In the 1930s, Mellieħa was considered to be a quiet village. The population was small and everyone knew everyone else. The inhabitants were mainly fishermen or farmers who spent most of their days at sea or in the fields. They gave little trouble to the police. However, all this was to change with World War II.

This path leading down the cliffs at id-Delli was blocked during World War II to prevent enemy spies or saboteurs to venture inland. It is of historical importance as unlike other trails, it was never reopened after the war.

The 1st Battalion of the Kings’ Own Malta Regiment was stationed in Mellieħa and along its coastline for the duration of the war. Many refugees left their hometowns and sought shelter in towns and villages away from the ports and aerodromes. This led to an influx of new residents at Mellieħa, who found accommodation either in houses or in the caves that dot the countryside. These factors, together with the introduction of new war regulations, some of which the villagers considered to be a nuisance, led to a dramatic increase of reported crime.

One of the new laws was the Blackout. All windows and doors had to be painted over or covered with curtains, cardboard or any other suitable material. This was in order to prevent any light being seen from the air, which might help enemy aircraft determine their position or even provide them with a target to bomb.

Residents were always ready to report each other when Blackout regulations were broken, as they knew that if a light attracted enemy bombs, it was most likely that they would suffer together with the culprit. In February 1941, several people were reported for having lights showing from the streets. But when two months later the Police carried out another inspection to check if Blackout regulations were being broken, they had nothing to report. On the other hand, a man was fined for having ridden a bicycle without a light! Headlights on all vehicles had to be covered, leaving only a tiny slit through which the light would show.

Another wartime regulation was the Curfew. No one was allowed to leave their town or village at night. This was in order to make it easier for the garrison to arrest saboteurs or enemy paratroopers. Anyone caught breaking this rule was fined, and also risked being shot at by a trigger-happy soldier who preferred to shoot first and ask questions later.

All staircases and paths leading down cliffs at Mellieħa were dismantled, much to the annoyance of field owners.

However, many farmers disregarded this rule and still left early for their fields. For example, in June 1941, eight farmers from Mellieħa and Selmun were caught on the road between Mellieħa and St Paul’s Bay at 5.20am.

Another oft-ignored regulation was the requirement to take shelter during an air raid. Once the villagers realised that the bombers were focusing their attacks on the ports and airfields in the south, many chose to disregard the firing of maroons (petards/fireworks) or the sounding of the siren heralding an air raid. Others preferred to watch the dogfights overhead, despite the rain of deadly splinters from anti-aircraft shells. For example, the police took down the names of several people who failed to take shelter on February 23, 1941, during a 10.50am raid.

The British always feared that the enemy would land spies or saboteurs to hamper the war effort. So when in September 1942, the telephone lines at Jesuits hill, Għajn Żnuber, in Mellieħa and Attard went dead, they took this seriously and conducted a thorough investigation. However, Inspector C. Saliba concluded that the line at Mellieħa was cut by an unknown cart that had passed over it in the darkness. Despite further investigations, the culprit was never identified.

Another case occurred in July 1940. At 10pm, three suspicious individuals were observed in the fields in the vicinity of the Red Tower. Captain Fenech and Sergeant Vassallo of the KOMR apprehended these men who turned out to be farmers living at Aħrax. They had left their farmhouses in order to inspect their fields.

A 16-year-old youth was arrested on suspicion of espionage. He was caught in the village square taking photos. It turned out he was a refugee in Mellieħa from Żejtun. Despite his pleas of only having taken a photo of the parish church, his black ‘Filma’ camera was confiscated and the case forwarded to the CID.

When the bells at Manikata were heard ringing in March 1942, many took this to be the warning of the much-feared invasion. However, it turned out that Fr Francis Vella, MC, had rung one of the bells to summon his parishioners for confession. He was warned not to do so again!

Deserters also tried to find refuge in the isolated village. In August 1942, the Mellieħa police caught a gunner from the 26th Defence Regiment who had absconded from his unit the previous month. On September 8, 1942, the police searched some houses and all the shelters in the village, looking for another gunner from the 11th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Interestingly enough, the search was conducted on the village feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, for the gunner was a Mellieħa native.

A shopkeeper was reported for selling meat soup at a higher price than that allowed by the law

Thefts of fruit and vegetables from fields increased dramatically as the war wore on. Hunger made people do things they would not have contemplated in normal times. On many occasions the culprits were soldiers guarding the coast and countryside, as they could wander freely in the area.

Michelanġ Azzopardi reported the theft of 80kg of potato seed that he had covered with soil to keep it cool. Someone broke the door of a beehive at Miżieb and stole 40kg of honey, to the detriment of Carmelo Micallef. J. Maria Vella reported that he had found missing five shillings worth of broad beans, peas and onions from his fields at ix-Xagħra l-Ħamra.

