The defining feature of the Victoria Lines is a continuous infantry wall that connects together three forts (at Binġemma, Mosta and Madliena) and a number of other gun batteries and ancillary military facilities to form a single line of defence. This is some 12 kilometres in length and it follows the contour of the ‘Great Fault’ – a natural escarpment that cuts across Malta from coast to coast, specifically from Fomm ir-Riħ in the west to Madliena in the east.

From a front line to a fallback position

The objective of the Victoria Lines was to cut off the north of Malta – with its many bays where an enemy force might land – from the rest of the island and the all-important naval facilities around the Valletta harbours. In the event of an enemy landing in the north of Malta, the Victoria Lines were meant to function as the front line, where to engage and stop the enemy.

Works on the Victoria Lines infantry wall were only completed in November 1899. And yet, just four years later in 1903, infantry trenches were being excavated on the Mellieħa Ridge. This was a clear indication of a significant change in Malta’s defence strategy which was to focus thereafter on conducting the island’s defence directly from along its shoreline. By 1907, the decision had been taken to abandon altogether the original concept of the Victoria Lines as Malta’s ‘Northwest Front’.

By 1907, ridge defences had been established overlooking Għajn Tuffieħa and St Paul’s Bay in addition to the already mentioned trenches commanding Mellieħa Bay. And soon after the Abyssinian crisis of 1935, the first pillboxes were built; to be followed by many more following the outbreak of World War II. These were arranged in a series of stop lines; starting with beach posts on the shoreline and with more pillboxes built further inland, designated either as depth posts or reserve posts. Furthermore, the bays themselves were protected by a number of obstacles laid in the sea and on the beaches, including extensive barbed-wire entanglements.

Screenshot from Google Maps showing the location of three pillboxes built very close to Fort Mosta and the Victoria Lines.

Within this context, the ‘Great Fault’ was still considered to be an important in-depth (fallback) line of defence in the event of a successful enemy landing in the north of Malta. For this reason, a number of concrete pillboxes were built in certain locations along or very close to the Victoria Lines. The function of these pillboxes was to hinder the enemy from advancing from beneath the Great Fault up to the higher ground above, from where they could break through in the direction of the Valletta harbour area.

Concrete pillboxes were built in certain locations along or very close to the Victoria Lines

Pillbox situated just below Fort Mosta, near where the Victoria Lines infantry wall meets the perimeter of the fort at Misraħ Għonoq (the area being better known today as Ġnien l-Għarusa tal-Mosta)

Screenshot from Google Maps showing at (A) the searchlight enclosure and at (B) the nearby sound locator emplacement. Both date to WWII and are situated just behind the Victoria Lines infantry wall as one approaches the Dwejra Lines entrenchment, having walked from Falka Gap.

The Victorian era emplacement at Il-Kunċizzjoni, which had originally housed a defence electric light, was modified to serve as a pillbox.

The pillbox at T’Alla u Ommu (Naxxar Gap). It was built out of reinforced concrete at the outbreak of WWII and it was restored some years ago under the guidance of Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna.

At Il-Kunċizzjoni, the Victorian era emplacement that had originally housed a searchlight was modified to serve as a pillbox, but in the other instances, pillboxes were built from scratch, using reinforced concrete.

No less than three pillboxes were built in close proximity to Fort Mosta, and another one at Tarġa Gap. Another pillbox was built at Naxxar Gap; this was restored some years ago by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna and it is readily visible as one drives along the road popularly known as T’Alla u Ommu.

The enemy’s perspective

It is interesting to note that the Victoria Lines forts and infantry wall were very prominently marked on maps made by the Axis during WWII. Many of these maps (both German and Italian) were produced in 1942, in anticipation of the intended Axis invasion of Malta.

Detail from a German WWII map (dated March 1942) in which the Victoria Lines stand out, having been purposely highlighted using a thick red line. Courtesy of Raymond Cauchi

The Axis invasion plans (Operation Herkules) had envisaged a combined airborne and seaborne assault in the southeastern coast of Malta; somewhere between Wied iż-Żurrieq and Bengħisa.

The plan called for a rapid advance in the direction of Valletta but also for part of the invading force to move north and occupy the high ground along the Victoria Lines; this was so as to prevent the British forces defending the beaches further north from coming to the rescue of the troops defending Valletta.

