I started this letter during the glorious weather yesterday and now am finishing it in the rain!!  For those who did not manage to make it to the Heritage Day - it was a wonderful day with loads for all age groups to enjoy.  Unfortunately the academy was hit by the Norro virus but luckily we now seem to be rid of it -but it did mean that a lot of events and exercises were cancelled.  The Inters have now depolyed on their exercise and the RSM's convention is currently taking place here at the Academy.  The Parade Ground is all marked out for the World Pace Sticking competition on Friday - which you are all most welcome to attend.  Please don't forget to sign up for the next Leadership Encounter on Tues 29 July and also the the next one in September - please note that this one is on Wed 10 Sep.  We have now produced a wonderful glossy 34 page RMAS guide - with self-guided tours - they are already proving very popular and are only £4 each - if you would like to purchase one please contact the office.

Leadership Encounter Evening - Tues 29 July 

Stuart Gordon is an academic in the Department of Defence and International Affairs here at the Academy.  He has recently co-authored the UK plan for southern Afghanistan (the 'Helmand Road Map') and the evaluation of the Helmand PRT Quick Impact Project Programme and has just returned from that region.  His talk will be on 'Losing Afghanistan?'.

This will be a fascinating up to date presentation and is sure to be an eye opener on what is really going on out in Afghanistan.  The evening will begin at 1800 - all members and their guests are very welcome to attend.  Please click >>here for more information on Stuart Gordon and click >>here to sign up.

Leadership Encounter Evening - Wed 10 Sep

With the Summer Holidays looming I wanted to get this date firmly in peoples' minds - by very popular demand, David Williams who gave the fantastic talk on Florence Nightingale, is coming back to give a review of the Crimean War - this will include the politics, the people, the uniforms, tactics and the battles  - all in under an hour!!  He is a brilliantly enthusiastic speaker who will give us a fascinating talk - so please do sign up - friends and family are very welcome.  Click >>here to read more about David and click >>here to sign up.

Leadership Encounter Evenings

As with all events over time costs increase - to this end we are having to increase the price of Leadership Encounter evenings to reflect this.  From now members will be charged £15 and non-members will be charged £20 - these prices include 1 drink.  Further drinks will be charged at £1.50 for wine and £1.00 for Orange Juice.  Please also note that numbers for these evenings go to the caterers on the final Monday - anyone cancelling or not attending after this date will unfortunately be charged as we are charged by the caterer.

I hope that this will not deter our members from attending - we are extremely pleased to announce that Lord Douglas Hurd has agreed to speak to us this November whilst Frank Gardner,CGS, Guy Munnoch (CEO of Zurich) and many more big names have agreed to speak in 2009.

Night will be on Saturday 13 June - let's fill the IAMR to it's capacity of 120!

Commissioning Course (CC) Speakers for Winter Term

If you would like to attend any of the Speaker nights below please email Jules on jules.mccoll@sandhurstfoundation.org.  All Speaker nights start at 1815hrs and are held in Churchill Hall.  You are welcome to bring along family or friends but please ensure that we have all the details of those attending and they bring photographic ID with them.

EVENTS AT RMAS

All Arms Pacesticking Competition - 4 July - If drill was your forte - then this is a good day out to see how the 'real' professionals do it!  The competition starts at 1000hrs and there is both food and drink available. If you would like to attend please email Jules on jules.mccoll@sandhurstfoundation.org or call 01276 412838.

Kermit Roosevelt Lecture - 9 July - General Benjamin S Griffin Commanding General US Army Materiel Command, will be giving the lecture.  The lecture begins at 1100hrs in Churchill Hall. If you would like to attend please email Jules on jules.mccoll@sandhurstfoundation.org or call 01276 412838.

RMAS Charity Polo Day - 10 July - if you are interested in this event the first match is at 1700 and the second is at 1830 with prizes at 1945.  Please contact the office on 01276 412000 to book in if you would like to attend.

Exhibition Polo Match - RMAS 'Present' Vs RMAS 'Alumni' - Fri 25 July

If you are interested in taking part in a Polo match or indeed just spectating then please click >>here for further details.

RMAS City Polo Association Tournament - 25 July - if you are interested in this event please contact the office for further details.

Commandant's Parade - Wed 6 August

If you would like to attend the next Commandant's Parade on Wednesday 6 August please contact the Foundation office on 01276 412000.  Tickets are free and members are very welcome to bring along family and friends.  Please feel free to bring a picnic and enjoy the grounds afterwards.

Music on Fire - 18 - 20 September

For those of you who have not experienced this event it is billed as the UK's most stunning outdoor spectacular.  The Army Benevolent Fund presents Music on Fire featuring a 007 James Bond Spectacular, with special guest star Hayley Westenra.  All the proceeds will be going to the ABF's new fund for veterans of current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Music on Fire is a mixture of live popular and classical music, interspersed with a thrilling firework display and a magical Son et Lumiere.  Celebrating James Bond and the centenary of his creator, former Sandhurst Officer Cadet, Ian Fleming, world class artists perform with a 100-piece orchestra and a 100-voice choir in true 007 style.

Guests would be invited to picnic on the lawn in front of Old College from 4pm - show starts at 7.30pm 

Tickets are £29 Standard and £39 Premium - central area directly in front of stage.  Children under 16yrs old are £21 Standard and £31 Premium.  Army (Regular, Reserve, TA or Cadets) £20(Standard) or £30 (premium) - only bookable by phone - ID available on the night.

