Page 48 - RADC 2023

P&P Malta Battlefield Tour
Capt Angshu Gurung & LCpl Heather Hughes
RADC Past and Present were offered the opportunity to fly out to Malta between the 18th and the 22nd of September to discover and learn more about Maltese History. 19 willing volunteers embarked on this tour to discover Malta.
Monday 18th September – Day 1
All participants arrived via various modes
of transport from all over the world. We started with a brilliant ice-breaker: two truths and one lie, this was great fun and allowed us to get to know new faces and catch up with familiar ones too. We then delivered our group presentations. All topics were allocated pre tour and groups worked together to produce short presentations. With such rich history and individuals having such passion about Malta’s past, a few groups could not help themselves and ran
a little over time! The passionate groups delivered presentations on:
1. Malta in WW2: strategic leadership of Churchill. Submarine operations from
Malta (particularly HMS Upholder and HMS Urger). Aerial defence in Malta, and offensive operations from Malta.
2. Malta in WW1: Malta’s role as Nurse of the Mediterranean (Casualty evacuation from Gallipoli and Salonika).
3. French Occupation of Malta (1798- 1900): Medical aspects of a prolonged siege.
4. Great Siege (1565): the crucial leadership of Grandmaster La Valette.
These presentations were followed by a team dinner and a presentation from our local expert and avid historian Col (Retd) David Vassallo RAMC. Everyone was still getting to know each other.
Tuesday 19th September – Day 2
Day 2 was a scorcher with temperatures reaching 33 degrees. We spent our morning in the Upper Barrakka gardens exploring the underground bunkers and learning how the military planned each attack and how they kept track of the ships and the aircrafts. A
very clever system with the entire building being underground.
After the tour had come to an end, we then moved outside for the traditional Saluting Battery noonday salute. A cannon is set off at 12 noon every day and this tradition still lives on to this day with tourists coming from all over the world to watch. We made
46 RADC BULLETIN 2023
ENGAGEMENT