At the start of the 1914-15 season, the clouds of war hung over our islands like a thick blanket. Many of the usual football activities were disrupted.
The regiments in the Malta Garrison were put on alert and the Mediterranean fleet left our harbours to patrol the seas.
For a time, the British Services had no time for games and all their sporting activities on the island were disrupted.
Malta was used as a stopping place for regiments leaving for the front in Turkey and, later on, the island was transformed into one huge hospital where the wounded could be treated and left to recover.
But, since Italy remained neutral, hostilities were kept away from our shores and, after the first few months of the war, life for the Maltese went on very much as usual.
Therefore, there was no reason why civilian football should not go on as usual.
However, during the summer of 1915, the Mile End Sports Ground was transformed into a temporary hospital for the thousands of casualties who were arriving daily from Gallipoli.
Tents were set up on the pitch making it impossible for the MFA to organise its competitions.
For a while, things looked bleak for the thousands of Maltese enthusiasts.
Then, someone came up with the idea of organising a football competition between the staffs of the many hospitals spread all over the island.
The football-starved British and Maltese welcomed this idea and the RAMC Football League and later on the United Service Football became as popular with the Maltese as the Civilian League itself.
With most of the teams having their own grounds, matches were played daily and scattered all over the island taking the beautiful game in places as remote as Mellieħa and Għajn Tuffieħa.
During the First World War there were no air raids to interrupt the game.
The fighting on the beaches of Gallipoli would have been only a mirage if not for the thousands of wounded who were brought here to recover their health.
All was quiet in Malta and in the circumstances it was possible to arrange fixtures for the entire season and to give the many British professional footballers stationed in Malta a chance to practise their game.
The names of Davies, MacDonald and ‘Fanny’ Walden made football history in those days.
These players and others of equal fame in the professional game in Britain, graced Maltese football grounds during their period of service in Malta.
The only Maltese team which kept the game going during the first couple of years of the war was that of the 2nd Regiment of the King’s Own Malta Regiment of Militia, also known to the Maltese as ‘Tal-Militia’.
This team had in its ranks some of the best Maltese players of that era.
The most noted being the great Ruġġieru Friggieri, Iż-Żibġa, Ġużi Mallia, In-Nippi, Carmelo Cristiano, Manwel Vella, Il-Bażżok, Borg, Iż-Żebbuġi, Salvu Tabone, Il-Kardinal and Gejtu Psaila, Il-Ħaċċa.
The Militia played a number of prestigious charity matches against service teams obtaining some very good results.
The Maltese team also took part in the RAMC League finishing in a very creditable second place.
On January 29, 1916 the KOMRM figured in a charity match against the combined team of the Army and Navy at Corradino.
The game was held in aid of the Order of St John and the British Red Cross.
The Maltese team was made up of Pawlu Borg, Masu Hicks, Ruġġieru Friggieri, Degiorgio, Ġużi Mallia, Gejtu Psaila, Carmelo Inglott, Salvu Troisi, Casha, Carmelo Cristiano and Massa.
Professional players
With such an array of stars the Maltese team could not fail to impress but the Services XI, strengthened with British professional players, was perhaps a bit stronger and after an 90 minutes of fast and exciting football they emerged victorious by two goals to one.
The two teams met again on April 22, 1916. This time the game was played in aid of the Wounded Entertainment Fund, the St John’s Ambulance Association and The Malta Chronicle Wreath Fund.
Once again the teams were very well matched and for a long time no advantage was gained by either side. Hancock and Woods played well for the services while Cristiano and Inglott stood out for the Militia.
During the first quarter of an hour the Maltese opened the scoring through Salvu Troisi.
No more goals were scored in the first half but soon after the re-start Troisi added a second for the Militia.
The services increased their efforts and Bond managed to pull one back.
It was now anybody’s game but despite all their efforts the services had to concede defeat to the Militia 2-1.
In other charity games played during that period, the KOMRM defeated the Army Service Corps 2-0 and 3-2 and the Holman Shield winners, the 102 Coy Royal Garrison Artillery, 3-0.