Author: F. Galea

Publisher: Bieb Bieb

Format: Paperback/full colour

No of Pages: 320

A most important wartime role carried out by Royal Air Force personnel was that of Air/Sea Rescue, that is the saving of lives of airmen who, for one reason or another were forced to ditch their aircraft, or bale out of it, and end up in the sea.

Very little has been written on this subject and now, Frederick Galea has researched the activities of the Malta-based high speed launches to give us an insight of rescue operations from RAF Station Kalafrana.

The Air/Sea Rescue Unit at Malta was one of the most successful operating during the Second World War.  Although no official records survive, thus rendering it impossible to trace the number of Call-Outs, it results that a comparatively large number were successful with over 270 pick-ups being carried out.  The air/sea rescue crews did not distinguish between friend or foe and all rescued airmen were treated alike.

The rescue operations were not straightforward tasks; in fact many were carried out under the most trying conditions of bad weather, extreme distance and within site of the enemy.  Three of the high speed launches, 107, 128, and 129, were subjected to enemy attack with HSL 128 being targeted on five occasions.  However, the most vicious attack was carried out on HSL 129, which resulted in mortally wounded crewmembers.

Sadly today nothing survives of the once proud RAF Station Kalafrana sited within Marsaxlokk Bay, as following the withdrawal of the British Forces from Malta, the area was commercially developed into a large container terminal.

The author, Frederick Galea, is one of a small band of researcher/writers who spends his free time delving into Malta’s rich wartime aviation history.  Together with friends of similar interests he was involved on a voluntary basis in the setting up of the War Museum at Valletta and the Aviation Museum at Ta’ Qali.