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James Joseph Magro
When I was about 10 years old the family moved house to Lapsi Street in St. Julians and we were still living there when I emigrated to Australia in 1949. As a child, I attended the Government Elementary School at Sliema and, after school, I had to help my father in the family farm-garden mainly growing vegetables and flowers, which we then sold at St. George's Barracks. It was very good business then!
I finished school in 1939 at 'standard six' and worked in various jobs until, in 1940, I obtained a Plumber's Apprenticeship with the "Water and Electricity" department at Sliema. This was the time that the War came to Malta and I was 'on call' during the day. At night, our job was repairing bomb-damages to the water mains caused by enemy aircraft. This was a very good job and I was exempted from joining the army.
On March 18th, 1942, I was conscripted in the Royal Malta Artillery, although I had preferred to join the Royal Engineer Corps, hoping to complete my technical apprenticeship. I did not succeed in this at first, but I did manage it after the war, for Malta, had pracatically ended.
I was stationed at Fort Ricasoli in April 1942 and there (at the mouth of the Grand Harbour) we experienced heavy bombing; one of our searchlights even got a direct hit and there were heavy casualties. The whole regiment was transferred to the Birzebbuga Gunners' School and afterwards we moved to Spinola (S. Julians) and we became 5th Relieving Battery (RMA); my army service number was 41974.
Our regiment changed to the 6th Relieving Battery Regiment and at Spinola Barracks we had 4.5" Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) "Ack-Ack" Guns. However, we were only at this battery for 1-2 weeks when we were transferred to “tal-Qroqq” in Msida. But the “tal- Qroqq" Battery was bombed and our Gun was out of action for some time. Soon after this, our regiment changed name again, this time to the 14th Relieving Battery (RMA) and from Spinola we moved to the Naxxar 'Birguma' 3.7” HAA Guns. I was a bearing layer and quadrat elevator (QE) layer. We became the Germans' prime target and we were exposed to continuous bombing and machine-gun fire, but God was with us! Neither did we, nor did the Maltese civilian population (especially our parents) stop praying.
We kept our Guns in motion until the enemy had left, but again and again they came back with more bombs. We were moved again - this time to “Gudja“ - where we had no running water. Water, which was rationed like food, was delivered in two 40-gallon drums daily for 80 soldiers!
Our Battery consisted of four Guns and I was on Number 4 Gun all the time. Here, we did not live in barracks, but concrete billets. A 'Gun Pit' is a gun surrounded by sandbanks with a Command Post consisting of a Predictor, Height Finder Telephone and Transmitter, sometimes with a 'Germans Locater' or radar. We soon became very experienced gunners.
Our Regiment was again transferred -- now to “Hal-Ghaxaq” -- and it was here that I witnessed the extreme horror of war. The Number 4 Gun recieved a direct hit and all the nine men, the Detachment Soldiers, who were on duty operating the gun were killed. I can never forget the horrifying scene of blood and human flesh on the walls of the gun pit. These were the innocent victims of a cruel war! At present, I receive a British disability pension.
Finally, at the end of 1944, when the action over Malta had slowed down, I was successful in temporarily changing regiment and spent six months with the Royal Engineers Corps, where I continued my Plumbing Apprenticeship. Thereafter, I was transferred to the King’s Own Malta Regiment, "A" Company, (KOMR) guarding the German Prisoners Of War (POWs) until July of 1946.
I came to Australia in February 1949 and worked as a plumber with the Housing Commission, at Canberra, but by April 1949 left Canberra and moved to Sydney where I worked with a private contractor, also as a plumber, Soon my brothers and sister joined me here from Malta. It was by this time that I met an Australian girl and, in 1953, we got married at The Sacred Heart of Jesus catholic church in Sydney. We bought a house at Alexandria, where we raised seven children (all boys) and we adopted my sister-in-law’s daughter after her mother died when the girl was only 2 years old. On March 19th, 1997, my dear wife passed away and I still miss her so much, although two of my sons still live with me, yet the house feels so empty without a wife and mother!
In Sydney, I am joined by other equally dedicated Maltese ex-Servicemen (to name but a few: Schembri, Dimech, Pace, Bonnici, Pisani and Camilleri), all of whom have worked hard to promote the Maltese Ex-Serviceman with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Each year, on the 25th April, Australians commemorate the anniversary of ANZAC Day. It was on the 25th April 1955 when the group of Maltese Ex-Servicemen first took part in the ANZAC cerebrations march. I am now 79 years old and am currently the President of the Maltese Sub-Branch of the New South Wales division of the Return Soldiers League (RSL).
My Story
We had to build our own battery of four mobile 3” HAA Guns, surrounding them with sand bags. We had two generators, an open kitchen and command post with a Predictor, Height Finder telephone, a transmitter and a Louis Gun. We slept in tents on straw mattresses, had open toilets, and had to wash in poor facilities, or wait until we went home on leave to have a good wash and get clean cloths. We lived in our steel helmets! In 1943, I was injured when my ear drums blew, and I spent a month at the Mtarfa hospital .
Royal Engineer Corps
Click photo to view War Album
The 1955 Group -- Maltese ex-Servicemen
at ANZAC parade, Sydney, Australia
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