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Reunions at RMAS 2008 and 2009

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The Last of the GC's

The Final Luncheon of the Last of the Gentlemen Cadets

The last term of gentlemen cadets (GCs) passed into the Royal Military College, Sandhurst on 26th August 1939 and a week later, on Sunday 3rd September, the Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, announced on radio that, as of 1100hrs, the nation was at war with Germany. The College was immediately placed on an OCTU basis and seventeen weeks later the Last of the GCs were commissioned and joined their units.

After the war, the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich (the Shop), which, pre-war, trained the technical arms, was closed and the RMA Sandhurst became the sole UK Army Officer training establishment. As with the wartime OCTUs the students were known as Officer Cadets.

Some fifty years later, through the efforts of two of their number, Major General Rowley Mans and Brigadier Donald Locke, who traced the addresses of the some 250 former GCs, some sixty came together again at the Queen's Banner Parade at Sandhurst in 1989, their fiftieth anniversary year. For the following ten years the GCs continued to meet at the Queen's Banner Parade until their 60th anniversary in 1999 when they were marched through the parade and up the steps of Old College to pass out, sixty years late. Over the past five years the remaining members of the group have continued to meet for lunch annually but, in this their 65th year, with dwindling numbers it was generally agreed that the time had come to call it a day.

So, on 23rd September 2004, under the auspices of the Sandhurst Federation, a dozen GCs and their wives and guests held a Final Lunch in the Conference Room in the Old Building (as they always knew it). General John Carpenter, who had once been a company commander in Old College, welcomed our guests, the Commandant and Mrs Ritchie, the Federation Director Francis Hobbs and the Curator, Dr Peter Thwaites. In his welcome General John read a message from the most senior of the GCs, Field Marshal Sir Rowland Gibbs, who sadly could not be present having only just come out of hospital. The Commandant responded.

Prior to an excellent lunch the GCs handed over to the Curator a number of photographs and memorabilia from their very curtailed sojourn at Sandhurst. This sad but very enjoyable occasion drew to a close with a photo-call for the Last of the GCs on the steps of Old College.

The GCs wish to express their gratitude to the Commandant and all at Sandhurst for making this final GC occasion so memorable. In particular they would like to thank Mrs Poey Vacher of the Federation for her unstinting support throughout.

Army Headgear!

David Owen, who is making the arrangements for INTAKE VI Reunion, is a collector of military hats, which occupy the top of 2 ½ walls of his dining room in France.

He requires help to fill up the remaining 1 ½ . His collection includes several hats from Colonial and Foreign Army?s as well as those from the UK.

Intake 34 Reunion 2004

On Sunday 10 October 2004 Intake 34 celebrated the 40^th anniversary of their commissioning with a service in the Chapel and a reunion luncheon in the Indian Army Room.  A total of 150 members and their wives attended (90 members and 60 wives), several having travelled from USA, Canada, Fiji and Thailand.

The actual commissioning date was 17 December 1964 but for various practical reasons it was decided to bring forward the celebration date.

The Chapel service took the form of the normal Academy morning service but included a remembrance of the 14 members of the intake who are deceased. The lesson was read by Mike Farland who was the Sword of Honour winner and who had travelled from Fiji to attend the reunion. The hymns selected were the same hymns sung at the commissioning service in 1964.

Before lunch the Chief of Staff, Colonel Alick Finlayson, welcomed the intake on behalf of the Commandant and explained some of the changes that have taken place at the Academy since the days of Intake 34.  After lunch General Sir Rupert Smith recounted some of his experiences as a member of the intake, reflected on the varying paths taken since by individuals and thanked the organisers, including the Sandhurst Foundation.

The reunion concluded with a group photograph on Old College steps and individual tours of the Academy grounds and facilities.