Issue A fortnightly print ((WWee aarree ffoorr tthhee GGrreeaatteerr MMaallttaa)) 254 and digiTTtal mhhagaeezin eV Vooiiccee ooff tthhee MMJauanell 1tt, e2e02ss1 ee The facade of one of the palaces at Malta’s old historical city of Mdina Photo by Silke 2 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday, June 1, 2021 Tasting again the Maltese bread that helped win the war (Part 2) The home front ood had always played a crucial role in military sieges 1, and those witnessed by the Maltese throughout their history were no exception. Article reproduced by courtesy of ITS MartinG Debattista Adequate preparations before the Great Siege of 1565 sure the population on Malta’s defence ca - (Institute of Tourism Studies - meant that supplies were not an issue during the siege but pabalities, which in reality was not reas - Malta · Centre for eLearning F Technologies PhD Candi - the problem arose when it came to feeding the survivors and suring at all but was kept a secret, and the date - MSc in Digital Media) the relief army when the Maltese fields had been transformed stocks of food. into a wasteland and the black market went unchecked. 2 The first issue of the Information Service The French Blockade of 1798-1800 is re - ruption to this vital lifeline in times of war Bulletin, published by the government’s membered as “a time of famine and na - already weighing heavily on the minds of Information Office soon after the outbreak tional ruin”, with the Maltese rebels the Maltese even before the Germans fired of the war with Italy, pointed out: “Il-fatt impoverished by the expenses of purchas - the first shot in Poland on the 1st September. li nħasset il-ħtieġa li jkun hemm restriz - ing arms and those besieged in the French- Three months earlier, the editorial of the zjonijiet moderati fl-użu ta’ ċerti affarijiet held cities facing exhorbitant food prices Times of Malta insisted that “the people m’għandux jinftiehem bħala sinjal li hemm at the black market. 3 are becoming emergency minded … In the xi tħassib dwar il-qagħda ta’ l-ikel f’Malta. Malta’s role in the Second World War times we are living in, many months’ sup - Fil-pajjiż hemm ħażniet biżżejjed tal-ikel.” meant they had to endure another siege ply of wheat is essential to the security of [The fact that the need was felt to introduce where the supply of food would, once the Fortress of Malta. Thanks to the coop - moderate restrictions on the use of certain again, play a central role. eration of the Maltese millers, Malta has items should not be understood as a signal The winds of war had already been blow - now a supply of wheat that can be relied that there is apprehension on the food situ - ation in the country. There are enough ing for a couple of years when the Second upon to last for well over nine months. 7 World War started on the 1st September Few other countries can boast as much.” stocks of food in the country.] 1939 with Nazi Germany’s invasion of John Adams Hunter, the Lieutenant-Gov - The Maltese colonial and military author - Poland. However, Malta was not immedi - ernor of Malta, reassured the public that ities seemed to be reluctant to introduce ately catapulted on the frontline as Italy, there was adequate supply of food for restrictions on the production and con - Germany’s ally in the so-called Pact of many months but also underlined the need sumption of bread, a staple of the Maltese Steel, decided to remain out of the war as to introduce some economy to have the diet since time immemorial, at a time a non-belligerent. stocks last longer. 5 when Malta was not under direct military This gave time to the British military and While he admitted that some profiteering threat from Germany. However, the situa - civil authorities in Malta to take stock of was going not, he denied that the price of tion changed on the 10th June 1940 when the situation and make further prepara - bread had gone up 6. A Food Control Board Italy declared war on Britain and France, tions. In terms of civil protection, Malta was established to keep profiteering under and Malta found itself at war overnight. was one of the first British colonies to control and the new Defence Regulations The Italian invasion of Malta did not ma - have the Air Raid Precaution (ARP) civil imposed restrictions in the consumption of terialise as widely expected and the first defence service. However, in military some foodstuffs, petrol, kerosene and water air raids were followed by weeks of rela - terms, the fortress of Malta was under-de - amongst other necessities. tively low-intensity action. Supply con - fended with a few obsolete fighter aircraft The British military governor of Malta, voys could easily reach Malta despite providing air cover and fewer guns than Sir William Dobbie, was apprehensive and bombing raid and the strong Italian naval originally planned in London. 4 worried that air raids from bomber aircraft forces in the Mediterranean. This was to Malta’s dependence on foreign food im - taking off from nearby Sicily would bring change drastically in January 1941 when ports was significant, amounting to around about the collapse of civil order. The au - the German dictator Adolf Hitler decided 70% of its consumption. The expected dis - thorities made a concerted effort to reas - to come to the aid of his ineffective Italian ally in North Africa. The German air force appeared for the first time on Malta in January 1941 when they tried, unsuccessfully, to sink the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious un - dergoing urgent repairs at the dockyard. Though the aircraft carrier survived the onslaught, the city of Senglea was left in ruins, and the Maltese population wit - nessed the same horrors already felt around Europe. References 1. Buttigieg, 2015, p.117. 2. Buttigieg, 2015, p.125. 3. Testa, p.120. 4. Italian historian Nicola Malizia berates the Italian High Command for not attempting to invade Malta at the beginning of war since in his opinion even a fleet of fishing boats from Sicily could have taken the island (Malizia, 2015). Malta’s unpreparedeness is confirmed by none other than Governor Dobbie himself his war An orderly queue for bread from memoirs (Dobbie, 1945). 5. Time of Malta, 27 August 1940. a cart near Castille, Valletta (Na - 6. Times of Malta, 13 September 1940. tional War Museum Association) 7. Information Service Bulletin, 23 July 1940. Tuesday, June 1 2021 The Voice of the Maltese 3 Q. We are retired and live in our home, which is unencum - his is a monthly service offered by The Voice of the bered. We have found another property that is more suited for Maltese in which Marie Louise Muscat from the Fidu - our needs. We have not sold our home yet because we may not cTian Financial Services helps our readers understand the be successful in purchasing this other place as it is going for complexities associated with financial planning. If you auction. Is there anything we can do to help with this, as we do need more advice send an email to Marie Louise via: mal - not have a large amount of cash in our bank accounts? [email protected]. A. You could visit the bank that you deal vious binding nomination with and ask if they would give you a would probably have bridging loan. Explain your situation and stated that the proceeds of that this loan would only be for the period his super fund were to be of when you buy one property and sell the paid to the Estate. If your other. 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