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 India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in inter-service cooperation.

History

The School was originally intended for senior officers of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

who aspired to battalion command and to ensure that all such candidates received suitable 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 Army would operate. The first commandant was Brigadier-General Henry Edward ap Rhys Pryce, who was appointed in December 1920, and the last commandant was Brigadier

William Slim Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (6 August 1891 – 14 December 1970), usually known as Bill Slim, was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia. Slim saw active service in both the First and ...

, who was appointed in June 1939, shortly before the school closed in September, due to the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in Europe. There was also a parallel establishment, the

Senior Officers' School, Sheerness The Senior Officers' School was a British military establishment formed in 1916 by Brigadier-General R. J. Kentish for the training of Commonwealth senior officers of all services in inter-service cooperation. It was created as part of a wider ...

, at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port 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 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Commandants

The following officers commanded the school during its existence: * Brigadier-General Henry E. ap R. Pryce: December 1920 – August 1924 * Brigadier-General H.B. Douglas Baird: August 1924 – June 1928 * Brigadier Clifton I. Stockwell: June 1928 – July 1930 * Brigadier S. John P. Scobell: August 1930 – April 1932 * Brigadier Martin Kemp-Welch: April 1932 – July 1935 * Brigadier Alfred H. Evans-Gwynne: July 1935 – January 1937 * Brigadier Daril G. Watson: January 1937 – June 1939 * Brigadier William J. Slim: June–September 1939

References

{{reflist Training establishments of the British Army Military of British India Military education and training in India Commandants of the Senior Officers' School, Belgaum