The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC...

11
The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 1 The ANZAC experience in Malta is a set of four self-guided tours to the principal sites associated with the personnel of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during, mainly, the First World War. These tours will show you where wounded An- zacs where hospitalised, convalesced, were enter- tained, and the locations where those who lost their personal battles are buried. Tours may be followed in one of two ways: circu- larly, ending where they begin, or in a linear fash- ion. The walking man (_) and car (%) pictograms denote travel directions on foot or by car, whilst the reading man (R) indicates infor- mation about the locale and provides historical insights. A map is recommended for car tours, otherwise one is not necessary. The tours also highlight points of interest on the islands – places where recovering servicemen and off duty personnel may have visited, and so can you. The ANZAC experience in Malta Tour 4 - Departure Santa Venera, Balzan, Ta’ Qali, Mtarfa, Ghajn Tuffieha, Mellieha Bay and Marfa Point Mode: Linear, by car Start: Bugeja Institute at 469 Triq Il-Kbira San Guzepp, Santa Venera Distance: 31.2kms Duration: approx 3hrs, exclud- ing palace garden and museum visits The starting point is the Bugeja Institute on Triq Il-Kbira San Guzepp (35°53’22”N, 14°28’34”E). Parking in this area may prove somewhat tricky; then again it is not really necessary to stop here as you can only see the façade of the former Hamrun Hospital. R With the need for hospital beds ever increasing by mid- spring of 1915, the authorities looked at suitable buildings that could be requisitioned and con- verted into hospitals. One such building was the Istituto Tecnico Vin- cenzo Bugeia, built in 1912 to train orphaned children in in- dustrial crafts. “Though splendidly built and tiled throughout, much engineer work was nec- essary, as there were few sanitary con- veniences owing to its normal use”, writes Dr George Bruce in his history of military hospi- tals in Malta 1 . “Baths, sinks, ward annexes, a hot water sys- tem, a kitchen with lift to din- ing-room, and electric lighting had hastily to be provided. Eventually, when all the work was complete, a first class hos- pital, though small, was pro- duced”. Hamrun was a first class hospital on a “hot and dusty car track” two miles from Floriana Terence Mirabelli 1 Bugeja Institute 2.76kms 2 San Anton Palace 5.45kms 3 Malta Aviation Museum 760m 4 Imtarfa Military Cemetery 2.12kms 5 Kullegg San Nikola 10.8kms 6 Ghajn Tuffieha 1.81kms 7 Church of St Joseph, Manikata 5.02kms 8 Mellieha Bay 2.47kms 9 Marfa Point See page 2 for map of northern area Modern Maltese grammar dictates that two consecu- tive vowels be sep- arated by the letter j. In 1903 what became Ham- run Hospital was the Istituto Vin- cenzo Bugeia, today it is the Bugeja Institute. As always, there are exceptions to the rule. Moreover, before English became an official language in Malta, Italian was the country’s second language. Background map - Apple Inc

Transcript of The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC...

Page 1: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 1

The ANZAC experience in Malta is a set of fourself-guided tours to the principal sites associatedwith the personnel of the Australian and NewZealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during, mainly, theFirst World War.These tours will show you where wounded An-zacs where hospitalised, convalesced, were enter-tained, and the locations where those who lost

their personal battles are buried.Tours may be followed in one of two ways: circu-larly, ending where they begin, or in a linear fash-ion. The walking man (_) and car (%)pictograms denote travel directions on foot or bycar, whilst the reading man (R) indicates infor-mation about the locale and provides historicalinsights. A map is recommended for car tours,otherwise one is not necessary.The tours also highlight points of interest on theislands – places where recovering servicemenand off duty personnel may have visited, and socan you.

The ANZACexperience in Malta

Tour 4 - DepartureSanta Venera, Balzan, Ta’Qali, Mtarfa, Ghajn Tuffieha,Mellieha Bay and Marfa Point

Mode: Linear, by carStart: Bugeja Institute at 469Triq Il-Kbira San Guzepp, SantaVeneraDistance: 31.2kmsDuration: approx 3hrs, exclud-ing palace garden and museumvisits

The starting point is the BugejaInstitute on Triq Il-Kbira SanGuzepp (35°53’22”N,14°28’34”E). Parking in thisarea may prove somewhattricky; then again it is not reallynecessary to stop here as youcan only see the façade of the

former Hamrun Hospital.RWith the need for hospitalbeds ever increasing by mid-spring of 1915, the authoritieslooked at suitable buildings thatcould be requisitioned and con-verted into hospitals. One such

building wasthe IstitutoTecnico Vin-cenzo Bugeia,built in 1912 totrain orphanedchildren in in-dustrial crafts. “Thoughsplendidly builtand tiledthroughout,much engineerwork was nec-essary, asthere were fewsanitary con-veniencesowing to itsnormal use”,writes DrGeorge Brucein his history of military hospi-tals in Malta1. “Baths, sinks,ward annexes, a hot water sys-tem, a kitchen with lift to din-ing-room, and electric lightinghad hastily to be provided.Eventually, when all the workwas complete, a first class hos-pital, though small, was pro-duced”.

