The Senior Officers' School was a British military establishment established in 1916 by

Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

R.J. Kentish for the training of

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

senior

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

s of all services in inter-service cooperation. It was established as part of a wider attempt by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

to create a coherent training plan for its officers.

History

The School was originally intended for senior officers of the British Army who aspired to

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

command. It was taken as an affront by some senior officers of the day, who resented the implication—true in some cases—that they were incapable of delivering the necessary training. The School attempted to widen officers' outlook by including in its syllabus subjects that were not immediately military but led to an appreciation of the wider political, geographical and technological environment in which the British Army would operate. The School was originally based at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

but in the 1920s, it was transferred to

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

. In 1939 it moved to Erlestoke Park, a country house at

Erlestoke Erlestoke is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, on the northern edge of Salisbury Plain. The village lies about east of Westbury and the same distance southwest of Devizes. Erlestoke Prison, the only prison in Wiltshire, is wit ...

, Wiltshire, where it continued to operate until June 1950 when a major fire caused it to move to the wings of the house; the school closed completely in 1961. The site was then converted into a detention centre for young offenders, and is now

HM Prison Erlestoke HM Prison Erlestoke is a Category C men's prison, to the east of the village of Erlestoke in Wiltshire, England. Erlestoke is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is the only prison in Wiltshire. Erlestoke House The prison is built ar ...

. There was also a parallel establishment, the

Senior Officers' School, Belgaum The Senior Officers' School, Belgaum was a British military establishment established in 1920 for the training of senior officers of all services based in India in inter-service cooperation. History The School was originally intended for senior ...

, at

Belgaum Belgaum (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous ...

in India.

Notable alumni

* John Alan Lyde Caunter, Brigadier, British Army * Andrew Cunningham, Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy * Kenneth Leask, Air Vice-Marshal, Royal Air Force *

John Northcott Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott (24 March 1890 – 4 August 1966) was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occupa ...

, Lieutenant General,

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

Evered Poole Major General William Henry Evered Poole, , () was a senior South African Army commander during the Second World War and later a diplomat. Early life William Henry Evered Poole was born in Caledon, Cape Colony on 8 October 1902. He was the son ...

, Major General,

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

Anton Muttukumaru Major General Anton Muttukumaru, OBE, ED, ADC (6 July 1908 – 2001) was the first native Ceylonese to serve as the Commander of the Ceylon Army (now Sri Lankan Army), a post he held from 1955 to 1959. He also served as Ceylon's High Commiss ...

, Major General,

Ceylon Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

Edmond Schreiber Lieutenant-General Sir Edmond Charles Acton Schreiber, (30 April 1890 – 8 October 1972) was a senior British Army officer who served in both the First World War and the Second World War. In the latter he commanded the 45th Infantry Division, ...

, Lieutenant-General *

John Tovey Admiral of the Fleet John Cronyn Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, (7 March 1885 – 12 January 1971), sometimes known as Jack Tovey, was a Royal Navy officer. During the First World War he commanded the destroyer at the Battle of Jutland and then co ...

, Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy *

John Tyssen Air Vice-Marshal John Hugh Samuel Tyssen, (20 June 1889 – 4 January 1953) was a British Royal Flying Corps pilot during the First World War and a senior Royal Air Force commander during the first half of the Second World War Wor ...

, Air Commodore, Royal Air Force * John Vereker, Field Marshal, British Army *

Douglas Wimberley Major-General Douglas Neil Wimberley, (15 August 1896 – 26 August 1983) was a British Army officer who, during the Second World War, commanded the 51st (Highland) Division for two years, from 1941 to 1943, notably at the Second Battle of El A ...

, Major General, British Army *

Robert Nimmo Lieutenant General Robert Harold Nimmo, (22 November 1893 – 4 January 1966) was a senior Australian Army officer who served in World War I, World War II, with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, as general officer commandi ...

, Lieutenant General, Australian Army

Commandants

The following officers commanded the school: * Brigadier-General Charles E. Corkran: September 1919 – November 1921 * Brigadier-General Barnett D.L.G. Anley: November 1921 – November 1925 * Major-General Spencer E. Hollond: November 1925 – September 1927 * Brigadier Bertie D. Fisher: September 1927 – March 1930 * Major-General Andrew J. McCulloch: March 1930 – September 1933 * Brigadier Wilfred G. Lindsell: September 1933 – May 1935 * Brigadier Robert V. Pollok: May 1935 – May 1938 * Brigadier Roderic L. Petre: May 1938 – August 1939 * Brigadier Robert C. Money: August 1939 – June 1940 * Brigadier William Robb; June 1940 – March 1941 * Brigadier Piers D.W. Dunn: March – November 1941 * Brigadier D. Charles Bullen-Smith: November 1941 – May 1942 * Brigadier Stanley O. Jones: May 1942 – September 1943 * Brigadier James M.L. Renton: September 1943 – 1944 * (school closed 1944–1945) * Brigadier Gerald E. Thubron: November 1945 – 1948 * Brigadier T. Patrick D. Scott: 1948 – May 1950 * Brigadier John M.K. Spurling: May 1950 – October 1953 * Brigadier Christopher B. Lipscomb: October 1953 – ??

References

External links

Kent History Forum, Sheppey Army establishments
{{coord missing, Wiltshire Training establishments of the British Army Military schools in the United Kingdom Military history of Wiltshire Commandants of the Senior Officers' School, Sheerness