Maltese Pioneers

The Maltese Pioneers was a pioneer corps within the British Army which existed from 1800 to 1801.

Maltese Pioneers
Active1800–1801
Country United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Branch British Army
RolePioneers
Size500 men
EngagementsFrench Revolutionary Wars
Commanders
LieutenantFrancesco Rivarola

In December 1800, Sir Ralph Abercromby instructed Lieutenant Francesco Rivarola to raise and command a force of 500 Maltese volunteers as pioneers for the expeditionary force in the Egyptian Campaign.[1] The troops were assigned to the Ordnance Department, and their work included cutting wood and loading fuel transports.[2] Officers could also hire the pioneers as servants. They saw combat action in March and April 1801.[3] Apart from the pioneers, a third corps of artificers was also set up and joined the Egyptian Campaign.[4]

After their terms of engagement expired, the Maltese Pioneers left Egypt and returned to Malta in late 1801, after a year of service.[4]

References
  1. Micallef Eynaud, Maurice (27 September 2005). "Rivarola's salver". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016.
  2. Young, John (1802). "XI". A History of the Commencement, Progress, and Termination of the Late War Between Great Britain and France. pp. 407–408.
  3. "The Maltese Pioneers 1800 – 1801". maltaramc.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017.
  4. Baldacchino, James (May 2014). Garrisoning the military 'fief': The Maltese Corps and the Troops (1800 – 1860s) (PDF). pp. 8–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2017.
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