Royal Malta Artillery
The Royal Malta Artillery (RMA) was an artillery unit of the British Army in Malta . Developed from the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment established in 1815 , it existed until the islands became independent. The Armed Forces of Malta trace their tradition directly back to the Royal Malta Artillery .
history
Maltese Militia Coast Artillery
During the fight against the French occupiers , two companies of artillery were set up by Captain Vivian, Sir Alexander Ball's deputy . These companies occupied the coastal fortifications at St. Paul's Bay and Marsaxlokk and took an active part in the fight against the French troops. They became known under the name "Maltese Militia Coast Artillery". The uniform consisted of a wide skirt, cotton trousers, a blue sash and a shako .
Maltese Provincial Battalion
In the Peace of Amiens in 1802 it was determined that half of the 4,000-strong garrison on Malta should consist of Maltese men under the command of Maltese officers. The "Regiment of Maltese Militia" and the "Maltese Militia Coast Artillery" were combined to form the 1st and 2nd "Maltese Provincial Battalion", respectively. The 1st battalion was under the command of Marquis Parisi , the 2nd battalion under that of Count de Gatto . The strength was set in 1803 by Sir Alexander Ball , the first British governor of the islands, at 700 men each. The uniform consisted of a red skirt and white trousers. In the 1st Battalion the advances were sky blue and the braids were silver, in the 2nd Battalion green and gold.
The second formation was an artillery battalion with a strength of 300 men, led by Major Vivian , who was also the inspector of the Maltese and foreign troops. The battalion consisted of three companies of 100 men each. It occupied the various coastal batteries and was also used to fight smugglers. Here, too, the commitment period was five years. The uniform was that of the Royal Artillery, dark blue with red lugs. In 1815, after Napoleon's surrender, practically all of the existing Maltese associations were dissolved.
Royal Malta Fencible Regiment
In the same year the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment was set up. The soldiers of the regiment were obliged to use the British Articles of War and enjoyed the same privileges as the other Royal Troops in Malta. The term Fencible was no longer in use in the British Army at that time and here refers to a local militia unit that was supposed to defend a limited territory.
In 1829 the regiment was incorporated into the regular army. Its commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Count Rivarola of the King's Sicilian Regiment of Light Infantry (better known as Reggimento Siciliano ), who was also the inspector of the police and the foreign corps in Malta. The uniform was the same as the British line regiments, with blue advances and white braids.
In 1836 the regiment was almost disbanded. The intention was to use it for the fulfillment of police tasks and tasks of the coast guard, but the idea did not find acceptance. The commander of the regiment, Colonel Barnes , applied in 1855 to grant the regiment the status of a regular unit of the British Army in order to be able to use it in the Crimean War. The end of the war made the proposal invalid.
Royal Malta Fencible Artillery
In 1861 it was reorganized into an artillery corps. The reclassification was associated with an increase in the previously very low salary, which enjoyed great popularity with the soldiers and served to raise the morale of the troops. All soldiers, regardless of their rank, were asked whether they wanted to serve in the new regiment or to be transferred to retirement. Only two soldiers chose to retire. The uniform was now the same as that of the Royal Artillery , the regiment was called the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery . From 1900 a battery of the regiment was used in Egypt. In 1882 the Urabi Rebellion broke out in Egypt. A group of 100 volunteers from the regiment took part in the suppression of the uprising under the command of Captain Portelli with Lieutenants Cavarra , Mattei and Trapani . They were used in the defense of Alexandria , which was constantly threatened by attacks by the Bedouins. When Arabi Pasha's forces were defeated in Tel-el-Kebir , the volunteers formed part of Sir Evelyn Wood's brigade. In October the department returned to Malta. The participation of soldiers of the regiment in the suppression of the uprising was praised in the House of Lords . The officers and soldiers were awarded the Egypt Medal and the Khedive's Star , the regiment received the Battle Honor "Egypt 1882". George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, was made Colonel of Honor of the regiment .
