of the parish church which happened on April 28, 1942. Even though still a child I was one of the first to view the great destruction. Following a direct hit, the dome not only collapsed but opened up the crypt, leaving a large gap. Some persons used to stay in the crypt instead of going further down into the rock shelter. 

At least five or six persons, including a priest, were buried by the heavy debris and died on the spot. It is nearly impossible to describe all the destruction, tragedy and loss that Malta suffered during that last war.

Frans Said – Qawra