The bombing of RAF Kalafrana
On 9 May 1942, at the tail end of the Siege of Malta, an unexpected switch in Axis tactics led to loss of life at one of Malta’s airfields. This article describes the situation at that point, and the details of the men who lost their lives that day.
Context
In June 1940, Italy joined the war allied with Nazi Germany. They started by bombing Malta’s capital, Valletta. The Italian air force was modern and well-equipped; the British hadn’t prepared Malta well. Four Gloster Gladiators tried to fight 25 Savoia Marchetti SM-79 bombers of the Regia Aeronautica, escorted by 12 Macchi C.200 fighters1.
It was an uneven match.
For almost two years, Britain kept reinforcing Malta, coping with attacks on all shipping heading for Malta. Every time planes made it through to Malta, Axis planes flying out of Sicily would shoot them down.
The United Kingdom had anticipated the war and beefed up Malta’s money supply before it started.
By April 1942, the combined German and Italian air forces were bombing Malta every 2.5 hours1. They dropped 7,000 tons of explosives on the islands1. For comparison, the Hiroshima bomb is the equivalent of 15,000 tons. Apart from bombing, German Messerschmitts would swoop down to attack any planes that landed to refuel1. On 20 April, 47 Spitfires arrived but were immediately attacked leaving only 17 serviceable aircraft1.
In May, the siege of Malta was about to end, but no one on the ground knew that.
8 May 1942
Wing Commander Gracie addressed personnel on the Ta’ Qali airfield on a cloudless morning2. He didn’t need to point out the importance of gaining air superiority, but he did so anyway2. With around 60 Spitfires due to arrive, crew had to be ready to immediately service planes and repair bomb craters on the runways2. It was imperative that all personnel working at the airfields, he finished, continued working through air raids2.
There was a favourable southerly wind that day2, which would have made flying to Malta harder for enemy pilots. This did not deter them.
At 08:35, the top-secret radar facility buried under Valletta detected six JU-88 and 15 JU-87 bombers incoming from Sicily2. The deadly ME-109 Messerschmitts and Italian Macchi fighters were escorting them2. At 09:00, four Spitfires from 126 Squadron and 4 Hurricanes from 185 Squadron scramble from Ħal-Far aerodrome2, known as RAF Kalafrana. Seven more Hurricanes took off from nearby RAF Luqa2.
The aerial battle lasts till 09:50, with 4 x Messerschmitts, 1 x Macchi and 3 x Junkers destroyed2. This includes a ME-109 which crash-lands in Marsa2.
Some allied planes landed at Ħal-Far. Six JU-88 dive-bombed the area2.
The news mentioned “a raid made again on aerodromes.”3 The Times of Malta referred to civilian casualties and deaths without giving details3.
The ground crew on the runway died in the bombing. RAF Malta sent a cipher message marked SECRET to the Air Ministry in Gloucester with the details.
Who were these young men?
Ground crew
The following information comes from the declassified file AIR 81/14134 in the UK’s National Archives. It is a single file, created the day after the bombing, containing information about the personnel who died. It only contains the information related to their death, burial, and any later queries. The file is marked as “Gżira, Malta” which is where the British administered and kept records.
The dead personnel were4:
- Leading Aircraftman D. J. Clarke 907554 was an RAF Volunteer Reserve. He was first marked as “Missing, believed killed” because his body wasn’t found. On Monday 12 May, RAF HQ in Malta reported finding his body.
- Corporal S. L. Parmentier 958639. He was first marked as “Missing, believed killed” because his body wasn’t found. On Monday 12 May, RAF HQ in Malta reported finding his body.
- Corporal Stanley H. Cook 280169 was an RAF Volunteer Reserve. His service file shows there is no record that he made a will.
- Corporal F. H. Lockwood 546564
- Aircraftman (Second class) J. Farrugia Gay 777215.
(The name is a corruption of the French Gaui. It would not have seemed unusual because the modern definition of the word “gay” emerged much later.) He was born at 13:30 on Sunday 21 October 1923, possibly in St Julian’s, and baptised in St Helen’s Basilica in Birkirkara. His father is Emmanuele Farrugia Gay. They baptised him as John Isidore Emmanuel Francis Paul Constantin but he was known simply as John. His rank reflects his status; he was still in training as an aircraft mechanic5. the RAF would have promoted him to “Aircraftman”5. His record bears the legend “Roman Catholic”, to ensure they carried out his burial according to his religion. His record shows they buried him on 11 May 1942.
I must declare a personal interest here. John Farrugia-Gay is my grandmother’s cousin.