Hamrun was a first class hospital on a “hotand dusty car track” two miles from Floriana

Tere

nce

Mira

belli

1 Bugeja Institute2.76kms

2 San Anton Palace5.45kms

3 Malta Aviation Museum760m

4 Imtarfa Military Cemetery2.12kms

5 Kullegg San Nikola10.8kms

6 Ghajn Tuffieha1.81kms

7 Church of St Joseph,Manikata

5.02kms8 Mellieha Bay

2.47kms9 Marfa PointSee page 2 for map of northern area

Modern Maltesegrammar dictatesthat two consecu-tive vowels be sep-arated by theletter j. In 1903what became Ham-run Hospital wasthe Istituto Vin-cenzo Bugeia,today it is theBugeja Institute.As always, thereare exceptions tothe rule.Moreover, before

English became anofficial languagein Malta, Italianwas the country’ssecond language.

Back

grou

nd m

ap -

App

le In

c

Page 2: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2

Renamed Hamrun Hospital, itwas equipped with 106 beds andreceived its first patients on 10

June – “every bed being filled inless than an hour”, reports DrBruce. A short while later an-

other 11 beds were added.The Rev Albert MacKinnon2was also passionate about Ham-run Hospital. He writes that itwas “two miles farther out”from Floriana, on a “hot dustycar track” yet “well worth theannoyance of getting there. Itmust be a delight to a doctor’sheart.“It recalls to mind the story ofa bride”, writes the Rev MacK-innon. “She was being congratu-lated by her friends, and theyall used the same adjectiveabout her husband calling him amodel man. In her curiosity tolearn the exact meaning of theword she consulted a dictionaryand discovered that model wasa ‘small imitation of the real ar-ticle’.“Hamrun is small, but a model.Of course, it is quite new, and,therefore, might be expected tohave all the latest improve-ments. It exhales an atmos-phere of up-to-dateness. Hereall eye cases are being sent”.Clearly, not all eye cases werebrought here.One patient was CaptainClement Atlee of the 6th SouthLancashire Regiment, duringthe Second World War he wasWinston Churchill’s deputy andfrom 1945 to 1951 was primeminister of the United Kingdom.In August 1915 he had collapsedfrom dysentery on the beach atSuvla Bay, where he had landedwith his unit. He was evacuatedunconscious to the hospital shipDevanah, which was bound forEngland. However, he recoveredat sea and “protesting at beingtaken away, insisted on beinglanded at Malta”. Atlee wasbrought to Hamrun Hospitaland discharged in November, hethen returned to Suvla “andwas the last but one to leave atthe final evacuation on 20 De-cember”3.At first Hamrun Hospital came

1 Bugeja Institute2.76kms

2 San Anton Palace5.45kms

3 Malta Aviation Museum760m

4 Imtarfa Military Cemetery2.12kms

5 Kullegg San Nikola10.8kms

6 Ghajn Tuffieha1.81kms

7 Church of St Joseph,Manikata

5.02kms8 Mellieha Bay

2.47kms9 Marfa Point

See page 1 for map of southern area

Back

grou

nd m

ap -

App

le In

c

Page 3: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 3

under the aegis of the BritishRed Cross Society, which paidfor its maintenance “and pro-vided drugs and dressings”. TheNumber 1 Mediterranean Nurs-ing Unit, a voluntary body ofladies, provided nurses whilstan officer of the Royal ArmyMedical Corps (RAMC) was incharge.“The hospital was a successfrom the very beginning and,later in November 1915, was en-tirely converted into an officers’hospital with 80 beds, for whichit was eminently suitable”, DrBruce reports. In the samemonth Hamrun came entirelyunder the military authorities.It was closed on 5 July 1917.Today the Istituto Tecnico Vin-cenzo Bugeia houses severalgovernment departments thatdeal with social welfare.Meanwhile, the arches you seeopposite the former HamrunHospital are the WignacourtAqueduct. Built between 1610and 1614 it carried drinkingwater from springs in Rabatand Dingli to Valletta. Morethan 15 kilometres long, theaqueduct ran mostly under-ground. Inaugurated on 21April 1615, it remained in useuntil the early 20th Century. Itis named after Alof de Wigna-court, the Grand Master of theOrder of St John who financedits building.% The next stop is San AntonPalace, official residence ofMalta’s presidents(35°53’39”N, 14°26’59”E), justunder three kilometres fromthe Bugeja Institute.Take the second exit at theroundabout, at the end of TriqIl-Kbira San Guzepp, and driveup Triq Notabile. The aqueductis now on your right; along theway you’ll pass the brewery. Atthe second set of traffic lights,turn right for Rabat – sign-posted as ‘ir-Rabat’.And at the next set of trafficlights (the Citroen dealer is onyour left), take the slip road onthe right and turn right intoVjal de Paule. You are now inBalzan. Park somewhere closeto the Corinthia Palace Hoteland head for San Anton Gar-

