Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1025219
14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 SEPTEMBER 2018 CULTURE A NEW book about the British military trading organisation Naafi has shed new light on its role during the bombardment of Malta during the Second World War. In Canteen Army: The Naafi Story, au- thor Nathan Morley chronicles the his- tory of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes – a retail operation devised by Winston Churchill in 1921 that has seen action in almost every theatre of war over the last 97 years. "Surprisingly, Naafi on the island in- creased the number of canteens and shops from 17 in 1939 when war broke out, to 80 by 1942, but hardly a day went by without four or five canteens being damaged by German bombs," Morley said. Whilst Rommel's successes in North Africa may have brought him adulation in Berlin, new victories became scarce as it became increasingly tricky to keep his men supplied the further they advanced, given that RAF pilots flying out of Malta were sinking three in every four German supply ships sailing between Sicily and Tripoli. For many Allied soldiers on the island, there was not a lot of point in going into Valletta because there was nothing to buy, Naafi seemed to have stocks, but they were extremely limited. "When the raids were over, Naafi can- teen staff tended the wounded, swept up the debris and opened up again – regard- less of the terrific intensity of the barrage. It was a pretty horrible existence," Mor- ley adds. Brigadier W.N. Hamilton, the war- time Naafi supervisor in Valletta, later recorded that only two staff members were killed during the siege, which Naafi counted as a blessing, given the massive destruction caused. As a distraction, an ENSA concert party – under the guidance of Naafi – contin- ued to play to the troops without a break for nearly three years. The Whizz Bangs – comprising four men and four women – were the only wartime performers on the island. Each night, as the bombs fell, units of the garrison would settle down to enjoy a twenty-six-item programme. "Of course we all know that Malta was not subdued," Morley says. "In fact, Major J. C. Burke, Naafi's commander on the island, wrote after the war that his greatest moment was watching the Italian Fleet sail to Valletta to surren- der in September 1943. 'The islanders,' he said, 'did not cheer. They simply stared open-mouthed, at the awe-in- spiring sight.'" "But Naafi wasn't just in Malta," Mor- ley adds, "they also operated thousands of canteens, pubs, cafes, shops and hotels from the deserts of North Africa to the freezing wastelands of Iceland." British forces retained a presence in Malta until 1979, when their military bases on the island were closed, along with the Naafi. "The men and women of Naafi, while sharing the dangers of their comrades in uniform, provided the small luxuries that make life in a war zone or foreign postings more bearable, and there are still many Maltese that either remember Naafi, or indeed worked for the insti- tute." Canteen Army: The Naafi Story by Na- than Morley is available at Amazon, as either paperback or Kindle book. Book shines light on wartime Naafi in Malta The Tea Pot Inn Malta, 1946 HERITAGE Malta is working on the facial re- construction of a female who was buried in the complex of St Paul's Catacombs in Rabat, Mal- ta, around the 1st century A.D. Eventually, this facial reconstruction will form part of the site's permanent display and through it, visitors will be able to come face to face with this woman who lived in Malta about 2000 years ago. This skeleton was discovered in the shaft of tomb 15 beneath the area of St Paul's Cata- combs' new visitor centre, during archaeo- logical excavations held between 2013 and 2015. It was an obvious choice for a facial re- construction since her skull was the only one complete enough and found with a jaw. The woman was between 18 – 27 year old and about 140 – 150 cm tall when she died of unknown causes. Studies on the bones in- dicate that although the woman must have had a reasonably healthy childhood, she was already suffering from degenerative joint dis- ease, possibly due to mechanical work. The facial reconstruction of this skeleton is being carried out by osteoarchaeologist and forensic anthropologist Roberto Micciche, Adjunct of Anthropology at the University of Palermo, together with forensic anthropolo- gist Daniele Di Lorenzo. This project forms part of the post-excavation studies of the archaeological excavations held at St Paul's Catacombs. Face to face with the past