The Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery (1853 – 1864)
(Maritime Museum Vittoriosa)
The Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery was raised in 1853 from civilian volunteers in the employment of the naval department. The men enlisted for local service for the defence of the Malta Dockyard. They trained as gunners at Fort St Angelo on Saturday afternoons. The battalion was under the command of the Admiral Superintendent of the Dockyard.
The Malta Dockyard Battalion of Artillery consisted of three companies of a hundred men each. These were: The Dockyard Company, The Victualling Yard Company and The Factory Company. The Officers were appointed by the admiral superintendent subject to the approval of the Admiralty.
The Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1853 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1854 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1855 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1856 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1857 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1858 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1859 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1860 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1861 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1862 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1863 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1864 Royal Dockyard Battalion of Artillery
1864 During the Crimean War, it was found that the duties in the dockyard did not allow sufficient time for military training, and the corps was accordingly disbanded.
The Dockyard Defence Battery
In 1939 a battery was formed for the defence of the Dockyard called the Dockyard Defence Battery recruited entirely from Dockyard personnel.
Bibliography
- Chesney A. G. 1897 Historical Records of the Maltese Corps of the British Army. London: William Clowes and Sons Ltd.