The Submariners’ Walk, Malta – visit by The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
On 8 October Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh made an official visit to Malta, commemorating the 60th anniversary of independence. They called at Heritage Malta’s Fort St Elmo to visit the National War Museum, and also to inaugurate a new “Submariners Walkway”. The site was originally chosen for an HMS Urge Memorial because of its proximity to that submarine’s wreck. Heritage Malta have created new memorials for HMS Olympus (whose wreck also lies nearby) and HMS Upholder, based on the original HMS Urge Memorial design.
There is also now a plaque to WW2 allied submarines lost having sailed from or been destroyed by bombing in Malta, these being almost all Royal Navy – 31 boats – with one French and one Greek boat also noted. The Duke, whose father Prince Philip served with distinction in the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet in WW2, unveiled the plaque and walkway.
HMS Olympus (Lt Cdr HD Dymott) was lost on the same minefield as HMS Urge, only a few days later, although this proximity was only confirmed in 2019. In both cases casualties were exacerbated by naval passengers being on board as part of the evacuation of the 10th Flotilla’s HMS Talbot base due to enemy bombing, which was the heaviest in history. Some of the naval passengers were crews of other boats lost in harbour to the bombing. A small number of survivors from HMS Olympus (which carried out numerous supply runs to and from Malta) made it to shore but there were no survivors from HMS Urge (lost after 20 patrols).
HMS Upholder (Lt Cdr MD Wanklyn VC, DSO**) was lost on her 25th Mediterranean patrol and was the RN’s most successful submarine of WW2. Her wreck is not thought to lie in Maltese waters, but along with HMS Urge (Lt Cdr EP Tomkinson DSO*) she operated with the 10th Flotilla from Malta. The cause of HMS Upholder’s loss has not yet been confirmed; there were no survivors.
Details of those lost in these submarines can be found in the Online Book of Remembrance created and supported by the Friends RNSM.
Their Royal Highnesses inspected all three memorials and then met both representatives of the families of those lost in the three submarines memorialised and also former crew members of the later Type 2400 HMS Upholder, various of whom had been involved at different parts of the project. The Royal couple then cast a wreath in Malta’s Grand Harbour to commemorate the bravery of the people of Malta who endured intense bombing in WW2.
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