dens, the only way to reach thepalace.R In early 1916, the palace thathad once been the seat ofMalta’s National Assembly, be-came a rest home.The French knight Antoine dePaule built San Anton as a hunt-ing lodge, albeit a rather largeone, before becoming GrandMaster of the Order of St Johnin 1623. He named it Sainte An-toine in honour of his patronsaint, Anthony of Padua.The lodge was large and couldaccommodate guests plus a size-able domestic retinue that in-cluded cooks, food tasters,pantry boys, torch bearers, wigmakers, a clock winder, physi-cians, as well as a baker tomake black bread for de Paule’shunting dogs.Successive grand masters usedSan Anton as a country resi-dence, embellishing and enlarg-ing it over time. In the 19thCentury it became the residenceof British governors and in1974 the official residence ofMalta’s president.The gardens of San Anton,open to the public since 1882,are laid out in a formal mannerand boast a wide variety of ex-otic plants, shrubs and trees.At the end of 1915 it was feltthat the nurses caring for thethousands of sick and wounded

servicemen needed a rest home,and San Anton Palace was con-verted into one. In January1916 it became a rest home for60 nurses from the militaryhospitals and from the RoyalNaval Hospital Bighi. “It pro-vided the over worked nurseswith a well deserved and muchneeded respite”.“The restful atmosphere of SanAnton was appreciated by thenursing staff, many of whomwere thoroughly run down,after the exhausting work of thepast seven or eight months”, re-ports Dr Bruce.San Anton must have been amagnet for recovering youngAnzacs, and it is not implausibleto believe some romancing andkissing and…may have takenplace in the more private partsof the garden.No doubt these same service-men must have been disap-pointed when the home wasclosed on 19 March 1916._ Enjoy the garden, and thenwalk past the palace’s frontdoor and down the arched corri-dor to Triq Sant Antnin. Acrossthe road is the President’sKitchen Garden that forms partof the palace grounds. This gar-den continues to serve its origi-nal purpose of providing freshvegetables, fruits and herbs forresidents of San Anton Palace.

As a rest home for nurses, San Anton Palace must have been popular with all ranks ofservicemen; and moonlight trysts a regular occurrence

Tere

nce

Mira

belli

Page 4: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 4

Today, the garden is dividedinto two – a children’s recre-ational area that includes a fewanimals such as ponies, deer,sheep, an emu and an herb androse garden. There’s also arather pleasant coffee shop.After some sustenance, the for-mer RAF base of Ta’ Qali is ournext stop (35°53’37”N,14°24’59”E).% Resume your journey to-wards Rabat. Go back to Triq l-Imdina, that becomes Triqil-Belt Valletta, that later be-comes Triq in-Nutar Zarb, thatmorphs into Triq iz-Zaghfran –it changes names at every ham-let you drive through, but it isthe main road to Rabat. On aroad map it’s designated the N7.You will eventually see signsfor the national stadium and forthe Malta Aviation Museum;both will indicate a right turn atthe traffic lights. However, you

cannot take a right but mustcontinue to the roundabout afew hundred metres along – youcannot miss it, there’s a statueof a back-to-back semi-nakedcouple. Do a 180-degree andturn left at the lights into Vjal l-Istadium Nazzjonali. You arenow at Ta’ Qali, Malta’s firstcivil aerodrome.About three hundred metresalong you’ll reach the intersec-tion in the photograph below,take the second exit from left(follow the sign for VallettaGlass); eventually you will alsosee signs for the Aviation Mu-seum, follow them.

The Malta Aviation Museumshowcases a rebuilt WWII-eraSpitfire and a Hawker Hurri-cane; a Douglas DC3 said tohave been used during theBerlin airlift and later by theCIA plus a number of jet fight-ers, aircraft engines, uniformsand aviation memorabilia. Re-cently inaugurated is a displayto mark the centenary of avia-tion in Malta. The museum isworth a visit.R Ta’ Qali has nothing to dowith the First World War, but anumber of Australians and NewZealanders attached to RAF

units operated from here duringWWII; additionally, RAAFsquadrons provided air supportfor the Allied invasion of Italy in1943.Ta’ Qali airfield, meantime, wasbuilt before the outbreak of theSecond World War on the bed ofan ancient lake, it had four run-ways and was used by civil air-lines. Its customers includedAir France and Ala Littoria, theItalian national airline that op-erated during the fascistregime.When Italy entered the war inJune 1940 obstacles were posi-tioned around the airfield toprevent airborne landings. Andon 8 November the airport be-came RAF Station Ta’ Qali, lateranglicised to Ta Kali. As an op-erational station, it was heavilybombed during the war.One of the oldest Australiansquadrons, Number 3, formed atPoint Cook, Victoria, on 19 Sep-tember 1916, flew its Kitty-hawks from Zuara in Libya toTa’ Qali on 9 July 1943 (itsground party had arrived at StPaul’s Bay five days earlier).This RAAF squadron was in im-mediate action covering the Al-lied landings in Sicily4.Number 3 Squadron’s record of25,663 operational flight hoursand 217 enemy aircraft shotdown made it the highest-scor-ing RAAF fighter squadron ofWWII. Today, Number 3 is sta-tioned at Williamtown, NewSouth Wales, and flies McDon-

