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| From the beginning - The Siege of Malta - 1940-1942 |
| Contributed by Les Woods, Flt Sgt, RAF
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Heard of Lascaris? Of course you have! Down the hole, and deeper still it went with so many stories to tell.
But before Lascaris how did we cope?
June 1940, the Italians came into the war - but were we ready? Was there a War Room?
After the evacuation of France, twenty of the survivors boarded the destroyer Jervis at Plymouth, with a Radar Set and sailed via Gib to Malta. Of this number 19 radar operators and mechanics-went to Dingli and set up a station to be known as 242 AMES. The other experimental station which was operating daily on a limited number of hours was 241 AMES.
Where did the other chap go? He was posted to Air HQ Malta whose admin EQ was in South St. Valletta, and was billeted among the bugs and cockroaches in Marsamxett. When he arrived in the War Room he was the only non—regular. Personnel from various trades manned the ops room in St. John’s Cavalier near Hastings Gardens. This building was occupied by the Met. Office, Codes & Ciphers, WT Cabin and the ops room itself containing the office of the A.O.C.
(Air/Comm. F. Maynard), Intelligence Section, representatives of the LA.(Guns) and R.E.’s (searchlights), and the R.N. Liaison Officer. Frequent visitors to the A.O.C. in those day; were S/Ldr Tich Whiteley, W/C Jonas and F/Lt George Burges (P.P. to the A.O.C.).
It was from this room that one could speak by landline to the aerodromes and HQs of the other services. The a raid warning for the Island was sounded off by the raising of a switch on the wall on the order of the Duty Controller, usually when the aircraft were 30 miles from the coast.
The focal point of the room was the plotting table, rectangular, covered with white kitchen oilcloth upon which F/3gt Jock Hunter, a Clerk Accounts, had marked the ranges and bear from the sole Radar Station at Dingli; (Note, no grid squares).
The information from Dingli was received by landline, using an ordinary telephone handset, by a F/Sgt who was either a Clerk G.D., or Clerk Accounts. He called the plot to be placed by the plotter using coloured Ludo counters!
The Duty Controller, usually a G/Capt. or W/Cdr, would weigh up the situation before deciding to ‘Scramble’ our ever faithful “Faith” “Hope” and “Charity”, led by the flight C.O. F/Lt George Burges who was P.A. to the A.O.C. Communication with the aircraft was made from the PT Set in the ops room and manned, as required, by either S/Ldr A.D. Messenger, Chief Signals Office: or his deputy. So much was achieved from simple makeshift improvised beginnings!
There was no ‘Observer Corps’ but ‘Visuals’ were given by a direct landline from the Naval Signal Station manned by ‘reservists on the roof of the Castile Building. Their information was so accurate and we relied on them so much. It was they who hoisted the “Bandira Hamra” (Red Flag) when enemy bombers were coming in to attack. airfields or the Dockyard. On sighting this signal dockyard workers were to take cover immediately.
What a relief when the first batch of Hurricanes arrived But because of enemy activity few were serviceable at the same time.
I wonder how many remember the curfew? No vehicle could use the roads of Malta without prior approval of the Duty Controller in the War Room and such clearance to move on a defined route from A to B was passed to the appropriate authority. It was not unknown for a request to originate from the St. George’s area for the car of an officer to journey on a specific route to Hal Far usually when a certain controller was on duty.
There was great concern about the lack of defence aircraft particularly when the Germans were being established in Sicily. An incident comes to mind when to protect a flight of 4 Hurricanes they were sent by the Controller to orbit 20 miles south of the island of Filfla while a huge number of aircraft were forming up over bases in Sicily. It was usual to “sound off” the air raid warning when the incoming raid was just 30 miles from Malta. On this occasion, much to everyone’s amazement, the entire raid turned back just before reaching the 30 mile ring I wonder why? Was this treated as an exercise? Or did the enemy controller know something?
Can you imagine being in the War Room and listening to S/Lr A.D. Messenger who was manning the R.T. Set? No aircraft airborne! Just a matter of BLUFF!! But using our codename of “Banjo”, instructions were given to four squadrons using various cal signs, and giving the usual details of heights, numbers, vectors etc.
Army reps of Guns and Searchlights were able to pass friendly aircraft movements to their respective control rooms and the Naval officer gave details of the shipping activity round Malta.
But an interesting thing happened one afternoon when Dingli Radar Station passed to us a plot well to the Northwest which was a very unusual area from which hostile aircraft approached the Island. The Duty Controller, G/Capt Barbour said this was to be called “unidentified” at this stage as no I.F.F. signal as being received. He also asked Guns and Searchlights positions to give a “Visual” as soon as anything was seen coming from that direction. This “unidentified” was travelling very fast and it w. not long before a gun position soldier reported a “bluebird Spit” crossing the coast at an approximate height. Almost simultaneously, tie Duty Army Captain of the R.A’s shouted out “Put that man on a charge”!! G/Capt Barbour spoke to the pilot of the Spit on landing and it transpired that the identification was correct and that the aircraft had left Tangmere in Sussex at noon for a recce of Genoa in preparation for a raid which was scheduled for the near future. The weather over the Alps had deteriorated and the nearest British base to land was Malta. All the pilot had was petrol (but not enough to return to U.K.) and cameras. Obviously, without radio he could not send a message of his intentions.
It was in November 1940 that plans were being implemented for better and more radar coverage for the central Mediterranean. AMES’S 501, .502, 504 and 314 were to be sited and more airmen were beginning to arrive. With an additional C Station (314) and 3 COL’s it was essential to establish a Filter Room where radar information could be “Filtered But where? “Lascaris” was incomplete.
Imagine our surprise when we were to occupy the cellar of a house in Scots St., Valletta! This was to be known as “Room X” and for which special passes were issued. No air conditioning and the plotters cramped around the table with one man for each station and the Filterer - thank goodness it was just a four hour watch-keeping system!
At that time, anything to do with Radar was highly secretive and our official trade name in the Filter or Ops Room was “Clerk Special Duties”, as one was reluctant to clarify anything to do with one’s work. It was on an all-night watch during a period of little or no activity that the Duty Controller, who was SPSO Med. Command, tried to persuade me to agree to taking a commission. I refused, and after further persuasion on the following night, I still wished to decline.
Eventually, “Lascaris” was opened up an: on entering from St. Ursula Street, we descended the steps passing on our left the V.I.P. bunks. The Filter Room was the first room on the left before carrying on to the Gun Operations Room (from when. the ac/ac barrages were controlled) and eventually the Fighter Control Room. Refreshments, tea and NAAFI wads, were obtainable on the right hand side of the stairway before reaching the Met. Off ice and Cable and Wireless departments. All this was temporary accommodation whilst drilling and digging was taking place lower down to create the War Rooms with AOC’s office etc.
Much has been written about the heavy bombing of Valletta on Tuesday 7th April ‘42, but those who were working in the original Lascaris will well recall the discomfort experienced when, although “down the hole” we could hear from the Filter room the diving of the aircraft and feel the blast from the bombing. My crew were on watch from 1700-2359 on that evening and it was a distinct relief when Gerry had returned to base and our table was clear of hostile tracks, leaving us to clear the dust and debris which had fallen with the boards which had created a false ceiling. Little did we think when we went to work underground in Lascaris that we would be ordered by the Duty Filter Officer to wear our tin hats!
The Filter Room was strictly “out of bounds” to all non-filter personnel. Many wondered what went on there 1 Before the change over of watches, the on coming crew lined up on the stairs outside the room 20 minutes before, but there was one memorable Sunday in March 1942 when we were due to man the 1300-1700 watch. Twenty minutes before taking over from the morning crew, I discovered that airmen from another crew were lined up with some of my men. On enquiring why they were there, I was told by their spokesman John Lown that because one of my chaps had been killed during an air raid at 11.20 that morning and others were in hospital, they had volunteered to stand in provided they could have a short break for refreshment before they manned the 1700 -2359 watch. Could anything be more moving at such a time? This was the spirit which prevailed amongst the chaps who were working under pressure in the Filter Room - the room where hostile tracks were originated and from where information so vital to the defence of Malta was obtained.
The original Lascaris set-up was still functioning at the time of the Santa Maria convoy in August 1942 about which so much has been written.
Models of the Filter Room and the Fighter Gas Rooms which have been re-constructed in the existing Lascaris depict two important incidents in the Siege of Malta - the glorious weekend 9/10 May 1942 when sixty Spitfires flew in from aircraft carriers, and the fighter cover protecting the Ohio during the passage to the Island on 15th August 1942. Both displays were set up by me following the opening of the War Rooms.
I wonder how many of the visitors to the Fighter Ops Room knew where the information displayed on the plotting table came from? The work of the Filter Room i.e., filtering radar information from 5 AMES was kept secret and what was seen on the t in the Fighter Ops Room came by direct line from the “Teller” in the Filter Room and whose every spoken detail was recorded. The radar coverage of the Island from the 5 stations was strengthened s. by the establishment of a G.C.I. Station (841 AMES) and sited near St. Paul’s Bay.
The Fighter Controller was able to direct the airborne night fighter towards the incoming bandit and on the message to the night fighter “flash your weapon”, the Ground Control Station took over arid put the night fighter in the best position for attack. George Kirby was, in the early days, probably the most successful of the Controllers who did such a wonderful job at the G.C.I. Station.
Yes, so many memories from simple beginnings I recall being on duty in the original War Room one afternoon when A.O.C. Maynard brought from behind his hessian screened office Air Chief Marshall Sir Robert Brooke Popham who was in transit to take command of the Air Forces Far East. “Show him how we do it” said our A.O.C. after the introduction.
General Dobbie, the Island’s Governor and Commander-in-Chief used to attend morning service at a different place of worship each Sunday morning. There was a particular incident one Sunday when heavy raids took place over and around Valletta. The noise of gunfire, diving aircraft and explosion of bombs, echoed through the narrow streets, made us in the congregation of St. Andrew’s Scots Church in South St., very, very uncomfortable. General Dobbie, a man of God, and deeply religious, and his party, never moved and, consequently, the congregation remained seated.
The following words were written by Field Ma shall Lord Gort in a book in St.4ndrew’s Scots Church, Valletta:
Let nobody forget that the dark days through which we are passing will not last forever. The day will come when the inevitable victory of the United Nations will arrive. Then our present hardships will be forgotten, and all that will remain will be he glorious memory of the second siege of Malta.
28th August 1942.
Yes, what a glorious memory of the part we play in that siege. |
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