The unit was formed with strength of five officers and 62 other ranks; and was attached to 44th Royal Tank Regiment prior to its embarkation for Malta; the unit was part of Malta Command.

On 28 November 1940 1 Independent Troop, 44 RTR (commanded by Captain R E H Drury) arrived on Malta on Convoy R.45.

By 30 June 1942 the British armour was organised thus:[4] A Squadron 6 RTR group was made up of three officers (Major S D G Longworth, Lt K J H Macdonald and 2Lt J Stiddard and 79 other ranks.

[8] X Squadron had set sail with 13 A13 Cruiser tanks but five were lost when the ship carrying them struck a mine and sank.

It spent the war patrolling, boosting morale across central Malta and acting as tugs removing damaged aircraft from runways.