South of Rabat and in the heart of Bus-kett, Malta’s only ‘forest’, standsVerdala Castle.Built by Grand Master Hugues

Loubenx de Verdalle in 1586 on thesite of a hunting lodge once owned byJean Parisot de Valette, it was embel-lished over the years by successivegrand masters.During the French occupation - from

1798 to 1800 - it was used as a mili-tary prison and then abandoned untilthe mid-19th Century, when theBritish restored it as the official sum-mer residence of the governors ofMalta. Since 1987 it has been the offi-cial summer residence of Malta’s pres-idents.In December 1915, meanwhile,

Verdala Castle was converted into aconvalescent home for 30 officers. Itwas only used for five months and wasclosed in April 1916.

Mal

ta To

uris

m A

utho

rity

A Curtiss P40 Kittihawk of 3 Squadron at Ta’ Qali in July 1943. The unit provided air coverduring the landings in Sicily. This was the highest scoring Australian fighter squadron of WWII

Cour

tesy

Bay

Ret

ro

Page 5: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 5

nell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets.The squadron is expected toconvert to Lockheed MartinF35 fighters in 2020.After the war Ta’ Qali wastransferred to the Royal Navy’sFleet Air Arm on 1 April 1945as HMS Goldfinch, but was re-turned to the RAF on 9 June1953.Now begin a couple of interest-ing coincidences. 78 WingRAAF was formed at

Williamtown inMay 1952 com-prising twofightersquadrons, 75and 76 flyingVampire FB9s.Their role was tosupplement theRAF’s presencein the Mediter-ranean andcounter the So-viet Union’s in-fluence in theMiddle East. TheWing’s advanceparty arrived inMalta on 9 July1952 – nineyears to the dayafter Number 3Squadron hadlanded here.It was first sta-tioned at HalFar, in thesouth-east of theisland, and thentransferred toTa’ Qali on 9June 1953. In August 195314 SquadronRNZAF, joined78 Wing at Ta’Qali as part of ajoint Common-

wealth air force. The NewZealanders, along with the Aus-tralians, left Malta in May 1954for Cyprus4.The airfield was handed over tothe Maltese government in1963 and was subsequentlyclosed in April 1968. Nowadaysit is a recreational area; there’sa national park with an am-phitheatre (where the likes ofStatus Quo, Deep Purple, DemisRoussos and Bonnie Tyler have

performed), a crafts villagehoused in the former militarybuildings, a motocross track, achildren’s petting zoo, a vine-yard and winery, a pet sanctu-ary (on the site where 78Wing’s headquarters was) andthe US embassy.Yet Ta’ Qali continues to fulfilits original role as an airfield.However, the only aircraft thattake off from a greatly short-ened runway are radio-con-trolled models.% Do a U-turn, go back to the T-junction and turn right. You arenow heading to Mtarfa and theDavid Bruce Royal Naval Hospi-tal (35°53’23”N, 14°23’45”E).You should be able to see thetown’s clock tower at your 1 o’-clock. The bastions on the hill-top at your 11 o’clock areMdina’s.Along the way, you’ll pass theMtarfa Military Cemeterywhere two Gallipoli veteransare buried, one Australian andone New Zealander – 19-year-old Sapper Frank Henry Vick-ers, who died of his wounds on31 May 1915. Vickers was adriver in 1 Field Company, NewZealand Engineers.At the roundabout, some 30metres along, take the thirdexit; at the next roundabout,take the second exit into Triq il-Kavalier Vincenzo Bonello. Stayon this road, driving past a tele-com tower, which becomes TriqSan David. You will eventuallyreach a wide, open space withparking bays on your right anda bevy of rubbish skips next to agate, photographed below. Parkhere.

Number 78 Wingmakes the headlines in1952. (Centre) the‘obligatory’ groupphoto in front of WingHQ, a pair of linkedNissen huts at Ta’ Qali.(Bottom) the groundcrews of 78 Wing readyto leave Malta in 1954

Cour

tesy

Bay

Ret

roCo

urte

sy B

ay R

etro

Cour

tesy

Bay

Ret

ro

Page 6: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 6

The gate is the entrance to theKullegg San Nikola, a secondaryboys school, but until 1978 anaval hospital. However, the‘hospital’ one sees today is notthe one wounded and sick An-zacs would recognise.RMtarfa Barracks was built be-tween 1891 and 1896 along

with a small hospital of 42 beds.“On the healthiest site in the is-land, on the high ground in thecentre of Malta”5, the hospitalwas expanded at the turn of thecentury and by 1914 had 55beds. In the third week of March1915 500 venereal cases ar-

rived from Egypt, “much to theannoyance of the people inMalta”1. To accommodate thesemen, four blocks at Mtarfa Bar-racks were evacuated by troopsand converted into a temporaryhospital. This increased theavailable ‘beddage’ to 355.On 8 May Sir Frederick Trevesand Colonel Sir CourtauldThomson, Chief British RedCross Commissioner for Malta,visited the hospital. Sir Freder-ick suggested the use of a trol-ley for moving patients to andfrom the operating theatre6.The last VD patients were dis-charged in early May, and onthe 17th Mtarfa “received itsfirst convoy of 221 wounded,followed by 248 the next dayand by 147 on the 23rd”1.Until the beginning of summerthe majority of patients treatedat Mtarfa and most other mili-tary hospitals were sufferingfrom wounds sustained in theDardanelles, however from Julythere was a rapid increase ofdysentery and enteric cases.“The wounded were nearly al-ways septic, many badly so, but

