In pictures: Early postcards of unusual sports in Malta

Postcards featuring sport events were common in pre-war Malta. The lion’s share obviously went to football. But other popular sports, like water polo, rowing and aquatic competitions, some cricket, horse racing, polo, athletics, tennis, gymnastics, boxing, though hardly as frequently, assert their presence too.

By far the greatest market for ‘sports’ postcards must have been the British armed services stationed in or passing through Malta. Most of the sportsmen belonged to the army and navy – rarely the air force – and the publishers would principally target buyers keen to keep those images as souvenirs or to send messages through the mail. Noticeable is the almost total absence of women, except for a few brave exceptions wielding tennis rackets.

Unidentified sport, Pembroke military camp World War I

A smaller section of these postcards records other sports, some so weird I could not trace their name, let alone their rules. Maybe some reader will kindly fill in the blanks of my ignorance. I have selected these freakish sports for this spread. Yes, tug of war and a rudimentary high jump, long before the Fosbury flop. Massive hurdles look more like shin ruinators than athlete-friendly props, and boring, ordinary shoes then stood in for sophisticated sport footwear. 

Hurdle race, naval sports day, 1920s. Note Maltese cross on tops. Postcard by Salvatore Lorenzo Cassar

These ‘unusuals’ only seem to have been practised in the periodic ‘sports day’, de rigueur for every military regiment or ship’s company, often in dire competition against each other, all sporting the loudest rivalry, later quenched in communal gallons of McEwans, Simonds or Guinness. 

Obstacle race, fleet sports day, 1925

Tug of war, fleet sports day, 1930s

An annual sports day also became a feature in schools and colleges, though few postcards survive of non-military events.

Students of St Aloysius’ College, gymnastics, 1914

Many of these cards, all real photos, circulated anonymously; the ubiquitous Richard Ellis and Salvatore Lorenzo Cassar signed some of them.

All postcards from the author’s collection

High jump, army games, August 1918

Unidentified sport, probably Inniskilling Irish regiment, 1909