#sandhurst

Sandhurst wasn't the first official military college; that honor goes to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, which was established in 1741 by the Royal Artillery. (1) The RMA focused on training artillery officers in the technical skills needed, teaching math and science as well as military subjects. (1) It was later expanded to include officer training for the Royal Engineers, and for a time trained officer cadets for the East India Company. (1) Yet there was no official college for infantry or cavalry officers of the British Army. (1)

Colonel John Le Marchant, a veteran of the Flanders campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars, sought to improve the quality of the British officer corps. (2) Not only did he design a new light cavalry sabre, and produce a manual of swordsmanship, both of which were officially adopted, but he also developed plans to establish an official military college for infantry and cavalry officers. (1)

In 1799, Le Marchant and the Duke of York (Army Commander-In-Chief) established a staff school at High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, to develop the skills of existing young officers. (1) This school, known as the Senior Department, would later become the Army Staff College. (1) This was the basis for the Royal Military College. (1)

The success at High Wycombe led Le Marchant to establish another school at Marlow in 1802, this time with the purpose of training prospective cadets. (1) The school, known as the Junior Department, had two parts. (1) The first accepted boys from the age of 13 and offered a general education. (1) Graduates of the first were then admitted to the second which taught military subjects. (1)

The Sandhurst estate, in Berkshire, was selected as the permanent site for the new school, and between 1801 and 1812 premises were specially built. (2) Both the Senior and Junior Departments moved to their new home in 1812. (1) This print, of some cadets from the Junior Department, was done just a year later, in 1813. You can see the building, now known as 'Old College' in the background. (2)

Unfortunately, although Le Marchant was instrumental in its development, he never saw the college completed. (2) He was killed in action at the battle of Salamanca, where after leading a massively successful cavalry charge, he was shot through the spine and killed (Weller, 162). Weller called it "probably the most serious single casualty Wellington suffered in the Peninsula, apart from that of Robert Craufurd (162). The college was completed a few weeks later. (2)

Those who successfully completed the college course would be awarded a free commission into the Army, however, cadets could leave at any point during their training and purchase a commission. (1) Even those who left early would be preferred to those with no form of military education, and, over time, Sandhurst cadets came to be preferred to those officers who entered the regular Army via the militia or yeomanry. (1)

The first Sandhurst graduates were commissioned in time to take part in the battle of Waterloo in 1815. (2)

Sandhurst has continued to grow over the last two centuries, necessitating the growth of additional buildings to house the increased class sizes. (2) A chapel was added in 1879, a gymnasium in 1911, and an entire new building, New College, was built from 1901-1911. (2) A third building, Victory Building, was added between 1965-70, about which Sandhurst Trust's website says this: "The flat-roofed concrete building is considered a monstrosity by some but was the only RMAS structure to win a design award!" (2) The defensiveness of that exclamation point makes me laugh.

After World War Two, RMA Woolwich unified with RMC Sandhurst, creating the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. (1) Today, Sandhurst is fully co-ed and trains all officers; regulars, reservists, professionally qualified (doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc.) and senior soldiers commissioned from the ranks. (2) It still provides officer cadet training, as well as training to international students from other armies, and short courses to officers to those going into specialized branches. (1) Many cadets today already hold an undergraduate degree in War Studies or a similar subject from university on arrival. (1)

I wish there was more commentary on the actual uniforms on the page for this one. It looks like the one on the far right is infantry, and the one who is seated appears to have a cavalry sabre, but I couldn't tell you why the one in the middle is shaded slightly differently or has a different hat. The infantry and cavalry cadets appear to both be wearing shakos, and all three have what I assume are pantaloons. I am curious about the boots they're wearing. They don't look tall enough to be Hessians, and it's too early for them to be Wellingtons, so they might be half-boots. And their jackets look short-- possibly an attestation to their age? (3)

I did discover there's a store that sells you a miniature of a cadet, however.

Sources:

Holmes, Richard. Wellington: The Iron Duke. HarperCollinsPublishers, 2003.

Weller, Jac. Wellington in the Peninsula. Modern Literary Editions Publishing Company, 1962.

1: https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/sandhurst-officers-and-role-history

2: https://sandhursttrust.org/pages/heritage-of-the-RMAS