Medical Officers
Of the Malta Garrison
Giovanni Montanaro
? – 1849

Service Record

Malta Sep 1800 On the surrender of Valletta, Montanaro was appointed Extra Hospital Mate at the Military General Hospital Valletta.

Malta 1801 Extra Hospital Mate at the Military Hospital Valletta.

Malta 1803 Chirurgo (Surgeon) the 1st Battalion the Maltese Provincials located at Fort Manoel.

Malta 1804 Assistant Surgeon 1st Maltese Regiment of Infantry commanded by Col Parisi.

Malta 1805 After the disbandment of the Maltese Battalions, Montanaro was attached to the medical staff of the garrison as an Extra Hospital Mate. He was charged with the medical duties of the depot of invalids and ophthalmia patients at Fort Ricasoli.

Malta 1806 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1807 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1808 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1809 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1810 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1811 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1812 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1813 Attached to troops forming a cordon around the villages infected with plague. On the termination of the epidemic joined the detachment at Gozo.

Malta 1814 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1815 Assistant Surgeon Maltese Provincial Battalion.

Malta 1815 Extra Hospital Mate.
On disbandment of the Provincials on 28 February 1815, he was attached to the medical staff of the garrison as an extra hospital mate. He was placed in charge of the depot of invalids and ophthalmia patients at Fort Ricasoli.

Malta 3 Jan 1819 Appointed member for the running of the Charitable Institutions on a salary of £35 8s, and surgeon to the Civil Hospital Gozo on an allowance of £20 a year.

Malta June 1825 Appointed Acting Assistant Surgeon Royal Malta Fencible Regiment. In 1825, the strength of the regiment was increased to six companies of 77 rank and file. The increased establishment included an assistant surgeon. His annual salary was £78 7s 6 1/2d. Montanaro was detached from his regiment and served at Gozo.

Malta 1826 Letter from AMD of 9 Feb 1826 raises no objection to the recommendation that Montanaro be appointed assistant surgeon to the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment, provided that he be found qualified by a Board of medical officers headed by the PMO.¹ The daily rate of pay of an assistant surgeon in the RMFR was 4 shillings 3 and a half pence.

Malta 1 Mar 1827 Detached on duty at Gozo with detachment.
Confirmed assistant surgeon RMFR by commission dated 1 Mar 1827. His daily rate of pay was 4s 2d.

Malta 1828 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.
Detached on duty at Gozo.

Malta 1829 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment on an annual salary of £78 7s 6d.
Detached on duty at Gozo.

Malta 1830 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.
Detached on duty at Gozo.

Malta 1831 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.
Detached on duty at Gozo.

Malta 1832 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1833 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.
On duty at Gozo.

Malta 1834 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1835 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1836 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1837 Assistant Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

In December 1837, he was successful in his petition for an increase in his daily pay from 4s 2d to 5s 1 3/4d. Montanaro had received the pay of an ensign since 1827, but as the pay of an assistant surgeon was equivalent to that of a Lieutenant, he was entitled to an increase pay. He was also eligible to the benefits granted by the army regulations after every 10 years service in each rank. He had served for 37 years without having at any time been absent from duty either on leave or otherwise.

9 June-11 Oct 1837 Cholera epidemic in Malta.
Received the commendation of the Principal Medical Officer Deputy Inspector of Hospitals John Frederick Clarke for his ample zeal and activity during the late visitation of cholera.

Malta 3 Aug 1838 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment following the retirement of Surgeon Giuseppe Camilleri.
Was on detachment in Gozo, where he also received an allowance of £55 8s a year for his role as surgeon in the civil hospital at Gozo and for medical attendance out of the hospital. This allowance ceased on his promotion to the surgency of the RMFR.²

Malta 1839 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1840 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1841 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1842 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1843 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1844 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1845 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1846 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1847 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 1848 Surgeon The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment.

Malta 8 May 1849 Died in Malta from enteritis. He was interred at the Capuchin's Church Floriana with full military honours. The funeral was accompanied by the PMO Staff Surgeon James Miranda Barry, the garrison commander Lt General Robert Ellice and his staff, and the bands of the 44th and 69th Regiments.

Montanaro left a widow and a numerous family. Lt Col F Bisett, Commanding Officer RMFR, applied for the Royal Bounty, graciously conceded to the widows of officers of the RMFR by HM in the year 1825, as notified to the regiment on 15 November 1825 by the Chief Secretary to the Governor. Surgeon Montanaro was an officer of the longest standing in the regiment, having served for over 45 years.⁵

In 1850, the Army Medical Officers Benevolent Fund contributed £10 to the widow and orphan son aged 17 years of surgeon Giovanni Montanaro. The family were subsisting on a local pension of £26. In 1851, another application for aid was made to the fund which donated £10 on 23 July 1851.

Lt General Ellice recommended the promotion of the assistant surgeon of the RMFR and for Dr Ferdinando Montanaro, the son of the deceased, to succeed to the vacancy so created. Governor Richard Moore O'Ferrall objected to the sons of medical men being appointed to vacancies occasioned by death or retirement of their fathers, as this had led to objections and discontent. He had ascertained that the Assistant Surgeon, Ludovico Bernard, was fully qualified to be surgeon and recommended him for promotion.

The Governor proposed that a certain number of sons of the medical profession, whose fathers had served faithfully should compete for the vacancy which would be occasioned by promotion of Dr Bernard to the surgency, and that the person found most qualified on examination should obtain the appointment. Moore O'Ferrall proposed for the candidate's examination to be conducted by medical officers of the Civil Government instead of Military Medical Officers, as these were not qualified to examine in the Italian language.

On 5 June, Lord Grey accepted the Governor's proposal. The Secretary of State replied that it seemed reasonable that the candidate should be examined by civil medical officers but it was also not unreasonable to exempt the candidate from the ordeal of an examination by the Military Medical Staff as the assistant surgeon may be called upon in the discharge of his duties to treat professionally British officers and soldiers. It is highly desirably that it should be ascertained by the Medical Staff that the person to be commissioned by the Queen to have medical charge of her troops is judged by competent officers to be duly qualified. It seems to me, moreover, that although it may be of no importance that the officer of Medical Staff who are only temporary sojourners at Malta should understand Italian, it is least desirable that a person aspiring to be a commissioned officer of Her Majesty's troops should understand enough of the language to go through the ordeal of being examined in that tongue.⁴

The Secretary of State, agreed for the the candidate to be selected of by the civil officers, subject to him being approved by the senior medical officer of the army in Malta. Once a candidate was put forward by the Malta Government, the Secretary of State would recommend him to the Commander in Chief who would submit his name to the queen for a commission in the army.