With the threat of an invasion in the second world war, the British decided to close the coastline with barbed wire entanglements. They also buried large amounts of landmines in the sandy beaches and attached booby traps to the wire itself.

Periodically, they issued warnings to the public to keep away from these dangerous areas. For example, in January 1941, a press notice warned all civilians that “explosives have been buried near the surface in certain places in Malta. These are very dangerous to approach and all persons are most earnestly advised to keep away from notice boards whatever the inscription on them may be and also to keep away from all barbed wire entanglements wherever they are situated. Parents in particular should warn children not to approach the areas mentioned above.”

The soldiers defending the coastline frequently found that the wire had been cut by bathers or fishermen

However, the wire entanglements were a problem for those who wanted to swim in summer. The soldiers defending the coastline frequently found that the wire had been cut by bathers or fishermen.

Therefore, in order to stop this abuse, another press release was issued to inform the public “that gaps have been opened in the barbed wire entanglements along the shores of the Island at the following places for the convenience of bathers: Armier, St Paul’s Bay (Skoll tal-Għażżenin), Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, St George’s Bay, St Julian’s Bay (Central Aquatic and Neptune’s site), Fond Għadir Sliema, Sliema Point, Marsascala, Daħla Tawwalija (near salt pans), Marsaxlokk, Birżebbuġa, Wied iż-Żurrieq and Għar Lapsi. Notices have been erected at these gaps, which read as follows: Bathing is allowed here – Hawnekk tista’ tgħum.”

Barbed wire, sometimes booby-trapped with anti-personnel mines, crisscrossed the Maltese coastline. Photo: William John Lazell

The public was again reminded of the booby traps attached to the wire and that only paths marked with notice boards were to be used. Anyone who attempted to cross the wire at any other place was playing with fire.

Despite these warnings, there were several instances where soldiers or civilians set off mines. In January 1941, Pvt. P. Thomas of the 8th Battalion Manchester Regiment, while at St Paul’s Bay, trod on a landmine and was killed instantly by the explosion.

Some servicemen thought it would be fun to try to explode the mines themselves. On March 2, 1941, civilians informed the police that an aircraftman stationed at Kalafrana was throwing large stones at the mines laid in Pretty Bay, Birżebbuġa. The police rushed to the site and managed to detain the serviceman before he set off any of the explosive devices. The man was found to be drunk and was handed over to a RAF escort.

Barbed wire fixed to the Sliema Front promenade near Fond Għadir. Note the sign on the rocks, which could denote either that the area was mined or that swimming was allowed there. Photo: William John Lazell

A similar incident occurred a few weeks later in Marsaxlokk. Cpl. F. Davis, RAF, was accused by some civilians of having thrown a stone at the mines positioned on Marsaxlokk quay. At the police station, Davis denied having done so, and his companions corroborated his story. Special Constable Lewis Tabone, who had been observing the soldiers, stated that he had seen the airmen fooling around in the street but he did not see any of them throwing stones at the mines. Davis and his friends were then allowed to leave by the police.

The military kept issuing warnings of the hidden danger, especially when new land mines were laid. Just two days after the aforementioned accident, 2/Lt Morris of the 1st Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment advised the Żejtun police that “between St Thomas Bay and Xrobb il-Għaġin Bay, land mines are laid in barbed wire, and requested the police sergeant to warn people to keep clear from the barbed wire”.

It was in June 1941 that mines claimed the most victims

It was in June 1941 that mines claimed the most victims. On June 1, two gunners of the Royal Malta Artillery, Joseph Marrun and Joseph Giordimaina, were walking along the road at il-Munxar, limits of St Thomas Bay, when they passed close to some anti-tank mines and hit one of them, setting it off. Both were taken to Mtarfa Hospital where Capt. Warrington and Major Casolani of the Royal Army Medical Corps stated that they were suffering from serious injuries and that Giordimaina was in danger of losing his life. Luckily, it seems that both gunners eventually recovered from their wounds.