The clock tower in Mtarfa is an unmistakable landmark. Built in 1895, it kept thetime until April 2006.Because of a shortage of funds to repair it, the town clock became a local election

issue. However, volunteers repaired and calibrated the clock in 2008, but becauseits mechanical system dates back to the 1800s it will never be completely accurate.

The 42-bed hospital was too small to meet the needs of 1915, four barrack blocks were converted into wards. On 17 May Mtarfa received itsfirst convoy of 221 wounded from the Dardanelles. In the foreground is Mtarfa railway station, now a restaurant

Cour

tesy

Mal

ta A

viat

ion

Mus

eum

Cour

tesy

Bay

Ret

ro

Page 7: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 7

thanks to the protective inocu-lation given often on the beachunder fire, or on the hospitalship, only a few cases of tetanusor gas gangrene occurred. Atthe field ambulances, the casu-alty clearing stations, and dur-ing the several days on boardthe hospital ships, it was notpossible to do much more thanperform operations essential forsaving life, and to apply first aidtreatment to others”, explainsDr Bruce.“The arrival of a convoy there-fore meant a period of the hard-est work to everyoneconcerned, until every patientcould be admitted, cleaned up,bathed, examined, dressed oroperated on when necessary;but what the wounded menneeded most on arrival in hospi-tal was a really good sleep, andit was remarkable how great animprovement the first few days’rest in Malta accomplished.“The rush of dysentery and en-teric cases, also wounded com-plicated by one or other of thesediseases, only increased the al-ready heavy burdens of thestaff; for both diseases taxevery energy of the attendantsand, in addition, the finest nurs-ing qualities are required to ob-tain good results. That a highmeasure of success was ob-tained is proved by the very lowmortality from these diseases. “To cope with the emergency,for it amounted to such, it wasdecided to turn Mtarfa, whichwas rapidly expanding to 1,050beds, entirely into an infectioushospital mainly for the dysen-tery and enteric group of dis-eases; in addition, infectiousdiseases of any other typebrought to Malta or arising inMalta were isolated in the mar-ried families’ blocks”1.The only Australian buried atthe Mtarfa Military Cemetery,Private Thomas Andrew Beau-doin of the 14th Infantry Battal-ion, died of enteric fever on 4June 1915.A more cheerful story is that ofa Maltese named Joseph Scotto.Wounded at Gallipoli, he arrivedin Malta on 14 June and wastransferred to Mtarfa. “‘Joe

Scott’ as he is known among hiscomrades, belongs to the 13thBattalion, A Company of theAustralian Imperial Expedi-tionary Forces. Mr Scotto leftMalta for Australia two yearsago…and soon after reachingMelbourne was appointed fore-man and interpreter on a largefarming estate where manyMaltese hands were employed”,The Daily Malta Chronicle of 16July 1915 reports.“He turned out a very good set-tler and was looking forward tostill greater successes when thecall of King and Empire whichstirred Australia to its depths atthe outbreak of the war ralliedthe manhood of the Common-wealth around the Flag; and MrScotto was among the first toenlist in the ExpeditionaryForce. After being present inseveral actions in the Dard-anelles he was wounded in thearm recently and…brought toMalta, and is now at the Mtarfahospital”, the Chronicle contin-ues.“We hope”, concludes thepaper, “that the cheering sightof his native country will soonrestore him to strength and en-able him to rejoin his colours”7.Scott had enlisted on 4 Septem-ber 1914, aged 23, and sailedfrom Sydney on 22 December.He returned to Australia on 17March 1916.A month after Scott’s arrival,on 28 July, 19-year-old PrivateClifton Bluntish of the 5th In-fantry Battalion, AIF, was ad-mitted to Mtarfa hospital fromthe HS Sicilia with dysentery.He recovered and was trans-ferred to Ghajn Tuffieha Conva-lescent Camp – the nextdestination on this tour - on 9October. On 13 February 1916he embarked for Cairo, Egypt,on the hospital ship Simla, butwas admitted to No 1 AustralianHospital Heliopolis on 19 Febru-ary with appendicitis.Meanwhile, the expansion atMtarfa continued; in July ac-commodation was increased to1,449 beds, in August 850 morebeds were added under canvason the parade grounds and forthe next 18 months even more

barrack rooms were convertedand equipped. By October 1916Mtarfa had 1,853 hospital beds.This number was maintaineduntil August 1917 when therewas a slight reduction. MtarfaHospital Mark I was finallyclosed in February 1919.Construction of the buildingsone sees today were begun on 6January 1915, and were in-tended to replace Valletta Hos-pital (now the MediterraneanConference Centre). However,the war and the immediate needfor beds obliged the authoritiesto use the existing hospital. Thenew, purpose-built Mtarfa Mili-tary Hospital eventually openedon 23 June 1920 with 196 beds.

