| Maltese Pioneers | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1800–1801 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Branch |
 British Army |
| Role | Pioneers |
| Size | 500 men |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Lieutenant | Francesco Rivarola |
The Maltese Pioneers was a pioneer corps within the British Army which existed from 1800 to 1801.
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[]
- ↑ Micallef Eynaud, Maurice (27 September 2005). "Rivarola's salver". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. http://web.archive.org/web/20160714043731/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20050927/letters/rivarolas-salver.77103.
- ↑ Young, John (1802). "XI". A History of the Commencement, Progress, and Termination of the Late War Between Great Britain and France. pp. 407–408. https://books.google.com/books?id=NjkIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA408&lpg=PA408&dq=Maltese+Pioneers&source=bl&ots=T9ODuoeJIS&sig=9r_i8gZa4Ra_WlaWpfkhjTDkrEM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjhnKO1uMbXAhUDPRQKHclIBz4Q6AEISzAK#v=onepage&q=Maltese%20Pioneers&f=false.
- ↑ "The Maltese Pioneers 1800 – 1801". Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. http://web.archive.org/web/20170222045859/http://maltaramc.com/regmltgar/mp.html.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Baldacchino, James (May 2014). Garrisoning the military ‘fief’: The Maltese Corps and the Troops (1800 – 1860s). pp. 8–9. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. http://web.archive.org/web/20170819182714/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/9207/14BAHST003.pdf.
The original article can be found at Maltese Pioneers and the edit history here.