After their death
On Friday 9 August 1946, the RAF sent brief official notes to these men’s next of kin4. They are standard A5 type-written forms completed in black ink. Each form informed the next of kin of the grave where they buried the servicemen. In every case, a hand-written addendum notes that the details on the headstones are incorrect but they recorded the right information so, when they can replace the headstones, they will use the correct details “in every respect.”4
They buried all these bodies in war grave 101 in the Royal Naval Cemetery in Bighi, Malta. The details in each of the notes are4:
| Name | Comments | Sent to |
|---|---|---|
| D J Clarke | His service number was 907554 and his surname and date of death are incorrectly shown as Clark and 9.5.47 instead of Clarke and 8.5.47. | (His father) J. J. Clarke Esq 7 Windemere Road Upper Holloway London N19 |
| S H Cook | His service number was omitted. | (His wife) Mrs S H Cook, 8 Park Road, Wembley Middlesex |
| F H Lockwood | His service number was omitted. | (His mother) Mrs D Lockwood 93 Flaxman Road Camberwell London SE 5 |
| S L Parmentier | His service number was omitted, and his rank and date of death are incorrectly shown as Leading Aircraftman and 9.5.47 instead of Corporal and 8.5.47. | (His wife) Mrs S L Parmentier Oakend Aldborough Road Seven Kings Essex |
| J Farrugia-Gay | His service number was omitted and his initial, surname and date of death are incorrectly shown as G Farrugia and 9.5.47 instead of J Farrugia-Gay and 8.5.47 | (His father) E Farrugia-Gay Esq 9 Miguel Street Sliema Malta. |
Photographs of the graves accompany all notes4.
S.14 Casualties of the Air Ministry in England was responsible for this file. On Thursday 24 November 1949, Mr Thomson wrote to the records office at RAF Barnwood, Gloucester, to ask about John Farrugia-Gay4. Thomson wanted to know his date and place of birth and used a standard, mass-produced template to make this request4. In black ink, he added, “And also full christian name”4 because Farrugia-Gay was only listed as “J”. The note was returned a few days later with “B’kara Malta” and “21/10/23” written in blue ink. The J now reads “John”4.
Romantic interlude
There is only one query about the incident.
On Thursday 27 June 1946, Mrs B Chatten wrote to the Air Ministry asking if there is more information about Clarke4. Writing on blue-tinted unmarked notepaper, she notes he was reported as “missing believed killed” during the week of 11 May 19424. She carefully spells out Clarke’s name, lists his service number 907554, and notes he was in the RAF Signals section of RAF Kalafrana4.
The note is loaded with emotion between the lines of the formal request. After these details, and her request for info, she continues4:
Actually, if there is a grave number or any details of his death, I would be more than thankful for the particulars. I am now an Ex-WAAF and have lost touch with the airman’s parents so I am trying to make my own enquiries. As I am probably leaving England soon, I would eventually try and make my way to Malta, that is if you can furnish me with the details of a possible grave.
Since she lost touch with his parents, and given the clear sentiment in the note, I can’t help but wonder if she was a young lover or fiancée of Clarke’s.
The Air Ministry acknowledged her letter on Wednesday, 3 July 19464.
The following Wednesday, the Director of Personal Services replied to her4. He confirmed Clarke was “killed by enemy air action whilst on duty” and was buried in Bighi in grave number 1014.
Aftermath
On 9 May 1942, another 60 Spitfires landed from aircraft carriers HMS Eagle and USS Wasp1. This time, ground crews worked out refuelling schedules in advance so aircraft could be back in the air within 30 minutes1.
By Saturday 10 May, the RAF showed the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica that their days of air superiority were numbered. It marked the end of mass attacks over Malta6.
These five young men were not the last men to die in Malta as a result of enemy action. Had they lived one more day, they would have seen the end of the Siege of Malta.
References
- Warfare History Network. (n.d.). The Siege of Malta in WWII: Holding on to the Island Fortress. [online] Available at: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-siege-of-malta-holding-on-to-the-island-fortress/[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- maltagc70 (2022). 8 May 1942: ‘Work On Through Raids’ Orders Airfield Command. [online] Malta: War Diary. Available at: https://maltagc70.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/8-may-1942-work-on-through-raids-orders-airfield-command/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2024][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Guns and fighters destroy or damage thirteen Axis raiders. (1942). The Times of Malta, [online] 9 May, pp.1, 4. Available at: https://www.timesofmalta.com [Accessed 9 Dec. 2024][↩][↩]
- Royal Air Force, (n.d.). [online] AIR 81/14134. Available at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ [Accessed 5 Dec. 2024][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Air, R. (2024). Aircraftman. [online] Royal Air Force Wiki. Available at: https://raf.fandom.com/wiki/Aircraftman [Accessed 9 Dec. 2024][↩][↩]
- The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum. (2017). The Siege of Malta 1941 – 1942 – The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum. [online] Available at: https://www.royalhampshireregiment.org/about-the-museum/timeline/siege-malta-1941-1942/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2024][↩]