The outbreak of the SecondWorld War found the hospitalprecariously located close to Ta’Qali airfield, placing it at riskfrom enemy bombings. On oneoccasion, the operating theatrewas hit and the theatre sistersseriously injured.In 1941, the hospital took overits war role and changed itsname to 90 British General Hos-pital. It increased its beds from200 to 2,000 by taking over thewhole of the infantry barracksfor hospital wards, and thepitching of tented wards on the

Although dated 1917, this newer MtarfaHospital did not open until 1920

Tere

nce

Mira

belli

Page 8: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 8

football pitch. 90 BGH revertedback to 600 beds in late 1944.On 1 March 1951 the hospital’sname was changed to The DavidBruce Military Hospital (see thesidebar on page 4 of Tour 1).And 11 years later it was trans-ferred to the Royal Navy, whenthe Royal Army Medical Corpssevered its ties with the Malteseislands6. The 235-bed David Bruce Mili-tary Hospital served the needsof the British military and navalpersonnel until its closure in1978. It is now a school, whilstthe barrack blocks that servedas wards in WWI have been con-verted to government housing.% The next two points of inter-est were not hospitals, but con-valescent camps, and bothoverlooked popular beaches –Ghajn Tuffieha (35°55’51”N,14°20’46”E) and Mellieha Bay.Continue down Triq l-Imtarfaand on reaching a Y junction,take the first road on the left –the road narrows. At the inter-section with the dual carriage-way, Triq il-Maltin Internati uEziljati, turn left. You are nowon the Mtarfa circular road;when you reach the roundaboutyou were on a while ago, takethe third exit. And it’s the firstexit at the next roundabout.Follow the signs for Mosta andGozo. Drive down this road, TriqBuqana, for a couple of kilome-tres until you reach yet anotherroundabout. Take the first exitmarked l-Mgarr.As you drive uphill towards

Mgarr, the N17, you’ll reach an-other Y junction; take the rightfork for Ghajn Tuffieha. Thishamlet is Zebbiegh, and locatedhere are the Skorba Neolithictemples (not much left to see).Stay on this road to it’s end –you’ll know you’ve reached itwhen the road angles right andyou’re driving downhill to a Tjunction.Turn left at the very fadedsignpost and drive towards thesea. You’ll soon reach an openspace and car park. On the leftyou’ll see a derelict old building,once a swish hotel. You are nowat Ghajn Tuffieha.With Ghajn Tuffieha at yourback, you’ll see a modern hoteloverlooking Golden Bay – onceknown as Military Bay. To theright are the remains of GhajnTuffieha Training Camp.R The Royal Navy acquiredland here in 1902 for the train-ing of Royal Marines, and by1910 permanent buildings hadbeen erected. However, accord-ing to General WilliamMacPherson it “had been usedas a summer camp in time of

peace on account of its bathingfacilities and cool breezes”5.Fast forward to the summer of1915, when the wounded andsick from the Dardanelles re-covered and no longer requiredhospitalisation, convalescentcamps and depots were estab-lished.These received officers andmen who required no furthermedical attention and who al-though not yet fit for duty werelikely to become so in a reason-ably short time. The patientsadmitted to these establish-ments had not only to be wellenough to look after them-selves, but also be able to con-tribute to the construction andrunning of the camps6.In August 1915 work began onconverting the military camp atGhajn Tuffieha, no doubt chosenbecause of its “cool breezes andbathing facilities”, into a conva-lescent hospital for 5,000.As the work began, the Gover-nor General, Field Marshal LordMethuen, ordered a part of thecamp to be used as a discipli-nary compound for those caus-

Ghajn Tuffieha Camp could accommodate up to 5,000 men who were nearly fit enough toreturn to their units. The camp was closed in 1919

The site of Ghajn Tuffieha ConvalescentCamp is now a national park

Tere

nce

Mira

belli

Cour

tesy

Wal

ter B

onni

ci

Page 9: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 9

ing trouble in the hospitals. Thecamp was still in its very earlystages of development and therooms had trestles and boardsbut no mattresses.When the first batch of 400troublemakers arrived on 8 Au-gust, they were not too pleasedto learn that they had to sleepon a hard surface. The followingmorning they complained to theGovernor, who had unwiselyvisited the detention compound.Through his efforts, however,enough blankets and beds weretransported to the camp theevening.By the end of the month, mean-time, Ghajn Tuffieha Convales-cent Camp had 2,000 beds,which increased to 3,000 inSeptember. Three camps wereformed initially with a centralheadquarters. The Royal Engi-neers provided kitchens, ablu-tion rooms and the necessarysanitary conveniences.

