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This contribution to ´óÏó´«Ã½ People’s War website was provided to Sarah Dyer Volunteer Story Gatherer from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Norfolk Action Desk at the Event attended by the Norwich, Norfolk and Suffolk Pensioner’s Association. The story has been written and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Abraham Hammond.

The Siege in Malta

We were stationed at an airdrome called Hellone in the desert. From here we were pulled out and put on a ship to Malta. The journey took us over three days and all the time we had over a thousand aircraft searching to bomb us, fortunately for us the weather was so bad and the cloud so low they were unable to find us until we sighted Malta.

On January 19th 1942, we landed in Malta amidst an air raid. There seemed like no getting away from it, bombs were going off and ships being hit everywhere you looked, lucky for us we managed to escape intact. The army then sent us north of the island to wait for guns that were suppose to be arriving on a ship at Takalia — another fighter drome.

We spent four long months stationed here, being bombed night and day, then finally the air aid started to die down as we were shooting so many out of the sky - without what the air force fighter plans shot down. Meanwhile we were getting very short of food and ammunition and living on rashons. Two convoys of 80 ships were on there way. One had departed from Gibraltar and the other Alexandria. Only three ships managed to get through all the rest were sunk by enemy planes. Out of the three saved there was one oil tanker called the Ohio, we needed this one badly as we were getting very short on fuel for the aircraft.

As soon as the ship docked all hell let loose. We had hundreds of aircraft both German and Italian trying to stop the tanker from being unloaded. The bombing went on until October when the 8th army attacked the German lines in Egypt. Then in November the first convoy came through unscathed bringing us much needed food and ammunition. All the food left on the island was 10 day battle rashons which had to be shared with the civilian population as well. Our rashons consisted of a slice and a half of bread a day, a small tin of bully beaf which had to go between six men once a week. We did have dehydrated food sent cabbage, potatoes and plenty of lentils — which to our dismay came ant infested!

After the siege lifted Priminister Churchill said he was bringing the Garrison home unfortunately for me I didn’t reach home until May 1945 when thankfully the war ended. I was given leave and married my sweetheart!

The George Cross was awarded to the island but nothing was awarded to the service people as it was classed as a home station, but a medal was struck by the Maltese government around 1986 and was awarded to the service men who took part in the battle of Malta.

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