Maltese seamen at Trafalgar

Sailing Malta is a blog dedicated to sailing news from the central Mediterranean. It is run by the same author of MaltaMusic. In this post readers are provided with details of the six Maltese who served on board Nelson's flagship HMS Victory. From Sailing Malta:

They were all volunteers, having been recruited in Malta shortly after the outbreak of the Napoleonic war in 1803. They took part in the blockade of Toulon, the chase of Admiral Velleneuve's fleet to the West Indies and back to Gibraltar and finally in the battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805. After Trafalgar in August 1806 a grant of £300,000 voted by the British Parliament was apportioned to every officer, seaman and marine who took part in the battle. Each Maltese seaman and marine received the sum of £4.12s.6d.

From the Trafalgar prize money distributed in the following year, April 1807, each Maltese was given £1.17s.6d. In 1847 a Naval General Service Medal was granted to the survivors of Trafalgar. Out of the six Maltese who fought in the battle only one was still alive to receive the medal. He was John Tart of Valletta, then aged 63.

Protecting Maltese waters