The Malta Independent on Sunday
A history tour College, aka th
Anniversary of the end of the First World War (1918-2018)
Anthony Zarb Dimech A few weeks ago, I was invited to visit the First Word War Exhibition at St Edward’s College, which was previously known as the Cottonera Hospital.
Cottonera Hospital was built in 1873 and at the time was considered to be one of the best in southern Europe. In 1929, the War Office leased it to accommodate St Edward’s College.
My visit proved to be more than just another history tour, as the place is brimming with history.
Four years ago, the world commemorated the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the First World War. This war was dubbed ‘The war to end all wars’ due to the all-round carnage, disease and misery, and this year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of hostilities.
High on a vantage point on the Cottonera Bastions stands St Edward’s College, enjoying vast picturesque views of the harbour and the surrounding countryside. Just a stone’s throw away from Zabbar Gate (Notre Dame Gate) and the Cottonera Sports Complex, St Edward’s College is particularly known for the service it provided during the First World War as a fully-fledged hospital and convalescent camp.
The site was initially developed by the Knights of St John as part of the defensive system protecting the outermost harbour region. Four canon emplacements still exist as a testimony of the fire-power this place afforded to any intruder threatening Malta’s harbour inlets. The guns were never fired in anger, although they were fired – as warning shots – during the initial stages of the French Occupation.
The same site was also defended during the Second World War (1939-45) by means of a Bofors anti-aircraft position, when the college was occupied by the British military authorities. The staff and students were transferred to Mdina as refugees during this period.
In 1979, the college celebrated its 50th (Golden Jubilee) anniversary as a commemorative plaque unveiled by President Anton Buttigieg reveals. Before 1929, the building served as one of the most avantgarde hospitals in the Mediterranean.
The awareness raised by the research of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing who is known for her organised care of wounded soldiers in the Crimean War, brought to the surface the need for highly spacious and ventilated hospitals. She emphasised this need because her research had shown that most patients died from infectious diseases because they were confined in small areas in hospitals that were situated in densely populated areas. In fact, one aspect of St Edward’s College that immediately strikes the eye is the number of apertures and verandas.
The place is honeycombed with very large wooden shutters and spacious verandas in order that the patients could have as much fresh air as possible during their recovery. These verandas also served as sleeping areas for the patients during the hot summer months. Graffiti, etched in stone by the patients, still exists as a testimony of the men who recovered there.
On the second floor of the building there is still one large ward that housed patients, the other wards having been divided to accommodate students when the hospital was converted into a college.
It is interesting to note that the policy embraced by the health authorities was also one where the least possible number of staff was to remain in the hospital at any one time. The reason being in line – there again – with Florence Nightingale’s awareness that the more staff present, the greater the risk of crosscontamination. In fact, the building still has the Nurses Quarters and the Surgeons Quarters – the staff who were present at all times.
The effectiveness of the hospital came to its highest point during the First World War when it welcomed thousands of sick and wounded troops, mainly brought over from the Gallipoli Campaign. These were the ANZAC troops (Australian and New Zealanders). The recovery rate of the troops earned the hospital a very high reputation and proved Nightingale’s recommendations correct.
It was not only ANZAC troops who received treatment at this hospital but also Prisoners of War (POWs) who were detained in internee camps mainly in the harbour area. In fact, one of the prominent POWs was Franz Joseph Prinz von Hohenzollern-Emden of the famous SMS Emden Light Cruiser. He was transferred to the hospital as it was just a short distance from Fort San Salvatore, where he was being detained. Despite being treated there, Franz Joseph made complaints directed at the Cottonera Hospital’s facilities such as treatment by specialists was not to be procured even if the patients were prepared to pay for it. Other complaints in-