Peter Jacobs - Fortress Islands Malta: Defence & Re-Supply During the Siege

To Dad, one of many who helped save Malta during the Second World War

First published in Great Britain in 2016 by
Pen & Sword Aviation
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Barnsley
South Yorkshire
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Copyright Peter Jacobs 2016

ISBN: 978 1 78346 332 9
PDF ISBN: 978 1 47388 256 0
EPUB ISBN: 978 1 47388 255 3
PRC ISBN: 978 1 47388 254 6

The right of Peter Jacobs to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Contents

Acknowledgements

A book such as this would not have been possible without the help of so many people. First and foremost, I must thank those who helped enrich me with their stories of Malta. Three in particular took part in the Malta campaign, albeit in different capacities, but it was by talking to them that I became aware of the islands long siege during the Second World War.

One of the three was my father, who served in the destroyer HMS Wishart on convoy duties from Gibraltar throughout the siege. Through his diary and photographs, I am able to share some of his experiences of what it was like to take part in the critical convoys, particularly Harpoon and Pedestal. The second of the three was Tony Spooner, who led the Air to Surface Vessel (ASV)-equipped Wellingtons of the Special Duties Flight at Luqa. Tony and I first met more than twenty-five years ago, after which we met and talked a number of times. At that stage we were years apart in age and experience but we had so much in common. Tony was then an experienced aviator, with forty years of flying behind him, and had become an accomplished author while I was still in my early years of flying in the RAF and had just started out in my other interest of military history by writing a few articles for aviation magazines. But Tony was kind enough to share his experiences with me, both as an aviator and as an author, and to provide me with his personal accounts and photographs, some of which are included in this book. The third of the special three is Pat Wells. One of The Few from the Battle of Britain, Pat was a Hurricane pilot with 249 Squadron at the time and flew off the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in May 1941. Like my father and Tony, Pat was keen to share his stories with me and provided me with a copy of his log book as well as numerous accounts and photographs during the many years I knew him; again, some of these you see here today. Through Pat, I was also privileged to meet some of his 249 colleagues from the Second World War, including Ginger Neil and Tommy Thompson, both of whom served in the air defence of Malta and were only too keen to share their experiences.

Unfortunately, I am unable to thank any of these three very special men my father, Tony Spooner or Pat Wells in person. All have long left us but I know they would have loved to have read the book. But I do want to publicly record my love, great memories and gratitude to them all; they all inspired me in different ways.

However interesting the stories of three men would be, they would not tell the complete story of Maltas siege during the Second World War. It was, therefore, necessary to turn to public records and other sources, published or otherwise, to piece the story together. As far as public records go, my first port of call is always The National Archives at Kew. Books like this could not be written without the help and support given by the staff at this marvellous facility; it really is a national treasure and so I must thank them for their help and assistance over so many years. Similarly, I would like to offer my collective thanks to the staff at the Imperial War Museum and the Air Historical Branch at RAF Northolt. Both have provided much help over the years with access to files and other material as well as many images, some of which you will see in this book.

In addition to these formal institutions and establishments, there are more and more online websites and forums available. Run by enthusiasts, they provide a wealth of knowledge and so I must thank everyone who contributes to these, in whatever capacity, to help keep the memories alive. From their contributions, I continue to learn so much.

I must also acknowledge some of the excellent books written about Malta during the Second World War and thank the authors for keeping this story alive. Among them is Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 19401943, by James Holland. Captured under one cover, the remarkable personal accounts and experiences of those who were there makes this book the best in class when it comes to understanding what it was like to have been on the island at the time, and provides us with a lasting memory of Malta under siege. Malta Convoys by Richard Woodman is another work that provides a definitive and extraordinary account of the numerous convoys sent to the besieged island; some successful, some not. It really is a must-read for anyone trying to find out more about a specific convoy or a specific ship and I congratulate Richard on his work; it must have taken years to complete. As for the air war over Malta, there are no better works than Malta: The Hurricane Years, 194041, and Malta: The Spitfire Year, 1942 by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia. As someone who has probably spent too many hours, days and weeks at a time working my way through countless public records and personal accounts, these two books tell the story of the air war over Malta on a day-to-day basis; again, they must have taken years to write.

Among many other wonderful and detailed books on the subject of Malta in the Second World War are Tony Spooners Supreme Gallantry, Shankland and Hunters Malta Convoy, and a number of specialist works including: Pedestal by Peter C Smith; 249 at War by Brian Cull, which details the part played by one of Maltas fighter squadrons; Warburtons War, also by Tony Spooner; and other personal accounts such as Malta Spitfire by George Beurling and Leslie Roberts, and Denis Barnhams Malta Spitfire Pilot. And so the list goes on. Whatever the readers interest, there is almost certainly a book written about it. A comprehensive bibliography at the end of this book will help guide the reader to specific areas of interest.

I must also thank the George Cross Island Association. The GCIA was founded in 1987 to honour the people of Malta and those who fought to defend and supply the island during the siege. The Association held its first annual reunion in Malta with more than 300 veterans present, and within three years had more than 2,000 members from across the world. It has ensured that those who fell during the siege will always be remembered by erecting a 10-tonne bronze Siege Bell Memorial at Valletta, overlooking Grand Harbour, which was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II and the President of Malta in 1992. I suspect that had the GCIA not formed then many families, my own included, would never have learned so much about Malta and its wonderful people, and what happened there during the Second World War. Without the GCIA, this book, for one, would never have been written.