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Out of Salonika!

Mtarfa Military Hospital, Malta

January 1918April 2005

Click on the photo for a larger version & see notes below

front
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Soldiers convalescing at Mtarfa
The original is an ordinary postcard, about the same size as the list of names here which are in pencil and now rather faint. George Jackson is in the middle of the photo with his hands on his knees and listed right as Sapper Jackson. He joined up in 1917 aged 48 when compulsory enlistment to the age of 50 had just been brought in but he could not have been in Salonika long when he caught malaria. Probably the whole group had caught it - it was widespread among the soldiers - and hundreds were sent to Malta to recover. The hospital uniform is a white shirt, red tie and blue trousers. Some men are in slippers.

Mtarfa - as pronounced - Imtarfa
Names, ranks and regiments, WW1 soldiers at Mtarfa, Malta

Visit to Mtarfa April 2005
(The old hospital, compiled from two visits)

Matarfa seen from Mdina
Mdina.from Mtarfa
View of Mtarfa Military Hospital from Mdina
View of Mdina, the 'silent city', from Mtarfa
Railway Station between Mdina & Mtarfa, now a restaurant
The old railway station in the valley between Mtarfa and Mdina is now used as a restaurant.
View of Mtarfa from the bridge over the old railway line
 Welcome to Mtarfa
Approach to Mtarfa from the railway MTARFA - MERHBA 'Welcome'
Succulents on Malta flowers on Malta wild flowers on Malta an Army Operations Centre, Malta
The road up to the top of the ridge was cut through the rock. Succulents flourish here as everywhere in Malta, with their large fleshy 'leaves'. A door in the wall marks the entrance to the former operations centre underground , now used for mushroom growing.

Plaque to the left of the front entrance

Plaque to the left of the main entrance, Mtarfa Secondary School, Malta

 front of Mtarfa Military Hospital, Malta
Date of building of Mtarfa Military Hospital, Malta

Mtarfa Royal Artillery & Naval Hospital
with GR - Georgius Rex - 1917 on a plaque above the door

George Rex - King George - 1917
Badge of the royal Army Medical Corps The crown - George V Badge of the Royal Naval Medical corps
Over the door - badges of the military and naval medical services and a crown (for George V)
side of Mtarfa hospital, Malta
aerial photo of the Military & Naval hospital, Malta
side of Mtarfa military & naval hospital, Malta
Centre - an aerial view of the building. So many hospitals were established on the island from the time of the Knights Hospitallers in the Middle Ages to WW1 and WW2 that Malta was known as the 'Nurse of the Mediterranean" The military hospital continued in use, but as a maternity hospital from about 1920. It is now a secondary school.
flowers of Malta
side of Imtarfa secondary school, once used as a hospital in WW1
locust
Wild life -
locust near the old railway station
forner Br. Army Barracks, Mtarfa, Malta former British Commanding Officer's house, Mtarfa, Malta
The old barracks are being turned into housing Quarters of the C.O.

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George Jackson in Woking

updated June 2005