This would have led to the paradoxical situation of the Victoria Lines being used by the ‘invaders’ to block the ‘defenders’. Ultimately, this situation never materialised because the invasion never took place.

Forts Binġemma and Madalena

Pre-WWII test firing of one of the two 9.2-inch BL guns at Fort Madalena. Photo shared from the Facebook page ‘British Fortifications In Malta’

With the Victoria Lines no longer considered to be a front-line position, Fort Mosta was transformed into a munitions depot. However, Fort Binġemma and Fort Madalena, which had been built with a dual land and coastal defence function, remained operational in a counter naval bombardment role, their function being to engage enemy vessels approaching the island’s shore. For this purpose, Fort Binġemma was armed with a breech-loading 9.2-inch gun, and Fort Madalena with two similar guns. A number of heavy machine guns were installed at both forts for anti-aircraft defence.

Towards the end of 1940, a mobile radar system was located on the outer perimeter of Fort Madalena. This operation fell under the Royal Air Force (RAF) whereas the fort remained under the army. However, following the surrender of Italy in September 1943, the counter-bombardment function lost its pre-eminence and, before the end of 1943, some RAF personnel were already being housed inside the fort. In due course, the fort would be formally taken over by the RAF and eventually it started being referred to as the ‘RAF Madliena Radar Station’. 

Heavy anti-aircraft batteries

Screenshot from Google Earth showing the location of the Birguma WWII HAA Battery. In the foreground is the Victoria Lines infantry wall. The remains of this battery are precariously perched on the edge of the quarry in John Adye Street, Naxxar.

During WWII, three heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) batteries were built along the Victoria Lines at Nadur (Binġemma Heights); Ta’ Besbisija (Tarġa Gap, l/o Mosta) and Birguma (l/o Naxxar). These batteries were manned by soldiers from the 2nd Regiment of the Royal Malta Artillery (RMA), whose regimental headquarters was at St Paul’s Bay. Each one of these anti-aircraft batteries consisted of four rectangular emplacements for 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns, together with a command post and shelter. The 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun was Britain’s primary HAA gun during WWII and was the mainstay of Malta’s aerial defence system during the war.

Three heavy anti-aircraft batteries were built along the Victoria Lines at Nadur (Binġemma Heights); Ta’ Besbisija (Tarġa Gap, l/o Mosta) and Birguma

Sound locator and searchlight post

When walking along the Victoria Lines between Falka Gap and Dwejra, one comes upon two interesting structures dating from WWII. These are a sound locator emplacement and a mobile searchlight post. These were operational in tandem during the period 1940-1943 in support of the Nadur and the Ta’ Besbisija HAA batteries; these were both situated just behind the Victoria Lines, respectively to the west and east of Dwejra.

Sound locators were used as a means of detecting incoming unseen enemy aircraft by amplifying the sound of their engines, particularly at night, thereby enabling predictions of the probable course and approximate height of the attacking enemy aircraft to allow ‘barrage line of fire’ to be selected. Structurally, the sound locator emplacements consisted of a rectangular enclosure of blast-walls having a peculiar, concave outer slope. The concave walls were intended to deflect the wind from the sound locator to reduce the incidence of background noise. A small rectangular shed at the back of the emplacement served to shelter the sound locator when not in use. The sound locator was mounted on wheels, in the same manner as mobile searchlight units which were also part of the anti-aircraft defences. The searchlight unit had its own shed and rectangular enclosure.

Merger of WWII, Victorian era defences

During WWII, the Victoria Lines no longer functioned as a linear fortification system as originally intended when built. However, the natural escarpment formed by the ‘Great Fault’ remained a redoubtable obstacle to anyone advancing from the north, and the Victoria Lines retained a place in the overall strategy for the defence of Malta, as an in-depth line of resistance.

The WWII years saw the construction of a number of concrete pillboxes, anti-aircraft batteries and other military amenities alongside the original Victorian era fortifications. Today these structures lie, for the most part, abandoned and largely derelict. They serve as a reminder of a pivotal time in Malta’s history but also provide additional points of interest for those who walk along the Victoria Lines Trail.

Ray Cachia Zammit is author of The Victoria Lines (Midsea Books, 2021) and co-founder of the ‘Friends of the Victoria Lines Trail’, which aims to increase awareness of the Victoria Lines and their potential to be developed into Malta’s first national trail. Visit Facebook for more information.