Royal Malta Artillery
In 1889, in order to avoid confusion with the newly established Royal Malta Regiment of Militia , the word "Fencible" was deleted from the name.
Up until the second half of the twentieth century, questions of pay, pensions, but also the promotion of officers were controversial in parliament. The soldiers of the regiment were - like the soldiers of other colonial regiments - at a disadvantage compared to British units in these questions. In 1963 payment was still regulated according to different principles, but had practically been leveled and for some ranks was now even above that of the British Army. The differences sometimes even led to violent clashes between soldiers from different troop units.
At the beginning of the First World War the regiment consisted of three companies. Attempts to increase the strength of the Maltese regiments were rejected as not being in the public interest. The whole regiment did not take part in combat.
During the Second World War , the regiment formed the backbone of air defense in Malta. The regiment was structured as follows:
- The Royal Malta Artillery Headquarters: Upper St. Elmo
- 1st Heavy Battery, RMA: Fort St Rocco
- 2nd Heavy Battery, RMA: Fort Tigne
- 3rd Heavy Battery, RMA: Fort St. Elmo
- 4th Heavy Battery, RMA: -
- 5th Anti-Aircraft Battery, RMA: Fort Delimara
- 6th Anti-Aircraft Battery, RMA: Mtarfu
- 7th Searchlight Battery, RMA: Mtarfu (established September 5, 1939)
Some soldiers of the regiment took part in demonstrations for the independence of Malta in 1960.
Units of the Royal Malta Artillery were also part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR - British Army of the Rhine) in Germany from 1962 to 1978 . The regiment was used to transport guided missiles for British and US American units. The average age of the soldiers was only 20 years. During the sixties the soldiers were stationed in the Moore Barracks , Dortmund , and then in the Wrexham Barracks , Mülheim an der Ruhr . In 1973 the regiment was withdrawn from Germany.
Armed Forces of Malta
In contrast to the volunteer and militia associations in other British colonies, the regiment was financed directly by the British Crown. This also affected the payment of pensions for former soldiers of the regiment. In the course of the independence of Malta and the establishment of the sovereignty of the Maltese state, problems naturally arose with regard to the status and subordination of the regiment, but also the prospects and financial security of its soldiers. During the sixties and seventies, the regiment was seen as a symbol of the traditional ties between Great Britain and Malta against the background of the Maltese independence movement in Great Britain. The question of whether the regiment should be subordinate to the Maltese government or whether the soldiers could be accepted into the British army has long been controversial.
In 1970 the government of Malta took responsibility for the regiment. Together with the Royal Engineers (Malta) it was transferred to the Malta Land Force . On April 19, 1973 the Malta Land Force was renamed the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM). The 1st Regiment of the AFM emerged as an artillery unit directly from the Royal Malta Artillery . The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Malta still wear the badge of the Royal Malta Artillery as their hat badge , but without a crown.
Awards (Battle Honors)
- 1882 Egypt
Trivia
In 1875 the officers of the regiment were expressly requested to wear a helmet with their uniform. Obviously, wearing the headgear was not particularly widespread.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Meeting of the House of Commons on March 14, 1861, at Hansard
- ↑ HL Deb 08 May 1891 vol 353 cc348-53, Hansard
- ↑ see below Hansard: HC Deb 27 July 1922 vol 157 c692W
- ↑ Hansard: HC Deb 11 March 1964 vol 691 cc406-7
- ↑ Hansard: HC Deb 11 March 1964 vol 691 cc407-9
- ↑ HC Deb 15 March 1915 vol 70 cc1749-50, Hansard
- ^ Hansard: HC Deb 09 February 1960 vol 617 c38W
- ↑ see below Hansard: HC Deb 11 March 1964 vol 691 cc407-9
literature
- Wismayer, JM: The history of the King's Own Malta Regiment and the armed forces of the Order of St. John , Said International, Valletta, 1989. ISBN 1-871684-20-X
- Spiteri, Stephen Staines: Maltese regiments and their colors
