This week, the selection of photos from Heritage Malta’s Shield Collection dating to the late 1950s is focusing on traditional local trades that form a significant part of our intangible cultural heritage. The agency is appealing to the public to share any information about the scenes showing in these images.
Photo 62158
Photo 62071
Photo 62099
Photo 62153
Photo 62184
Photo 62206
Photo 62244
Photo 62290
We are usually presented with photos of fishermen in Marsaxlokk but this one was taken in Mġarr, Gozo. The image gives a sense of tranquillity, when life was definitely less hectic than today. Long fishing nets are sprawled across the streets and two fishermen are tending to them. Several Farsons boxes are piled behind the fisherman at the back and a Coca Cola sticker is stuck on one of the doors. Although the ambience of this place has nowadays changed considerably, much of the buildings showing in the photos are still there. A number of them were turned into restaurants.
Photo 62172Photo 62172
This photo is showing the same location of the previous one from another perspective. The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes at the top of the image reveals with more precision from where this photo was taken.
The two fishermen can be seen standing close to the building on the right.
Notice the lovely wooden balcony high above them. Maybe someone might recognise the traditional boat named F. 657 and tell us who was its owner, and whether it has survived the tides of time.
Photo 62244
A typical Gozitan rural scene has been immortalised in this photo. More fishing nets have been spread out across the streets. Two traditional boats can be seen here numbered F. 444 and 12. A tall windmill completes the scene to perfection. Two women stand in a field besides it. The structure of the windmill is still there today though in a bad condition. Its blades are gone. The modest Grand Hotel appearing in the background is a far cry from the modern hotel bearing the same name today.
Photo 62184
Even though this image follows the same theme, details which have been captured in it are still enticing. For one, the characteristics of the fishing nets can be observed more closely. On the other hand, one wonders how on earth there is an abandoned cannon lying nearby the man doing maintenance on a boat. If you allow your eyes to wander a little further above, you will notice part of a structure sticking out. An exploration of the area today reveals that the structure forms part of a fountain which was relocated to the current place in Mġarr Road during development works to widen the roads.
Photo 62153
This photo taken in Mġarr Harbour, Gozo, drifts you to another time when lateen boats could be seen travelling across the waters of the Maltese Islands with their beautiful sails flapping in the wind. The three boats are charming but the one at the forefront, the Marie Georgette, has a very turbulent history.
The day of December 29, 1941 saw the heaviest fighting over Malta since the return of the Luftwaffe to Sicily. At around 3:30pm, it was reported that five enemy fighters were attacking the Gozo ferryboat Marie Georgette. Four hurricanes led by Flt Lt Syd Brandt went out to rescue it and on their arrival, they noticed that the ferryboat was on fire. The enemy warplanes were still in the area and Leutnant Joachim Louis succeeded to shoot down one of the Hurricanes. However, soon afterwards, his plane was hit and had to be ditched. Louis was wounded but was recovered from the sea by an Axis rescue craft. A second Hurricane was shot down by Oberleutnant Michalski. Sadly, Brandt and Sgt Roy Lawson lost their lives and their aircraft during this engagement.
The damaged ferryboat Marie Georgette, which was carrying a dozen passengers was beached and the survivors jumped into the sea. All were saved by soldiers except one who lost his life. Marcel Theuma, the skipper who had taken the helm during the attack and succeeded to head the vessel towards St George’s trenches, was struck by a bullet and died the following day at St Patrick’s Military Hospital. Another one of the crew also lost his life. Marie Georgette was the last boat to use her sails between 1945 and 1948 (Ref: Carr Laughton L. G., Anderson Roger Charles, Perrin William Gordon (1986). The Mariner's Mirror, Vol. 72 – 73, p. 293 in Society for Nautical Research).
Photo 62257. Copyright: Heritage MaltaPhoto 62257
A lateen boat marked as C10 and named Burble can be seen at the back of this photo taken in Mġarr Harbour, Gozo. A fisherman is rowing boat F. 654. Two other traditional boats marked as C. 36 and E. 657 show in this image. A traditional bus is parked close by to a crane which is doing some works. Santa Marija Tower on Comino has also managed to steal into the photo. Can you identify any of the fishermen or their boats?
Photo 62071
This image is a tribute to traditional local fishing. A traditional fishing boat is resting in the sea close by to a variety of fishing nets. Can you identify the use of each net (nases in Maltese)?
Photo 62372
This time we are at Qbajjar, a small bay near Marsalforn, in the limits of Żebbuġ, Gozo. Two men are washing large barrels in the sea to clean them out and also to dampen them. Some weeks before storing the wines in them, barrels were dampened so that they would become non-porous.
Photo 62158
A man is wetting wine barrels with a pipe. Can you identify the location of this store?
Photos 62099 and 62370
These two photos are really curious. What are the two men doing with their carts? Can you identify any of the men, their trades or the locations in which these photos were taken?
Photo 62206
Tinsmiths sitting in a village corner mending pots and other tin objects were a common sight in the old days. None of these can be seen in the roads today. Do you know this man or the location where he is working? Wall stickers on the opposite side of the tinsmith read ‘We want integration’ and someone has scrawled ‘Mintoff’ on the same wall.
You can view these photos and many others from the Shield Collection at https://heritagemalta.org/pjsc/ where you can also leave your comments about each image.
Should you wish to get in contact with Heritage Malta to share any details about the photos, your stories or any photos of interest, e-mail digitisation@heritagemalta.org.