That my school in Malta between the two World Wars was perched up on a fortification overlooking both Cospicua and Zabbar deserves explanation. Malta has been fortified for over a thousand years and the basic scene around its Grand Harbour today remains as it was developed by the Knights of Malta and modified by the British who succeeded them after a brief French episode. The main concern of both the Hospitallers and the British was to guard the Galley Creek later to become the Dockyard Creek as it is still known
The Great Siege of 1565 showed the neccessity for greater fortifications to protect the galleys of the Knights and accordingly, even though the headquarters of the Order was moved to the new city of Valletta immediately after the Siege, a ring of curtain walls and bastions was constructed around the Three Cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua that enveloped Galley Creek. These are known by various names but are generally called the Firenzuola or Margherita Lines after its designer and the hill that it encompasses.
This is not a treatise on militay architecture but it was evident that these lines were not strong enough as artillery developed and so an immense outer ring of stone was reluctantly commenced and named after its originator the Grand Master Cotoner. The Cottonera Lines extend for some five kilometres with numerous bastions separated by curtain walls with imposing protected gateways at intervals. Many of these were never really opened - for the complete manning of this colossal construction was actually beyond the means of the Knights.
When the British took over Malta they appreciated the value of these fortifications but warfare had moved on and tactics changed so concern was expressed that if an enemy could penetrate the outer ring he could do great damage in the space between the lines and enfilading fire was now required. Accordingly the British bridged the lines by what were known as the St Clement's Retrenchment, another great fortification whose sides were pierced by gun ports in what are called casements, for guns were now both more powerful and required protection from plunging fire.
Almost as soon as this was complete the strategy of war changed yet again and the defence of Malta's Dockyard was moved to the coasts so to what use could the new great construction be put? It was eventually decided to concentrate the education of the British children in Malta, sons and daughters of Dockyard workers, sailors , soldiers and eventually even the air force children from out at Halfar at one central establishment and so they built a large school on top of St Clement's Retrenchment which was usually called Verdala that was actually the name of an adjoining fortified barrack block, used as government housing today. In fact as I left Malta at the beginning of war they were still enlarging the school by adding a second storey to the middle school block.
