A E Abela

A. E. Abela, often referred to as Major A. E. Abela, was a Maltese military officer, historian, and researcher with a particular interest in Malta’s connections with British military and chivalric institutions. He is best known for his authoritative work The Order of St Michael and St George in Malta and Maltese Knights of the British Realm (1988), a pioneering study that documents the history of the Order of St Michael and St George in Malta and the Maltese recipients of this distinguished British honour.

Through meticulous archival research, Abela explored the origins of the Order, its close association with Malta during the British colonial period, and the biographies of Maltese knights who were admitted to the British realm of chivalry. His scholarship remains an important reference for historians studying Malta’s constitutional, military, and imperial history.

Abela’s work has been recognised by later researchers as a foundational contribution to the study of the Order of St Michael and St George and its historical significance in Malta.