Book description
As the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe unleashed their full
might against the island of Malta, the civilian population was in the
eye of the storm. Faced with the terror of the unexploded bomb, the
Maltese people looked for help to the Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal
Section, who dealt with all unexploded bombs, outside of airfields and
the RN dockyard, across an area the size of Greater London. Based on
official wartime records and personal memoirs, the extraordinary tale
unfolds of the challenges they faced - as the enemy employed every
possible weapon in a relentless bombing campaign: 3,000 raids in two
years. Through violent winder storms and blazing summer heat, despite
interrupted sleep and meagre rations, they battled to reach, excavate
and render safe thousands of unexploded bombs. Day after day, and in
1942 hour after hour - through constant air raids - they approached
live bomb after live bomb, mindful that it could explode at any
moment. In the words of one of their number they were 'just doing a job'.
Susan Hudson has been researching and writing factual material
since the 1970s and is a specialist in local history and folklore. Her
experience led in 1984 to a career in communcations for the heritage
industry, including work as a guide-lecturer and writing short
publications for historics sites such as the City of Rochester and
Chatham Historic Dockyard. She also compiled and presented two local
radio series on heritage attractions. Her father George Carroll was a
bomb disposal officer during the London blitz.
