The Defense Post at Wied iz-Zurrieq

The site had been granted according to deed in the records of Notary Alfred Maria Camilleri dated the 1 st July 1891, on temporary emphyteusis by the Mensa Arcivescovili for 149 years from the 15 th August 1891, to Giovanni Spiteri and others. The War Department had acquired from Spiteri the un-expired term of the temporary utile dominium by deed dated 27 th November 1940 in the records of Notary E.P Debono. Work on the site started immediately and was completed in little to no time due to the urgency of defending the Wied iz-Zurrieq coastline against a possible invasion. An edging in the two steps leading to the defense post denoting the year 1942 clearly indicates that the post was manned at this time.

The Wied iz-Zurrieq defense post was well camouflaged with rubble wall stones to blend into the Maltese countryside. Six gunners under the command of an N.C.O usually manned the gun post. Their responsibility included the manning of four machine gun positions armed with Vickers water-cooled and Bren machine guns. Constant surveillance of the coastline was further achieved through the observation copula

Il-Kamra it-Tonda at Wied iz-Zurrieq showing the lower storage cubicle

Connecting the post to the other side of the Wied iz-Zurrieq was a “Monkey” bridge fashioned out of Steel Wire Ropes and wooden planks allowing easier access to and fro. A Storage Cubicle known as “il-Kamra l-Hamra” formerly sited beneath the existing structure now rests on the seabed beneath, having been swept into the sea in a violent storm that hit the Maltese islands in the late fifties. Rusty barbed wire still litters the formerly protected coastline

The Defense Post interior layout

The interior layout of the Wied iz-Zurrieq Pillbox denoting the positions of the four machine gun placements complete with seating arrangements for its firers (Marked No. four). The base pillar (Marked No 2) was used by the observation gunner to position himself with relation to his “Spy Holes” above.

Space in the pillbox interior (Marked as 3) that was easily utilized for the munitions required by the machine gun operators. Thick metal “two flap” 2.5mm doors (Marked No 1) together with four window shutters gave added protection to the Pillbox occupants.