By the following summer, inJuly 1916, Ghajn Tuffieha wasexpanded to accommodate5,000 convalescents in self-sup-porting ‘satellite’ camps. Thesewere built by the men them-selves and each named after asaint: St Peter’s, St Lawrence,St Barnabas, St James and StAnthony. A lot of the accommo-dation was in huts, but mostwere tents.Each took 1,000 convalescentsand had its own quartermaster.A medical officer took charge ofeach camp and was responsiblefor its administration and en-suring the men were fit to re-turn to active service.

Each camp was organised to beas self-supporting as possible.The staff of the convalescentdepot included a headquartersstaff with offices for the com-mandant, adjutants, paymaster,camp quartermaster, sanitaryofficer and camp sergeantmajor with a chief clerk and hisclerks drawn from the convales-cents. The camp workers -cooks, nursing orderlies andmess orderlies - were also all se-lected from the convalescents.Each camp had its own veg-etable garden and a four-hectare plot for the cultivationof potatoes. The camp also had apoultry yard to provide fresheggs.A number of workshops werebuilt by the convalescents,under the supervision of a con-valescing officer of the RoyalEngineers. Printing and tailor-ing workshops were built. Itemsproduced at the workshops

were sold to thepublic and anymoney raisedwas added tothe welfarefund.The men alsoorganised the-atrical groupsand produced aChristmas pan-tomime.The camp in-cluded a cothospital con-sisting of threeor four special

huts with beds for 100 cases.The hospital had its own dispen-sary, kitchen, pantry, packstore and bathroom. The camphospital admitted only minorsick. Those who had not im-proved within a couple of dayswere returned to the militaryhospitals. Four dental officersattached to the RAMC workedat the hospital.Ghajn Tuffieha ConvalescentCamp closed in January 19196.After the Second World War,and right up to the late 1960s,Ghajn Tuffieha reverted to itsoriginal use – as a training campfor British and NATO troops.Nowadays part of it is the Malta

Scout Association’s officialcampsite.% Retrace your route to the lastintersection, but do not turnright. About 100 metres alongtake the left fork signposted ‘il-Manikata’, see the photographbelow.

Drive across the Pwales Valley,Malta’s most fertile, and up thehill towards the village ofManikata. Follow the signs forMellieha. When you reach Triqil-Mejjiesa, turn right and thentake the second left, into Triq il-Mellieha – passing the avant-garde church of St Joseph.Now, just follow the road – it’sthe only one. When you reach alarge roundabout on the out-skirts of Mellieha, there’s aservice station facing you, takethe first exit towards MelliehaBay.As you drive downhill, towardsthe bay, you’ll see a woodedarea facing the beach; this iswhere the Mellieha Convales-cent Camp was located. Today,it’s a Danish-run holiday resortand there’s absolutely nothingto see that remains from a cen-tury ago.R “Towards the end of 1915 thequestion of room for convales-cents again became urgent”, DrBruce explains. It was not con-sidered advisable to expandGhajn Tuffieha and another sitehad to be chosen. MelliehaCamp, used for training inpeacetime, was selected.“In its favour were its ex-tremely healthy site, its isola-tion from the civil population

Cards were produced and printed at the camp’s own printing press

Cour

tesy

Wal

ter B

onni

ci

Page 10: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 10

and the easy access to the seafor bathing; against it was itsdistance from Valletta, entailinglong journeys for the transportof equipment, supplies and pa-tients; but the excellence of thesite more than counter-bal-anced these drawbacks”, writesDr Bruce.“Ultimately intended to expandto 3,000 beds, a start was madewith the first 1,000 in Novem-ber 1915, the Royal Engineersproviding the essentials, prepa-ration of sites for marquees,kitchens, ablution places, etcetera.“On 19 January (1916) 100hospital beds and 500 convales-cent beds were ready and on 30

January the whole of the firstcamp was completed. Patientsbegan to arrive the followingday, and they shortly amountedto 1,050.“As at Ghajn Tuffieha every-thing was done to keep the pa-tients busy, happy andcontented; but the main idea ofgetting them fit for service byroute marching, physical drilland useful work within thecamp was never neglected”1.In the first six months of 1916accommodation increased to1,250 beds, in September it hadreached 2,000 and maintainedthat number until August 1917.The Mellieha camp closed on 5September 1917.

%When you reach the round-about at the bottom of the hill,turn left, towards the formerMellieha Convalescent Campand the beach, and follow theroad for the Gozo ferry.When you reach a T junction atthe end of the Marfa peninsulayou’ll be faced with a dilapi-dated red building. You’ll findparking facilities to the right.R Once the grandiosely namedMarfa Palace Hotel, and later apolice station, it was turned intoa “fine tea room and club for theMellieha convalescents”1.

