THE MEN OF THE 2ND BATTALION
ROYAL IRISH FUSLIERS
In Spring 1940 the 2nd Battalion RIF moved out of its billets at St. Andrews Barracks to a sector within the Northern Coast as part of the Northern Infantry Brigade. Outposts were manned and a new Headquarters established at San Pawl Tat-Targa (l/o Naxxar) under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel A. Low M.C. Low was replaced by Lt.-Col. A.A.J. Allen in April 1941.
In October 1942, command of the battalion was re-assigned to Lt. Col. Maurice French.
At its peak, the Battalion's strength was 48 Officers and 929 Men, comprising HQ Staff and four companies termed A Coy, B Coy, C Coy and D Coy respectively.
Aside of the 21 servicemen who lost their lives in Malta, only 27 men would survive Leros, with several killed and the rest spending the rest of the war in German POW camps.
This page is dedicated to the men of the 2nd Battalion RIF who defended Malta, even at the cost of their lives.
Not much remains of the odd thousand men who served in Malta, in terms of memory.
Some are remembered by their children or descendants, and others remain captured in photos, letters and diaries. A handful are still alive, but the majority have now passed on, as have many of those who remember them. On a personal note, my paternal grandparents set up a pharmacy in Mosta a few years before the war. In her reminiscences, my grandmother mentioned that many a young handsome serviceman would pop in for ointments to treat insect bites and other skin issues. These men invariably belonged to the infantry battalions and artillerymen stationed in the sector, as well as RAF groundcrews.
As to who they were exactly is lost to history. Other than some badges, buttons and accessories, our archive does not hold any original photos or documentation pertaining to the Faughs.
We have managed to graft a few names and details by sifting through a large number of online sources, and hope to acquire more items and information as we go along.
Officers
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