Agostino (Wistin) Pace
Serjeant, Royal Malta Artillery — RMA No. 1957
Agostino Pace, also recorded as Wistin Pace, served in the Royal Malta Artillery. His surviving service papers provide an unusually detailed record of his military career, medical examinations and service up to his death in the Malta Dockyard explosion of 5 October 1915.
Rank: Serjeant
Corps: Royal Malta Artillery
Medical examination: 1 April 1897, Malta
Death recorded: 5 October 1915
Service Record
| Record | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Agostino Pace (Wistin Pace) |
| RMA service number | 1957 |
| Rank | Serjeant |
| Corps | Royal Malta Artillery |
| Joined at Malta | 1 April 1897 |
| Date of death | 5 October 1915 |
| Burial | Żebbuġ Parish Church Memorial, passageway leading to the crypt |
His Royal Malta Artillery Service Record
The original attestation records that Agostino Pace enlisted at Malta on 1 April 1897. At his medical examination he was recorded as 21 years and 5 months old, a labourer, 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 131 pounds. His complexion was recorded as dark, with hazel eyes and black hair.
The service statement records his progression through the Royal Malta Artillery, including his promotion to Serjeant on 1 June 1907. It records his re-engagement in March 1909 and his continuing service with the Colours.
His military history sheet records service in Malta with the Expeditionary Force from 3 August 1914. It also records a medal for good conduct and long service. The final entry records his death from multiple injuries received in an explosion in H.M. Dockyard on 5 October 1915.
Medical Examination
| Medical record | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 April 1897 |
| Place | Malta |
| Declared age | 21 years 5 months |
| Trade / occupation | Labourer |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in |
| Weight | 131 lb |
| Chest | 35 in |
| Chest expansion | 36 in |
| Development | Good |
The Dockyard Explosion — 5 October 1915
Agostino Pace was one of the Royal Malta Artillery personnel killed in the Malta Dockyard explosion of 5 October 1915. His own service statement provides a direct primary-source record of his death, stating that he died from multiple injuries received in the explosion in H.M. Dockyard.
The surviving historical record identifies him as Serjeant Agostino Pace, RMA No. 1957. The incident occurred while Royal Malta Artillery personnel were preparing hand grenades for the Gallipoli campaign.
Burial and Memorial
Agostino (Wistin) Pace was buried in the parish church of Żebbuġ. A marble memorial to him is located in the passageway leading to the crypt beneath the old sacristy.
His burial at Żebbuġ distinguishes his memorial from the military burials of many of the other men killed in the Dockyard explosion. The parish church memorial provides a surviving place of remembrance directly associated with his home village.
Original Royal Malta Artillery Service Record
The following photographs are of the original surviving RMA papers for Agostino Pace. Click any photograph to open the larger original image in a new tab. The handwritten entries have been retained as historical source material; where a reading is uncertain, the original photograph should be consulted.
Related
Royal Malta Artillery — Dockyard Explosion Memorial
Research & Documentation
- Subject: Fedele Barbara, RMA 3193
- Source: Original Royal Malta Artillery service papers
- Related memorial: Royal Malta Artillery Dockyard Explosion Memorial, 1915
- Last Updated: 2026
The original documents are reproduced here as historical source material. The images allow the original entries to be checked directly rather than relying solely on a modern transcription.