Journals June 2018

no equivalent
training for officer
cadets in the
infantry or
cavalry. And it
showed. In
Flanders, in the
early years of the
22-year long
struggle with
France, a British
officer from
G u e r n s e y ,
Colonel John Le
M a r c h a n t ,
recognised that
the enthusiasm
of amateurs who
had bought a
commission was
no substitute for
training in
leadership and
military skills. He
convinced the
head of the army, the Duke of York, that the army should set up
an officer training school. Temporary schools were first in High
Wycombe for seniors and then in Marlow for juniors. There was
resistance to the cost of building a permanent
school but Parliament eventually voted £30,000
for it in 1801. George III signed a royal warrant in
1802 for a Royal Military College. There would be
100 orphan cadets, 80 serving officers and 100
gentlemen cadets. Le Marchant wanted a base
in the country, away from “injurious influences”;
the King wanted it near Windsor; the army
wanted it near London; while the enemy France
was just across the Channel. The outcome was
the purchase of the Sandhurst Park Estate in
1802 for £8460, £9 million in today’s money. The
buildings were completed in 1812 and the
College was officially opened by Queen Charlotte
in 1813, who presented its Colours. 120 years
later, it was proposed to combine Woolwich and
Sandhurst. World War II delayed this but the two
were finally combined in 1947 to become the
Royal Military Academy of today. The Academy
is the home of the British Army’s officer corps and
all officers pass through it.
Sandhurst is an impressive place. But there was
some dodgy dealing when the Government
bought it. It was sold by William Pitt the Younger, who had
purchased it from poor relatives for only £2,600. In other words,
he almost tripled his money. It is not clear whether Pitt was Prime
Minister at the precise time of the transaction (he left office on 14
March 1801 and did not return to office until 10 March 1804) but
it doesn’t look good. Still, for the nation it’s turned out to be a
good investment. Sandhurst has an array of striking buildings.
The Old College, completed in 1812 and designed by William
Wyatt, is the best known. But others are handsome too. New
College for one, built shortly before World War I. The Royal
Memorial Chapel. The Roman Catholic Chapel. And, though not
to everyone’s taste, the brutalist Churchill Hall, Victory Building
and Academy HQ.
In many ways, Sandhurst symbolises the army. And acts as its
collective memory, as with the Indian Army Memorial Room. But
e Journal
its principal purpose is, as it always has been, a place where men
- and now women too – learn leadership skills and military skills.
Training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst lasts for 44 weeks,
broken down into three 14-week terms. Between each term, there
are adventurous training exercises and 2-3 weeks of leave. Term
one focuses on basic military skills, fitness and decision making.
Term two continues the development of leadership skills and has a
major academic component. Officer cadets select their future corps
or regiment at this stage. In term three, officer cadets put their new
skills into practice on complex and demanding training exercises in
the UK and overseas. Once training has been completed, the new
officers receive their commission in the British Army and join their
chosen units after a brief period of leave.
Sandhurst is famous for its traditions. Like the Sovereign’s Parade,
at which officer cadets receive their commissions at the completion
of their training, At the conclusion of the parade the graduating
cadets march in slow time up the steps of the Old College and into
the building. Since 1926 they have traditionally been followed by
the Academy Adjutant - still mounted on his charger. No mean feat,
when the Adjutant is usually from an infantry regiment and has to
learn to ride in a very short period. Called the Sovereign’s Parade
by direction of King George VI, after he took the salute at the 1946
Parade and was enormously impressed by it. Nonetheless, our
guides – one-time Sandhurst cadets themselves, now retired –
stressed that Sandhurst does not stand still. In their day, twice as
many cadets came from independent as from state schools. Now,
the proportions are reversed.
Probus Clubs worldwide work to provide regular gatherings
for those retired or semi-retired business and professional
people who, in retirement, appreciate and value opportunities
to meet others in similar circumstances with similar interests
and who enjoy the company of those having a broadly
comparable outlook on life.
Lunch meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of each
month at the Mount Avenue Banqueting Suite, Hutton, 12.30
pm for 1pm. Often they are followed by a short (ten to fifteenminutes)
talk. New members are always warmly welcomed.
For more information, either contact a member who will be
pleased to bring you to a lunch or to find out more, call our
President Peter Batchelor on 07715 176543, our Secretary Bob
Furley on 01277 352917 or Strachan Heppell on 01277 353418.
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