Description
On 10 December 1799, the British Army, represented by the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment and the 89th Regiment of Foot, arrived in Malta from Messina to support the Maltese insurgents against the French occupiers. From then on, the British Army played an active role in Malta, leaving a legacy of forts, barracks, military establishments, and memorials across the islands.
A unique testament to this presence is the Main Guard in Valletta, originally built by the Order of St John. From 1814, it housed British soldiers assigned as guards and sentries to the Governor of Malta. In their leisure time, these soldiers and officers decorated the Officers’ Mess Hall with wall paintings depicting army badges, uniforms, events, caricatures, and other subjects—a distinctive legacy being restored by Heritage Malta.
