Evening star., 1942-02-27

ssSsS - SNs
Writer Tells Of Good Morale
| In Mediterranean Island
Often Bombed by Germons
BIZ William McGaffn.
Wide World News.
ALEXANDRIA, Feb. 26.-Rock shelters
the best in the world-are helping the
Maltese to stand up under the Axis
blitz.
stopped of at Malta en- route to
Alexandria and came away with a fav-
orable impression of the shelters and Of
the courage of the people living there,
plus the formidable British defenses Of
the little islands 100 square miles.
When say the shelters are the best in
the world I speak from experience. I
have frequented the shelters Of London
and Paris, but never felt as safe as in
Malta's-hewn out of natural rock.
| Thanks to the fact that construction
started seven years ago at the time Of the
Ethiopian crisis, there now are shelters
for most of the 273,ooo population.
Some of the shelters now in use were
begun long before that, however. One I
visited was dug by Turkish slaves 200
! years ago and used by the knights of
Malta as an ammunition storehouse.
The shelters are provided with triple
tier hunks and sanitary facilities. Babies
have been born there.
At night you see people with blankets
waiting for the warning siren before
going in, but others have become per-
manent residents.
The comforting thing about the Malta
shelter system isn't just the high safety
margin-it has been demonstrated that
they are proof against direct hit-but
also the convenience of locations. There
| is little danger of being caught in a
street by raid, for usually there's q
shelter only few steps away no matter
where you may be.
Another advantage In Malta Is that the
buildings, too, are made out Of rock.
| There is almost no wooden construction;
hence the buildings aren't vulnerable to
burned a great hole in the city of
London.
The enemy, therefore, must drop high
| explosive bombs-and the thick, tough
rock walls will stand lot Of pounding.
OF course, they collapse eventually, but
nowhere In Malta did I see damage
comparable to the devastated areas Of
London
| Malta's main defense against air at
tack Is a concentration Of anti-aircraft
guns which throw up terrific barrage
whenever the enemy wings over vital
objectives
The people often stand in the streets
to watch the raids.
Morale appears to be very good. The
best proof, 1t seemed to me, Is the fact
that Maltese dockyard workers, who
know the harbor area Is the hottest spot
on the island. 60 back to work day after
day.
| Maltese laborers spend some time In
nearby shelters when q special harbor
signal warns that raiders are overhead,
but make up much Of the loss by swift
ness while on the Job.
Most of the working population Of VAL
letta, the capital, lives in suburbs and
comes to work in buses.
| The blackout of Malta Is severe, and
curfew is $50 pm. Until that time, how
ever. there's a bustling night life, with
movies, bars. clubs and dance halls
I heard no complaint about food or
drink
| To the soldiers stationed there the air
raids seem welcome distraction. When
the destroyer I was aboard steamed into
harbor they lined up and cheered. We
thought they were cheering us for the
fight just waged off the coast against
Nazi bombers-but we learned later they
were cheering because they hoped We
were bringing mail. 1t seems they cheer
every incoming ship.
| The British in Malta ignore the raids
and seldom 60 to shelters, usually con-
tinuing whatever they are doing.
Unless bombs are falling nearby. you
simply raise your voice above the
thunder of guns and keep on talking
without the slightest reference to the
raid. When bombs fall near you 60 out
to take a look, signing about what tire
some little men these Germans are"
| I was having cocktails one noon with
Col. Roger Strickland. leader of the
majority party of the Malta Council of
Government, pretty Mrs. Strickland and
Maj. Francis Gerard, detective story
writer.
The usual din began. We continued
talking. Then there was a loud crump
outside and we could see stones and dust
flying past the door as the building
swayed on its foundation. A bomb had
hit a building across the street.
Col Strickland and Maj. Gerard
rushed out. the former donning his cap
and Sam Brown belt as he ran. His wife
laughed at his devotion to correct attire
even in an emergency.
| A half hour later we went up to the
| tno-f1oor dining room for a lunch of