Groups of 10+:10% discount  Groups of 40+: 15% discount

Tickets are available from Ticketmaster 0844 847 1657 or book on line at www.musiconfire.com

Members at Music on Fire

Any members and their guests attending Music on Fire on either the Thurs or the Fri are invited for drinks in the Officers Mess Tent.  If you would like to go in and have a drink(mess prices) then please contact the office on jules.mccoll@sandhurstfoundation.org or call on 01276 412000 in order that we can send you a pass to gain entry into the tent.

EVENTS

Charity Ball - Sat 12 July

A charity ball is being run in aid of Help for Heroes on Sat 12 July.  The event venue is the spectacular 5 Star Grange City Hotel just a stonethrow away from the Tower of London with reduced room rates for guests at the ball.  The evening begins with a champagne reception at 7pm followed by a 3 course dinner with wine.  Music and Dancing will follow with a charity auction and raffle.  The dress will be evening wear/black tie.  Ticket price is £95 per person and 10 can be seated at a table.  For further information or to book tickets please click on the following link:  www.acelebrationoflife.moonfruit.com

Marvellous 08 Concert - Wellington Country Park 18 - 20 July

All Foundation members have been offered special discounts for the Marvellous 08 concert - to claim your discounted tickets please call 0118 977 4350 and quote ref SND.  Please see the poster above for more details of groups playing and price discounts.

ADVERTS

Project Hougoumont 

Project Hougoumont are offering our members the opportunity to win a pair of Collingwood signed prints - if you would like to answer the question below please email your answer to

 info@waterloo-collection.com

Here is the question:  Are the British soldiers depicted in the paintings armed with Rifles or Muskets?

Please click >>here to read about the Project, the painter and the paintings (Please note that due a technical error we are currently experiencing - I have had to remove all the apostrophes and pound signs in other documents).  Please click >>here to see the price list.  A technical problem is preventing us putting the pictures on the web site at the moment but this will be sorted out shortly.

Waterloo and Quatre Bras Tour

The Waterloo and Quatre Bras Tour is hosted by Trevor Rutter from Waterloo Battlefield Tours.

Saturday 27 Sept to Monday 29 September 2008

Fully comprehensive, value for money, all-inclusive tour which includes all meals, accommoadation, museum fees and travel. Prive £450 per head (£40 single room supplement if appropriate)

Comprehensive 48 page historical information pack provided in advance.

For more information go to www.waterloo.gb.com or call 01962 712595.

Members who go on this tour will also have a chance of winning a pair of signed Chris Collingwood prints.

Articles for The Wishstream - The Journal of the Sandhurst Foundation

We have already had a good response from some of our members but please do read on if you feel you may be able to contribute.......We are now well into the commissioning process for the 2009 edition of the Wishstream and from some of the returned proformas it is clear that many readers would like to hear more about the early conditions at RMAS between 1947 and 1955 - what the drill was like, day to day life of an Officer Cadet etc.  If anybody feels they would like to put some memories down please email them to Jules  - it does not have to be a complete article - we could make up half a page of short memories - any photographs would be excellent.

Armed Forces Memorial - National Lottery Awards

The Armed Forces Memorial, which forms part of the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield, has been shortlisted for a prestigious awared by the National Lottery Awards Board. Please click >>here if you would like to vote.

Beautiful cottage in Dorset for rent - please click >>here to view the details of one of our members rental properties down in Dorset.

Reunions

Intake 2 Reunion

A reunion for former cadets of Intake 2 will take place at the RMAS Sandhurst on 10 December 2008.  The event will provide an opportunity to attend the Commandant's Parade that day, followed by a celebratory lunch.

The Reunion is being organised by Byran Tonkinson who organised a private affair for sixty at the School of Infantry on the 50th Anniversary in 1998. General Sir David Mostyn presided and Sir John Keegan was the principle guest on that occasion.

With the passage of time a problem arises in locating those eligible to attend.  Please notify the U/M of anyone you know from Intake 2 with current address and telephone number - Major(Retd) J B Tonkinson MBE DLI  - Tel 01932 253011

The following Reunions have now been set up:

Intake 25 - 26 July 2008

Intake 39 - 27 July 2008

CC923 - 6 Aug 2008

SMC 32 - 6 Aug 2008

Intake 1 - 6 Aug 2008 - please contact the organiser, Charles Potts direct on 01905 620324

Intake 21 - 6 Aug 2008 - please contact the organiser, Malcolm Parry-Davies on 01202 700586

Intake 22 - 10 Dec 2008

Intake 2 - 10 Dec 2008

SMC 34 - 7 Apr 2009

SMC 19 - 7 Apr 2009

CC933 - 5 Aug 2009

Intake 3 - 5 Aug 2009

Intake 23 - 5 Aug 2009

Intake 24 - 9 Dec 2009

CC942 - 10 Apr 2010

Intake 26 - 17 - 18 Sep 2010

Please click >>here to see further details and to add your name to the lists.  If you click on the actual title of the reunion (left hand side of page) you will be able to view who is coming. Please also pass the word around to friends who might not be members but would like to attend.

If you would like to have your Reunion organised please email the Foundation and we can get to work on it for you.

2008/2009 Foundation Programme - please click >>here to view the programme for 2008 - this is constantly updated with new events.

The Sandhurst Shop  -  Please click >>here to see what is on sale in our shop  - we now sell a Foundation biro at £2 each.

 
Jules McColl
Sandhurst Foundation Secretary