History

Xghajra Defence Heritage Trail

This survey was carried out in line with the plans of the Xghajra Local Council to set-up a Defence Heritage Trail within the boundary of its locality.

In doing so, it is understood that the L.C. will be making better use of the existing large density of defence structures from different periods within its confines, most of which are presently very much neglected and in a state of rapid decay.

The most common kind of defence heritage at Xghajra, is that of the coastal type. This seems to have been dictated by the geo-strategical characteristics of the locality, due to its crucial positioning in between the harbours of Valletta and Marsaxlokk. The shallow nature of the waters along the Xghajra Coast has also made it an ideal landing place for an enemy who wished to land there.

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General Xghajra History

History

Delle Grazie Battery in Xghajra By the middle of the 1880`s, it was already evident that the age of the rifled muzzle loading gun was over, and that its` place was being taken by the newly introduced breech loading type of ordinance. The introduction of these new guns, brought about the necessity for the British to carry out a vast re-armament program all over their empire. This also led to several new works being taken at hand, due to the possiblity of adapting the older works of fortifications already in existence. One of the new worlds of fortifications was Delle Grazie Battery. Delle Grazie Battery is situated about two miles to the east of the Grand Harbour, hemmed between Forts San Rocco and San Leonardo, all of which were still at the timed armed with batteries of R.M.L guns. This battery was built near the Santa Maria delle Grazie Tower, a small tower built by the Order of St. John in 1620, which consequently had to be demolished in order not to interfere with the field of fire of the new guns at Delle Grazie Battery. War Office authority was given on the 31st May 1888, and construction work began on October of the same year. This work took up to March 1893 to be completed at a cost of 16,344 Sterling, and when ready the battery took the shape of an elongated hexagon, with four open barbette emplacements for two six inch and two 10 inch B.L. guns all of which where mounted on disappearing carriages. every emplacement had its own underground cartridge store, fitted with david hoists and mechanical tray hoists to lift up the ammunition. Entrance to the battery was through a in filled causeway lined with musketry loop-holed masonry walls. At the back of the battery are the ablutions, stores and the caretakers accommodation. The battery is surrounded by a deep rock-cut dry-ditch in which two pentagonal shaped caponiers with bomb-proof domed roofs are placed. These caponiers are attached to the left and right corners of the battery at the front and could provide musketry fire all across the ditch except for at the back. The rest of the ditch was covered for this purpose by musketry firing from the gateway to the Battery. During the Second World War, long after that all the original armament of this battery had disappeared, a coast defense search light battery was installed there. This necessitated the erection of searchlight shelters to place the searchlights in when not in use during the day. For this purpose two distinctly different structures were built at the battery. One is a normal garage type of a shelter in which a tracked searchlight could be placed. This was built in line with the left 10 inch B.L. gun emplacement. The other searchlight position was built on top of the left ground which forms the traverse which seperates the gun positions from the battery place of arms at the back. It was built in a defensible manner, with sloping walls pierced by rifle slits and with firing steps at the back. The walls were built of dry stone which blends very well with it’s surroundings. Recently the Delle Grazie Battery has been taken over by the Xghajra Local Council with the intention of turning its buildings at the back into municipal buildings for the locality, while the rest of the battery will be opened for public visiting. This is being done with the active assistance of Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna.