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FLag Officer Malta / Commcen Lascaris

HORNBLOWER

HORNBLOWER

GCM
:lol: Greetings shipmates, anyone on here ever based in Malta specifically worked in the Commcen in Lascaris or HMS St Angelo or any of the wireless sites on Malta or anyone who had contact with the Comms rates on the Island, 1974-1976 ish. :grin:
 
:mrgreen: What, no one putting their hands up to being based in Malta during my times ? Must be someone !Navy, booties, QARRNS, anyone ? :sad: [b]
 
Could've bumped into you in one of the upper class gin palaces in Strait Street perhaps ?
If I remember you St Angelo lot, you weren't too happy at inviting visiting ship's companies into your bar.... I wonder why :???:

:smile:
 
:mrgreen: I did reside above the 'star light' bar which was our duty free bar on St Angelo, our mess was directly above it, have to say we were 'obliged' to invite certain ships to sup with us on OUR DUTY FREE ALLOWANCE but we did suffer from time to time, some pressure heads turned up one afternoon in their smelly old boat and headed straight for the bar, over the next couple of days they drank the place dry and to top it all off, wheeled our beloved juke box out of the bar, over the quarterdeck and into Grand Harbour. No more music for us ! Generally speaking, a bar would be opened for visiting ships I believe called the 'Helix' bar, which was inside the rock of Fort St Angelo where you could drink yourself stupid before sampling the delights of Valletta and all parts Maltese. There wasn't much furniture or fittings in the star light so we used to protect it as best we could. Good times. :razz:
 
:shock: Re Whitemouse's entry, the Gut was one or our favourite Maltese spots, along with many others on the Island. I recall visiting the lady behind the Green doors about half way down when seriously tanked up and of course, doing my best not to get 'sticked' by the local cops when they did one of their baton charges down throught the Gut. One of our favourite spots was a small bar, directly opposite St Angelo across the Creek, I believe it was Vittoriosa, we would get wrecked on a DTS in the star light, jump aboard a couple of dhaiso's, sorry about the spelling, pop into this bar where there would be an elderly Maltese lady all in black, her small son would jump onto the piano and start playing knee's up Mother Brown and all those great tunes, she would serve us up a killick & two a piece, we would get even more trashed, singing our hearts out and then attempt to get back across the harbour without going in ............. not many of us made it back. Was Ronnie's just outside Halfar ? If so, my ex Father in Law (Maltese), was a good mate of the owner for years having previously worked in Halfar repairing Spitfire engines. :grin:
 
HORNBLOWER said:
:lol: Greetings shipmates, anyone on here ever based in Malta specifically worked in the Commcen in Lascaris or HMS St Angelo or any of the wireless sites on Malta or anyone who had contact with the Comms rates on the Island, 1974-1976 ish. :grin:
Click to expand...

I spent about six months there and it would have been around '74 ish if it's any use to you.
I was part of a group of Ro's who were sent over straight from Mercury, more or less to keep us out of the way for a bit.
We lived in the mess above the sick bay and right on the harbours edge. Sometimes we worked in the comcen; including when it got infested with fleas! For myself I worked most of the time with the education officer as a sort of secretary cum gofor, which was fun and allowed me to more or less do my own thing.
In fact quite a lot of my time in the Navy was spent NOT being a Radio Operator.
I did do some shifts in the comcen but no one seemed to appreciate that we were also expected to work all day, which after a long night shift got a bit wearing after a week or two with no sleep - Education officer to the rescue! Driving about the island doing not an awful lot.
I remember the food in the canteen, somewhere up on top of St Angelo was pretty good and all the Maltese staff were very friendly.
A Flag Officer with a mad dog that bit everyone seems to ring a bell; and a Sea King landing and doing a fair bit of damage as it did.
Trips to Golden Bay and days off spent quite often in a little hotel on Gozo or camping on the cliffs there.
One of the blokes managed to crash a hired car into a house.
I did build up a bit of a soft spot for Malta but have only been back there once as part of a cruise around the Med (A spanish line called Pullmantur which gives very good value for money. Better to fly to Barcelona to join the cruise than pay top dollar for a UK line out of Southampton etc).
Leastways the Med must have done something to me as I now live in Barcelona, making the occasional trip back to the Uk for old times sake.
Hope some of this helps..
 
:lol: Am still in contact with Normal Russell who I believe was out there then.
MH
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I don't believe it, Norma Russell indeed, perhaps you could pass on my greetings, young RO Jan Raven speaks, used to reside in Sliema with two other disgusting RO's.I recall many good drink ups which included Norma, I am still in contact with Jan Sheere and others .......... looking forward to hearing some news. :D
_________________
 
:lol: (I spent about six months there and it would have been around '74 ish if it's any use to you.
I was part of a group of Ro's who were sent over straight from Mercury, more or less to keep us out of the way for a bit.)
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Ah yes, I recall a group of nozzer's being sent out to St Angelo to give them something to do in '74. Some rather good dits about some of those lads and one of our Jenny Wren RO's playing the 'one eyed Piccolo' up the ramps of an evening. Don't remember much about the galley at the top of the ramp as we were generally too trashed to make it to the top but I recall the Wren's quarters were also up that way. The Naval Dr in St Angelo at that time would have you stripped down to your pusser's issue white Y fronts quick smart even if you just needed some headache pills, fond memories of the mosquito nets over the bunks in the mess above the Starlight club, all the furniture in the said club propped up as it was all damaged beyond repair the cheese and wine do's around the back of St Angelo with a disco, great times oh and going to work across Grand Harbour each day in the glorious sunshine on a launch. Superb. :wink:
 
HORNBLOWER said:
:lol: (I spent about six months there and it would have been around '74 ish if it's any use to you.
I was part of a group of Ro's who were sent over straight from Mercury, more or less to keep us out of the way for a bit.)
------------------------------------------------------------
Ah yes, I recall a group of nozzer's being sent out to St Angelo to give them something to do in '74. Some rather good dits about some of those lads and one of our Jenny Wren RO's playing the 'one eyed Piccolo' up the ramps of an evening. Don't remember much about the galley at the top of the ramp as we were generally too trashed to make it to the top but I recall the Wren's quarters were also up that way. The Naval Dr in St Angelo at that time would have you stripped down to your pusser's issue white Y fronts quick smart even if you just needed some headache pills, fond memories of the mosquito nets over the bunks in the mess above the Starlight club, all the furniture in the said club propped up as it was all damaged beyond repair the cheese and wine do's around the back of St Angelo with a disco, great times oh and going to work across Grand Harbour each day in the glorious sunshine on a launch. Superb. :wink:
Click to expand...

And the mysterious theft of the admirals barge; which was last seen (and rescued from destruction) drifting off towards the harbour entrance.
Foolish to leave it tied up by the customs house steps if you ask me!
 
:lol: (Yes Ronnie's bar was at Halfar and the scene of many a good session)
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Superb, my ex Father in law used to maintain Spitfire engines at Halfar during the war years and there is a photo of him in the museam in Fort St Elmo doing just that. He was a good mate of the owner of the bar who I believe I met in the mid 1970's when the place was still open. Robbie Vassallo was the Father in law. He has some quality stories to tell about the War years and in particular taking shelter in the Lower Barracka Gardens when the Germans were trying to destroy the Illustrious, she was in the dry dock nearby. :D
 

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