Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1426475
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 NOVEMBER 2021 ALL PHOTOS: SUPERINTENDENCE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE, FACEBOOK EYEWITNESS DEFENCE Posts, beachposts and pillboxes are abundant in the Maltese landscape, usually located along the coast or fur- ther inland as a second line of defence. The pillbox was a concrete machine gun emplacement, the shape of which evoked con- temporary boxes used for pills, hence the term 'pillbox'. Despite the rich variety of designs, the pillbox had a number of com- mon features, most commonly the rectangular observation cu- pola that allowed an all-round vision. The history of the construction of such structures, usually asso- ciated with the British military, is rather murky. What we do know, however, is that the ear- liest military records relating to the construction of pillboxes in Malta date to August 1938. The widespread construction of pill- boxes was set in motion by the threat posed by Abyssinian Cri- sis in 1935, and later constructed liberally during the years of the Second World War. The earliest types of pillbox- es were distinguished by their camouflage of rubble stone clad- ding. Such features were soon abandoned in favour of pillboxes built to simpler and more stand- ardised patterns, adopting a more boxlike form and finished in concrete. Nevertheless, a lot of the early pillboxes were ac- tually beach posts. Another less common group of pillboxes con- sisted of farmhouses converted into defence posts. Nowadays, pillboxes are pro- tected cultural heritage features that serve as a fine example of British military history in Mal- ta. Many of these defence struc- tures are even scheduled by the Planning Authority, and are to be protected in line with the Cultural Heritage Act 2021. Source: Spiteri, S. C. 1996, 'Field Defences and Pillboxes', in British Military Architecture in Malta, Stephen C. Spiteri, pp. 497-538. Pillbox parade