Bill Crawford, Glasgow, Scotland
Information sought on radar station
I wonder if any of the readers can help me with my research on the Dingli Cliffs radar station.
My late father Corporal William Crawford of the Royal Air Force was stationed at this Ames 504 Radar Station during the Siege of Malta from October 1940 to November 1943 as an RDF (radar) operator . I am trying to find information and especially any photo of this station from around the 1940s. It was sited near the other Ames Unit (No. 242) also on Dingli Cliffs at this time.
This site, I believe, is where the present radar system (nicknamed the golfball) stands on the cliff top today.
I spoke to Major Tony Abela and one or two other people at the Aviation Museum when I was on holiday in Malta last May doing research, and I managed to find a photo there. However, it was dated early 1970s and the radar systems changed quite a lot since the war years. However, it showed where the radar system stood at the time and on talking to a few farmers on the cliff top they assured me that was where the radar stations stood.
My late father was lucky enough to make a return visit to Malta in 1989 and during his time on holiday I took him back to Dingli Cliffs. He was delighted to be taken inside the radar station and shown all the new systems now in use. He was also shown around the barracks at RAF Hal-Far where he was billeted during his three years on the George Cross island which made him very proud and pleased to be back on Malta after so many years.
Sadly, this being his one and only visit back to Malta, as my dad was in his late 70s, he decided that it was time to return his Maltese Times newspaper which he had purchased in 1942 and which can now be viewed on The Times archive website. The newspaper is dated Friday, October 2/3, 1942.
I am hoping that on reading this letter readers may be able to help trace any information or that elusive photo/picture of this radar station from the 1940s as all the Ames radar stations were a very important part of the Maltese war history. I believe that the early air raid warnings sent out by these stations saved many Maltese lives.
My e-mail address is: W.Crawford346@btinternet.com
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Pule' Carmel
Feb 4th 2010, 17:55
About twenty five years ago, the local courts asked me to investigate a robbery from the RAF radar station at MADLENA, however. I found that the back up generator consisted of a motoergenerator which also incorporated a very large flywheel which the motor rotated as long as the electricity supply was available. I for any reason the main electricity supply was lost , then the Tremendous amount of rotating energy in the large flywheel would keep on rotating hence supplying the radar station for more than one hour, I believe. The station at the time was left delapitated by the local authority and the robbers went in the building to ROB THE LEAD OFF THE ELECTRIC CABLES. Everything else was still intact and as new. I could cry to see such damage. If only the authorities listened to me and had opened such defence building which housed the engineering equipment that can be summarised in a few words as SAVING MALTA. I have not seen fort Madlena since and has no photograph were ever taken, as I like to scketch my own drawings.
May I take this opportunity to thank Bill Crawford Seniour for serving in Malta.