Amongst the few sites that can boast of having held off a constant, month long Ottaman attack is Fort St Elmo. The battle, part of the Great Siege of 1565, is one that has made it in the historical annals. The huge and fierce Ottoman army, which landed on the islands on the 18th May, started attacking Fort St Elmo on the 28th May. The fort, heavily bombarded day and night, was defended by the knights and the Maltese, the latter far from versed in the art of war. Unknown to the Ottomans, supplies from Fort St Angelo in Birgu, were being sent at night via sea, these were going through La Porta del Soccorso (a small opening in the walls that you will be going through yourselves). After standing strong for nearly a month, the fort fell in the hands of the Ottomans on the 23rd June. Their victory though came at a cost, that of the loss of one of their greatest leader Dragut also known as ‘The Drawn Sword of Islam’. All the knights and Maltese within the Fort died a hero’s death, some serving a country they loved, others serving a Grand Master they idolized.
The above is not the only tale related to Fort St Elmo. The site, situated at the tip of the Valletta peninsula, was, during the medieval period, already recognised as one of military importance. Reference to a permanent watch-post go as far back as 1417, with a mention of a tower and a guard in the Militia Roster of 1417. The arrival of the Knights of the Order of St. John in 1530 meant further strengthening of this post. Following reports of an imminent siege on the island by the Ottomans, Grand Master De Homedes ordered the building of a fort at the tip of this peninsula. One wonders at how many times de Vallette, grandmaster during the Great Siege, must have mentally thanked his predecessor for the building of this fort!
Following the Great Siege the fort was re-furbished, taking pride of place at the very end of the newly constructed city Valletta. Additions and alterations were carried out to the fort over the following centuries, of particular note one can also see the prison cells which held raunchy Knights and also some Maltese accused of brewing revolts and causing trouble. Further additions and alterations to the building were also done by the British. The latter, adapted the fort to withstand attacks by artillery developed with new technology. The last attack withheld by Fort St. Elmo occurred during the Second World War when Malta was being subject to Italian air raids; in fact the fort saw the first victims of this war with 6 RMA gunners losing their lives during one such attack.
The fort also holds within itself the National War Museum. Here you can see the military history of the island starting from prehistory up till the end of Second World War. The highlights of the latter include the huge amount of memorabilia related to the First World War when Malta was acting as the Nurse of the Mediterranean and those tied with the Second World War.
The latter include uniforms, children’s gas masks, numerous photos and authentic footage, the Gloster Sea
Gladiator N5520 FAITH (one of the three biplanes on the islands at the time- the other two were nicknamed
HOPE and Charity), Roosevelt’s Jeep ‘Husky’ and the Malta award for gallantry, the George Cross. This cross
can also be seen on the top left hand corner of the Maltese flag. The placement of the cross on the flag has
caused much controversy with some seeing this as an insult, join us for a tour of this stronghold if you want to
know why!
