Garrisoning the military 'fief' : the Maltese corps and the troops (1800-1860s)

Abstract

It has to be said that this work contains little that is original. Rather than being an indepth study of a much-known subject in Maltese history, the aim of this dissertation is to make a contribution to a topic about which has already been written a great deal. The first official Maltese Corps as part of the British Army was raised in 1800 with the advent of British rule. The end point chosen was the 1860s as this was the era in which the changes which had characterised the period under study ceased and led to the Islands being regarded as a bastion and an integral part of the imperial military chain. Following this decade, the Corps saw no worthwhile changes and only two major military units managed to serve in the following century and up till the end of British rule. The research undertaken is mainly based on official government correspondence which took place between the Governor of Malta and, more often than not, the Secretary of State for War [and the Colonies]. These sources are housed at the National Archives and were further complimented by secondary sources which are found at the University of Malta Library and elsewhere. The first chapter of this dissertation deals with each and every Maltese Corps that was formed and disbanded in the aforementioned time period. The second chapter provides the uniforms of the men and an account as to how the Colonial and Imperial governments sought to regulate the salaries given to the troops, while the third chapter brings to light certain themes which the High Command and the authorities felt were of a sensitive nature to warrant significant attention.