Army Apprentices School , Harrogate The Army Apprentices School , Harrogate ( AAS Harrogate ) , established in 1947 , was an Army Apprentices School sited either side of Penny Pot Lane , outside Harrogate using Uniacke and Hildebrande Barracks . The School was renamed the Army Apprentices College , Harrogate ( AAC Harrogate ) in 1966 ( in line with other such establishments ) and thus remained so until its eventual closure after the Final Graduation Parade on 2 August 1996 of intake 94C . History . The early years . The trades taught at the school in the 1950s , divided into categories according to which Corps the apprentices would join on completion of their course , ( each course usually lasting three years at that time ) were : The RE Survey wing ( Royal Engineers land surveyors and mapmakers ) moved from AAS Harrogate to AAS Chepstow over a period of a year between 1960 and 1961 . Survey apprentices were trained there until Chepstow Army Apprentices College ( as it had become in 1966 ) was finally closed in 1994 . Integration . In September 1991 , the College accepted female new recruits . The Royal Corps of Signals has traditionally - since the 1980s - had a large share of female intake . Previously , all female Royal Signals recruits were put through basic training at Guildford ( home of the Womans Royal Army Corps ) and then , Catterick , North Yorkshire , UK - home of the Royal Signals until 1993 , when it completely shifted operations to Blandford , Dorset . Current usage . The Army Foundation College , Harrogate now occupies Uniacke barracks . Sports . In 1968 under the stewardship of S / Sgt Alan Dobison the AAC Harrogate football team of Scott Sqn became the 1st AAC team to retain the Army AAC ' s FA Cup . In a thrilling final in 1967 they defeated Phillips Sqn of Harrogate 7 - 6 in a mud bath after being 6 - 1 down at half time . In 1968 they defeated AAC Arborfield 2 - 1 in another exciting final . A feat which was remarkable because Scott Sqn " lost " 8 members of the 1967 team who had passed out from the College . The classification of squadrons as trade - based occurred in late 1969 , before to this the trades were mixed . Prior to the split there were five squadrons ; Penney , Philips , Scott , Rawson and the Recruit Squadron . After the reorganisation , Recruit Squadron was disbanded and recruits were trained in their own trade squadron . The initial formations were : Penney ( Technicians ) , Philips ( Technicians ) , Rawson ( Tg Ops , A Ops , and Spec Ops ) , Scott ( Tg Ops , A Ops , and Spec Ops ) , Bradley ( B Ops ) . The reorganisation , together with the welcome change to the Army Catering Corps handling the cookhouse , was done under the new Commandant , Col Johnnie Clinch . The secondary form of competition but equally as important was the ' Triangular Games ' , which was an athletics and indoor sports event that was hosted annually ( in rotation ) by the three co - existing Army Apprentices Colleges of the Royal Corps of Signals , The Royal Engineers and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers , respectively . The Champion Squadron competition was a physically punishing event . Its most feared ( in case of selection ) was the CBT event where a team of 6 – 8 squaddies had to do 1 . 5 miles ( in full SOP ) around the camp road circuit whilst carrying the equivalent in weight of an injured soldier on a stretcher . This was always measured using three full jerry - cans of water . Alumni . The Association of Harrogate Apprentices was reformed in 1999 . It is open to all aprentices and permanent staff who have served at Harrogate