Gun site at highest point should be tourist attraction

I have just read Maurice Agius's book Recollections of a Malta HAA Gunner which, besides being a good read, fills an important vacuum in the history of the war years 1940-1943, from the point of view of an artillery officer in the Royal Malta Artillery.

Though the role played by the anti-aircraft defences during the conflict has been treated in a general way by Denis Rollo in The Guns and Gunners of Malta and by Stan Fraser in his edited war diaries The Guns of Ħagar Qim, this is the first personal wartime account written by a Maltese anti-aircraft artillery officer.

It provides a vivid account of life on the gun sites, often in far out and isolated locations like Bengħisa, and Nadur, where a strong bond of loyalty and cameraderie was woven between officers and other ranks facing daily dangers and living under spartan conditions.

The book does justice to the Maltese gunners whose role during the siege has perhaps been overshadowed by the plethora of books written by British RAF and other services personnel.

Apart from a few avoidable historical inaccuracies, the book, written in a gripping narrative style, also provides detailed historical information about the technicalities of anti-aircraft artillery in the early 1940s, before the age of guided missiles and stealth bombers.

The author's description of the Nadur gun site led me to trace the site which had always eluded me as it lies off the beaten track on the edge of part of the Victoria Lines.

It was positioned on the highest point of the island, some 800 feet above sea level and enjoying all round views of three fourths of Malta and of Gozo. Alas, while two of the gun positions and the command post are still in a fairly well preserved condition, the other two emplacements and outworks seem to have been taken over by squatters and incorporated into some shanty construction.

If this site lies on government land, with a bit of effort and little expense, it could be reclaimed and cleared by the authorities concerned and restored to its pristine state and turned into a historical attraction for tourists. During my visit I observed that it lies very close to where the tourist double-decker circuit buses drive by.

The spectacular views to be enjoyed from the site would make this a landmark to be visited and appreciated especially if a few explanatory signs are installed. Heritage Malta and the Lands Secretariat please take note.