A number of establishmentsaround the island had tearoomswhere soldiers were offered“harmless refreshment and hos-pitality”8.It would seem natural thatyoung men - who had beenthrough the hell of the Dard-anelles - would want to let offsteam in a big way after theyhad recovered from theirwounds. Therefore, keepingthem entertained and busy wasimportant; the authorities cer-tainly did not want any unnec-essary problems.Writing of the men who are “be-coming convalescent” and “canget beyond the ward, some onthe arms of their companions,some on their own feet andsome on crutches. When theyget the length of the streetswhere are they to go”, asks theRev MacKinnon.“This is a most important ques-tion, for temptation lurks atevery corner, and somehow atthe most critical point the mili-

Now a wooded area sheltering a holiday resort (centre left), Mellieha Camp kept men busyand readied them for a return to active service

Tere

nce

Mira

belli

From 1915 Malta was awash in tents to house the thousands of wounded, sick andconvalescing men from the Gallipoli and later from the Salonika campaigns

Cour

tsey

Mal

ta A

viat

ion

Mus

eum

The Marfa Palace Hotel was a fine tea roomfor Mellieha convalescents

Tere

nce

Mira

belli

Page 11: The ANZAC experience in Maltamalta.embassy.gov.au/files/mlta/04 ANZAC experience...The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 2 Renamed Hamrun Hospital, it was equipped with 106

The ANZAC experience in Malta - Departure • 11

tary authori-ties seem tothink thattheir specialcare termi-nates, exceptfor certain or-ders, which,alas, are tooeasily evaded.“The need wasso urgentthat…I felt thatsomethingmust be done”,writes the RevMacKinnon.“Of course thepeople in Maltaare very kindto thewounded. Theyare given the-atre entertain-ments, andsometimes gar-den parties,but what thepoor fellowsneed to keepthem straightis a home and akindly Chris-tian atmos-

phere”2.Homes were provided by manyMaltese families, writes An-

thony Zarb-Dimech in his his-tory of the First World War.“As soon as the wounded werereleased from hospitals…manyMaltese families welcomedthem in numbers varying fromeight to 10 at their homes, invit-ing them for tea and manifestedto them utmost care and affec-tion.“Those wounded that could notbe invited at Maltese homeswere often taken around Malta

by many Maltese and shownaround the most interestingplaces and historical monu-ments”, Zarb-Dimech9 adds.The treatment and hospitalityreceived in Malta is possiblybest illustrated by the simple,heartfelt, words of a woundedAnzac as he was being trans-ferred to hospital on arrivalfrom Gallipoli: “Well I never; theDardanelles is nothing tothis!”10

If the MelliehaCamp was consid-ered far, whatthen of Fort Cham-bray in Gozo?On 4 October

1915 the fort, builtin the 18th Cen-tury on theheights above theport of Mgarr,opened as a conva-lescent camp for400 other ranks.It supplementedthe overcrowdedAll Saints camp inPembroke.In the short time

it was operationalit ‘processed’1,579 men, whowere all returnedto active service.It had its own

newspaper, TheFort ChambrayGazette, uniqueamong convales-cent camps It was closed on

13 March 1916.

Convalescent Anzacs enjoying a beer. From the Gallipoli campaign 2,500 officers and 55,400soldiers were treated in Malta. The last Gallipoli veterans left the islands in the spring of 1916

Rich

ard

Ellis

Arc

hive

Mal

ta

Sources1Malta Military Hospitals 1915-1917, ashort account of their inception and de-velopment (George Bruce, MA, MD,DPH, Capt, RAMC, (SR), Specialist Sani-tary Officer, Malta)2Malta The Nurse of the Mediterranean(Rev Albert G MacKinnon MA, Hodderand Stoughton 1916)3Gallipoli The Malta Connection (JohnMizzi, Tecnografica Publications 1991)4Military Aviation in Malta GC, 1915-1993; A Comprehensive History (JohnF Hamlin, GMS Enterprises 1994)5History of the Great War, MedicalServices General History Vol 1 (MajGen Sir W G MacPherson KCMG, CB,LLD, HMSO 1921)

6Military Hospitals in Malta during theGreat War 1914-1918 (Walter Bonnici,www.maltaramc.com)7The Daily Malta Chronicle of 16 July1915 quoted in Gallipoli The Malta Con-nection (John Mizzi, Tecnografica Pub-lications 1991)8The Daily Malta Chronicle of 18 May1915 quoted in Gallipoli The Malta Con-nection (John Mizzi, Tecnografica Pub-lications 1991)9Malta during the First World War 1914-1918 (Anthony Zarb-Dimech, BDLBooks 2014)10The Daily Malta Chronicle of 22 June1915 quoted in Gallipoli The Malta Con-nection (John Mizzi, Tecnografica Pub-lications 1991)

Written and designed by Terence Mirabelli, Island Pub-lications Ltd, on behalf of the Australian High Commis-sion in Malta.Australian High Commission: Ir-Rampa Ta’ Xbiex, Ta’Xbiex XBX 1034. Tel 2133820 Fax 21344059Site www.malta.highcommission.gov.au/mlta/home.htmlIsland Publications Ltd: 36/38 Triq l-Isperanza, MostaMST 1309. Tel 21431864 Site www.travelmalta.com

Copyright © 2015 Australian High Commission, Malta. Island Publications (IPL) was unable to locate the copyright holder of some photographs used in this document. IPL willpay a usage fee to the legal copyright holder if he identifies himself with proof of title.

Proudly sponsoredby

CommBank Europe Limited