A cross section of a British anti-personnel Shrapnel Mark II Mine. Photo: Http://Ww2talk.Com/

When a tripwire was pulled, the inner case of the Shrapnel Mine Mk II was projected upwards, exploding three feet above the ground and peppering the immediate area with metal slivers. Photo: www.105th.org

On June 8, Orazio Fenech, 26, of Marsaxlokk, was near the seashore at Wied ix-Xoqqa, limits of Birżebbuġa, when he slipped on some rocks and landed on top of a mine which blew up and seriously wounded him. He was taken Vincenzo Bugeja Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a few hours later.

That same day, John Vella, 14, disregarded the notice boards attached to the barbed wire and tried to go through the wire at ir-Ramla ta’ Kejli, limits of Mellieħa. He stepped on an anti-personnel mine, which blew up and grievously wounded him. Servicemen and civilians who rushed to his aid found that the boy was unconscious. Despite being immediately conveyed to hospital, his wounds proved to be fatal.

The day after, Mary Attard, 55, also from Mellieħa, hit a landmine at It-Torri l-Abjad, again while attempting to cross the wire, and was severely wounded.

Some farmers ended up with parts of their agricultural lands enclosed with barbed wire entanglements and it became customary for them to pass through the obstacles to gain access to their fields.

Anyone who tried to cross the barbed wire risked stepping on a mine or hitting a tripwire, setting off anti-personnel devices. Photo: William John Lazell

June 15, 1941, was another tragic day. Manuel Tonna, 24, and John Cachia, 16, both of Żurrieq, were picking limpets and sea snails for food from the shore of Wied Żnuber, Birżebbuġa. Somehow, Tonna passed over one of the wires denoting the mined area. He may have been attracted by the abundance of limpets on the rocks beneath the dangerous zone, which had been unharvested since the minefield was laid.

Inevitably, he set off one of the mines. The two men were grievously injured but Cachia managed to drag himself away from the scene of the accident and shout for help. His cries were heard by Lewis Farrugia, 46, of Marsa, Matthew Fenech, 43, of Żejtun, and Francis Abela, 22, of Tarxien, who were working for a contractor in the vicinity. The three labourers rushed to the aid of the two men but on their way down to the shoreline, Abela inadvertently touched another explosive device which blew up. The three of them were wounded by metal slivers.

By this time, other workmen from Ħal Far and soldiers stationed in the vicinity had realised what had happened and intervened to help the injured men. Despite the risk it entailed, one of the servicemen, Pvt. Pierce, entered the danger zone and gave the injured men first aid. He then guided the helpers over the tripwires which activated the explosives.

After a risky and difficult operation, the wounded men were removed from the valley and taken to hospital. Abela died in the ambulance while Farrugia succumbed the day after. The police noted that “the valley where the accident occurred is covered with buried land mines. However, notice boards indicating the danger are fixed on several spots in the valley.”

When an invasion seemed imminent, the troops of the King’s Own Malta Regiment were ordered to abandon their exposed beach posts and move to other defensive positions further inland. In order to deny their use to the enemy, these beach posts were then booby-trapped.

On Christmas Eve, 1941, Pvt. Victor Cremona, 24, of the 1st Battalion KOMR, was fixing fuses to some anti-personnel mines inside Post M.A.3 at Marfa, limits of Mellieħa, when one of them exploded, killing him instantly.

The anti-personnel devices were sometimes called the ‘Jumping Beans’ by the servicemen. These mines, which were being used to booby-trap the beach posts, consisted of a cylinder with a case inside. A tripwire set off a charge which launched the inner case three feet in the air, where it exploded, spreading shrapnel everywhere. These mines had to be checked periodically and their firing pins cleaned of rust.

During one of these operations in January 1942, Lt Cafiero and Cpl Spiteri entered Beach Post MB 1 at Mellieħa Bay, leaving the rest of the detachment outside. Spiteri was handling one of the mines when it exploded. Spiteri was killed on the spot while Cafiero died of his wounds later in hospital.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Ruben Vella and the staff of the National Archives, without whose assistance this article would not have been possible.

Note

This is the first of a series of articles to be published over the coming months in The Sunday Times of Malta. They are adapted from the book War Occurrences – The Malta Police Logbooks 1940-1942, written by Jeffrey Sammut and to be published soon by BDL Books.