Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-11-12
Brituin's West Point
Changed by War
By Frederic J. Hdsktn.

Of the favored position of Sandhurst and
Woolwich, the two great military estab-
lishments which together fill the same
function which West Point does in the
United States. For the period OF the
present war, at least, these two institu-
tons have been denoted from their I'LL
ira exclusive position and have been
turned to general war use, all the pride
of place and frills of preferment dis
carded.
The Military Academy in the United
States is regarded as rather exclusive
institution, congressional appointments
to cadetships being coveted and hard to
come by, but, after all, the United States
has never had quite the same ironclad
rules of precedence which have prevailed
in England. Appointments to Sandhurst
and Woolwich we're wont to go largely to
the sons of peers and county families
and scions of the old army set. But to-
day Sandhurst and Woolwich find them
selves in far more democratic position
than ever West Point is likely to be.
Sandhurst, the town, is a place Of
some 1000 population in Berkshire and
would be little known were 1t not for
the Royal Military College, two miles
away, but that college has carried the
name to every corner of the world. The
college was established by royal warrant
in 1902. Since that time it has been q
training school for officers.
Most of the brilliant names of British
military history of the last 100 years are
associated with Sandhurst, the famous
generals and field marshals who have
borne them having attended the college
in their youth. The roster is too long to
recite, but among the great names Of
graduates are those of Lord Roberts of
Kandahar, the famous "Bobs" of South
African and Indian wars, who graduated
in 1847; Lord Allenby, who took Jeru.
salem in the World War, class of 1881,
and the Earl Haig of Bemerside, COM
mander on the western front. class of
1884.
The British educational system is ma
terially different from what it is in the
United States The youth entering
Sandhurst is expected already to have
had course of schooling equal to at
least two American college years. With
but few exceptions, the matriculants have
been graduates of some one of the great
public schools, such as Eton, Harrow or
Winchester, institutions which are called
public schools, but are really private
schools. Public schools in the American
sense are called board schools in Eng
land just as, in the United States pri-
vate schools are called boarding schools.
Probably because the Sandhurst en-
trant has been we'll started, the course
runs but two years compared with the
four years of West Point. In the United
States West Point cadet receives pay
for being cadet; in England the Sand
hurst cadet must pay for the privilege.
The fee is $500 term, which, for the
two years, meant a cost of $4,000 Sons
of officers are admitted at the cut rate
OF $500 term. There are few scholar
ships in the gift of the Army Council
for those of exceptionally high standing
at entrance examinations.
These tuition fees are but a part Of
the cost. The cadets must buy their
WA NAAAAoA3AASS WINS, llloll anu
other materials required for their studies
and, as most of them have in the past
belonged to the British ruling class, the
social costs, the cost of keeping up ones
end, have been high. A young man
needed from $4,000 to $4,000 to scrape
through the social obligations of the
Sandhurst course, in addition to tuition
and book costs. During the World War
cadets were shot through Sandhurst in
a special skeletonized four month course,
and, after the war, the course was placed
on an 18-month basis
Upon completion of his course, the
cadet receives his commission as an
officer of his majesty's service Those
standing highest in final examinations
have choice of regiments to which they
shall be assigned.
At West Point all branches of the mill
tary art are taught, but in England
artillery has its own school. It is the
Royal Military Academy at Woolwich
which, in the service, is always referred
to as the Shop. Woolwich now is
suburb of London and once was a Ship
yard. 1t was there that the Harry Grace
de Dieu, the first great war vessel of the
British Navy, was built by Henry VIII.
1t very early became the chief British
arsenal.
The school was established in 174l
and has, like Sandhurst, turned out great
military men. Among the famous gradu-
ates are Lord Kitchener of Khartoum,
the Duke of Connaught, Gen. Chinese"
Gordon and the Prince Imperial, son Of
Louis Napoleon of France While at both
Sandhurst and Woolwich youths in their
teens only are admitted, in earlier days
cadet might enter at the age of 10.
The fees are the same as at Sandhurst,
or have been until this new order of
things, and the studies follow much the
same line save that the emphasis is
placed on ordnance rather than on horse
and foot The course now is 10 months
and graduates are commissioned in the
Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineers or
the Royal Corps of Signals.
The abandonment or suspension Of the
system represented by these schools is
far more drastic step than would be the
abandonment of West Point in the United
States, because the United States never
has had anything like the old British
Army system
In earlier times the colonel of a regi-