Malta War Occurrences: The Police Logbooks 1940-1942

Description 18th June, 1940 – Felice Caruana, 42, from Sliema, is about to alight from a bus when he is shot and killed by a soldier of the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers… 23rd October, 1940 – When turning towards Tower Road, Sliema, Bren gun carrier No. 7078 skids and hits a pram with an 8 month old baby inside… 26th February, 1941 – While at Strada Reale, Ħamrun, three policemen pick up 80 leaflets inciting the population to revolt and gather in Valletta… 15th June, 1941 – Manuel Tonna, 24, and John Cachia, 16, both from Żurrieq, are gathering limpets and sea snails from the seashore at Wied Żnuber, Birżebbuġa, when one of them crosses the wire denoting the mined area… 30th December, 1942 – While playing with a rocket at their home in Qrendi, two boys decide to throw it into an oil stove to see what will happen… Throughout the years, the Malta Police kept logbooks in which they wrote down daily incident reports. This book focuses on the 1940 – 1942 wartime occurrences of eight Police Districts, covering in all more than thirty towns and villages. These largely unknown documents provide a new perspective of Malta during World War Two, that of life as experienced by the civilian population. They also shed light on the heroic efforts of the police to combat crime and help the public during the difficult times of the Second Siege of Malta.