RMA  SANDHURST  FIRST TERM

On a recent visit to the West Point Museum it was interesting to examine in the display cabinets all the items issued to cadets .It reminded me of those first weeks at Sandhurst when every day you were issued with more kit ( at least 50 different items ) which had to be cleaned , polished ,pressed or had something done to it . No patent leather shoes for us and gortex had not been invented .I think we were paid £ 10 per month : most of it went on buying cleaning materials ( must have made Rob De Root's Company a fortune ! ) .

We had changing parades whereby you had to get into combat kit , then No 1 Dress ,   then PT Kit etc . There were endless inspections . The dreaded phrase was " Take his Name " as that meant you were on Show Parade the next morning at 7 am . Lights out were at 2200 hrs but we would be cleaning kit by candlelight to avoid getting nicked the  next morning
You started to learn a new vocabulary .Idle was a favourite word as in idle tie ( not pinned down with a safety pin ) . You could be put on report for almost anything : long hair , dirty welts , stud missing from your boots, the list was endless . In fact the most grief came  from the senior cadets in their last term rather than the Regular Army NCOs who instructed you.  

Officers at the Academy came from across the Army but the NCOs were either Brigade of Guards or Infantry of the Line . Of the Infantry many came from famous Regiments which no longer exist like : Durham Light Infantry (DLI) , Lancashire Fusiliers , Cameronians etc . I think that what got us through that first term was the fact that these NCOs had a sense of humour . When my platoon had our 30th Anniversary Dinner in London all our NCO instructors were there . Most had by that stage been commissioned as quartermasters .This was only to be expected as to get to be an NCO at Sandhurst they had to go through a selection process .

All of us were in the same situation and slowly or not so slowly we shaped up as you can see from the photograph .

You were not allowed out for the first six weeks but having " passed off the square " there was a party in a local pub  few went back sober .

Drill was pretty dominant feature of the first term but subjects included weapon training , map reading , obstacle courses & PT.

I must admit that during the first term the only place I felt safe was in the bath . At least for 15 min a day you could not be charged with failing to comply with some rule .

Then it was over , a new intake arrived and we were no longer the sprogs .