Soldiers from the KOMR were accused of stealing figs from Qammieħ, of breaking branches from a carob tree and stealing prickly pears at il-Wied tal-Mellieħa, of stealing chickens and tomatoes from Qasam Barrani and of taking sand from a field at Armier.

A black Filma camera was confiscated and its owner arrested on suspicion of espionage.

A more serious case occurred in December 1942. A villager realised that oranges from his garden, which adjoined his house, were disappearing at a fast rate (he claimed 80 dozen oranges had been stolen, valued at £40).

After he started guarding it he caught two soldiers from the KOMR climbing the wall surrounding his garden. He fired at them with his shotgun, wounding one of them in the leg. The soldiers were given five months hard labour while the villager was accused of attempted homicide.

Due to fear of an invasion, farmers also found they could not gain access to their fields, especially those close to the coast, due to the installation of barbed wire. To make things worse, all the stairs and paths leading down cliff faces were dismantled, leaving only sheer drops instead.

Thus the farmers had either to take long detours or use cracks in the cliffs, which the British had overlooked, in order to reach their fields. Imagine how disgruntled the farmers were to have to carry their products for extra miles or to climb up a crack in a cliff, weighted down by sacks of agricultural products. Other farmers found that trenches had been dug in their property or that tents had been set up in their fields. However, some farmers did get their own back! During military manoeuvres, troops would leave equipment behind and this would disappear. Sometimes military kit was stolen from pillboxes. Despite the many intensive searches in nearby farmhouses, it seems no one was ever apprehended.

Thus in April 1941, Sergeant Coulson reported the theft of two tyres, a crowbar, a valve and a kettle from the Defence Battery at Irdum il-Ħmar. In April 1942, the 8th Manchester Regiment reported the loss of a bayonet and scabbard, two wallets, parts of a Bren machine gun, the muzzle cover of a two-inch mortar, a cutter and four greatcoats.

A Bren machinegun, parts of which disappeared during military manoeuvres.

In June 1942, Captain Nicholson reported that from Gun Position No. 2 at tat-Tomna, he found missing a pair of shorts, a pair of trousers, six shirts, two pair of shorts, a towel, three jerseys, 24 blankets, three pairs of shoes and two table knives.

Even one of the Victory Kitchens at Mellieħa fell victim to a raid by unknown individuals. In January 1943, someone gained access to the store of the kitchen by jumping inside a garden and forcing open a door and made off with 96 tins of baked beans, 72 tins of fish, two large cans of tomato sauce, 63 tins of bully beef, three large cans of ham and 700 grams of pepper, a total value of £27.7/1

Mellieħa fishermen, besides being restricted as to when they could haul or drop their nets and facing the very serious risk of floating mines, could also end up being robbed. Grezzju Grima reported that someone had stolen the wooden board that covered the bottom of his boat, while Franġisk Micallef, while hauling up his nets at Mellieħa Bay, realised that somebody had cut off 30 metres of his net.

Major Green of the Hampshire Regiment was reported for fishing with hand grenades at Għajn Tuffieħa. Strangely enough, it seems no Mellieħa citizen was ever reported for illegal fishing with explosives, despite the availability of such material from unexploded ordnance. Many risked their lives in dismantling shells in order to get the cordite, which was then used for loading hunting cartridges or making improvised explosive devices for fishing.

In order for customers not to be cheated, frequent inspections were carried out in all local shops. Anyone who tried to charge more than the law allowed was fined. For example, a shopkeeper in Parish Priest Street was reported for selling meat soup at a higher price than that allowed by the law. Other shopkeepers were fined for hoarding food or silver coins and had these items confiscated.

During the war, the British withdrew all British currency and instead issued paper currency in the name of the Government of Malta, as they were afraid that if the Axis invaded Malta, British money would end up in the hands of the enemy. Inspections were also carried out to check if the weights used in shops were correct and had official markings on them.

Today, one may find some of these occurrences amusing but one must remember that during the war, a farmer finding vegetables missing from fields would mean that his family would go hungry, while breaking a wartime law could endanger life. One must also admire the police force who made sure that the laws were observed during this critical period in Malta’s history.

Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank the following, without whose assistance this article would not have been possible: Charles Sciberras, Anthony Rogers, David Vella, Alfred Vella, Ruben Vella and the staff at the National Archives.

Soldiers from the KOMR. Any military kit left unattended in pillboxes or during training tended to disappear! Photo: Peter Szaak & The King’s Own Malta Regiment Association