Pembroke Garrison is a dispersed collection of former British Army barracks built in the vicinity of Fort Pembroke, northern

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

History

Pembroke Garrison developed around a Victorian fortification (Fort Pembroke), a gun emplacement, a barracks, a tented musketry camp, rifle ranges and training areas. St George's Barracks was built first, followed by Fort Pembroke, then St Andrew's Barracks and finally St Patrick's Barracks; built by the British in four main building phases 19th and 20th centuries. Part of the garrison (St Andrew's Barracks) was used as a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

; during the war Malta's military hospitals and convalescent camps, particularly those at Pembroke, dealt with over 135,000 sick and wounded, most of whom were casualties of the Gallipoli and

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

campaigns. It remained in use by the British military until 1977. St Patrick's Barracks was not constructed until World War Two. Pembrooke in Malta

Army units based at Pembroke Garrison between 1954 and 1967 would have been subordinate to Headquarters Malta and Libya. At the height of its occupancy the British garrison at Pembroke included St George's, St Patrick's and St Andrew's Barracks, places of worship, firing ranges and Fort Pembroke itself; as well as a military repair base, a medical centre, a

military cemetery A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

, a garrison school and other soldier and family welfare facilities (i.e. a

NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs ...

shop, military post office and beach club (the 'Robb Lido' along the northern edge of St George's Bay) and regimental messes). In May 1940 naval and army families living on the island were moved to Pembroke Garrison (into St George's and St Andrew's Barracks). Once St Patrick's barracks were constructed in 1941 Pembroke Garrison would be a critical medical support base for the island. Malta - Pembroke - Triq Martin Luther King - Rifle Ranges 02 ies

Malta - Pembroke - Triq Martin Luther King - Rifle Ranges 02 ies

British Army and Royal Marines units based at Pembroke Garrison

This is not an exhaustive list of the British Army and Royal Marines (RM) units that occupied the Pembroke Garrison, but it represents those that are recorded: ;St Georges Barracks - constructed between 1859 and 1862 * 2nd Battalion the

Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire R ...

- 1899–1901 * 4th Battalion the Rifle Brigade - 1906 * 2nd Battalion the

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

- 1911 * The Gloucestershire Regiment - 1913 * Barracks converted to a hospital to take casualties from Dardanelles Campaign - 1915 * The

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot an ...

- 1928 * 1st Battalion the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) - 1930 * The

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. ...

- 1932 * 1st Battalion the Suffolk Regiment - 1937 to 1939 * 40 Commando Royal Marines (RM) - 1949 * 73 Heavy Air Defence Regiment Regiment - 1951 * 8 Commando Light Battery RA - 1976 * A flight of three RM

Aérospatiale Gazelle The Aérospatiale Gazelle (company designations SA 340, SA 341 and SA 342) is a French five-seat helicopter, commonly used for light transport, scouting and light attack duties. It is powered by a single Turbomeca Astazou turbine engine and wa ...

AH-1 Helicopters - 1977 ;St Andrew's Barracks - not occupied until April 1905 * 4th Battalion the Rifle Brigade - 1908 * 39 General Hospital

RAMC The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

- arrived from UK in 1941 * 2nd Battalion The King's Own Malta Regiment, acting as a POW guard force at No1 (Malta) Prisoner of War Camp at Pembroke * 45 Commando RM - 1952 Arrived from Malaya * 40 Commando RM - 1957 * 1st Battalion the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot a ...

- 1963–1965 * 1st Battalion the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) - 1965–1967 * 41 Commando RM - 1977 ;St Paul's Hutments * Sick Soldiers' Hospital and Convalescent Camp * 53 Command Workshops

REME The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

- present during WW2 and up to the 1970s ;St Patrick's Barracks - constructed in 1941 * 45 General Hospital RAMC - arrived from UK in 1941 * 45 Commando RM - May 1947 and December 1948 * 37 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA - 1956 * 4th (Leicestershire) Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment c1965-1967. Although the Pembroke Garrison was nominally an Army facility able to house three infantry battalions, it is clear that the Royal Marines had a long post-war association with Pembroke.

Transfer of ownership to the Maltese Government

The bulk of the garrison's sites were decommissioned and handed to the

Government of Malta A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

in 1977. The barracks and their environs are now divided into a thriving community of Pembroke made up public and private housing; and a number of notable colleges and schools, many of them located in re-purposed original British Army barrack blocks. The limestone karst countryside around promotes a unique ecology called

garigue Garrigue or garigue ( ), also known as phrygana ( el, φρύγανα , n. pl.), is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils in southern Fran ...

which the local authorities are keen to promote as a visitor attraction, along with the military heritage. ;Legacy Pembroke site reuse noted: * St George's Barracks (part of) - Institute of Tourism Studies. * Fort Pembroke and St Andrew's Barracks (part of) - the Verdala International School Malta. * Pembroke Battery site - all but one emplacement redeveloped as housing. * St Andrews Barracks (part of) - Pembroke Local Council * St Andrew's Barracks (part of i.e. Block A, Alamein Road) - Middlesex University Malta * St Andrew's Barracks (part of i.e. Block D, Giorgio Mitrovich Street) - STC training college. * St Andrew's Barracks (part of) - St Michael's School. * St Andrew's Barracks (part of) - Sprachcaffe residential language school * St Andrew's Garrison School and the barrack's sports pitches - The National Sports School * St Patrick's Barracks (part of) - St Clare College. St George's Barracks (the oldest of Pembroke Garrison's unit location) has not survived intact (as did St Andrew's and St Patrick's) and this probably reflects the fact that after British withdrawal from Malta there was not the imperative and funds that there is now to preserve and use heritage imperial building stock.

Australia Hall Australia Hall is a former entertainment hall in Pembroke, Malta, which was built by the Australian Branch of the British Red Cross Society in 1915. The building burnt down in 1998, and only its roofless shell remains today, awaiting redevelop ...

, the former REME workshops and the White Rocks Officers' Quarters areas are still in need of development and restoration.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Pembroke Council Malta Website

Pembroke Military Cemetery Burials Index

Malta 1930 - 1945

Nature Trust Malta Pembroke

Barracks in Malta Installations of the British Army World War II sites in Malta Limestone buildings in Malta Military installations closed in 1977 National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Pembroke, Malta

History

British Army and Royal Marines units based at Pembroke Garrison

Transfer of ownership to the Maltese Government

See also

References

External links