The Senior Officers' School was a British military establishment formed in 1916 by Brigadier-General R. J. Kentish for the training of

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

senior officers of all services in inter-service cooperation. It was created as part of a wider attempt by the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

to create a coherent training plan for its officers. At first at Aldershot, the school was at

Erlestoke Erlestoke is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, England, on the northern edge of Salisbury Plain. The village lies about east of Westbury, Wiltshire, Westbury and the same distance south-west of Devizes. HM Pri ...

, Wiltshire, from 1939 until its closure in 1961.

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 up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

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 based at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

until the 1920s, when it transferred to

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 ...

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

, 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 aro ...

. There was also a parallel establishment, the Senior Officers' School, Belgaum, at

Belgaum Belgaum (Kannada ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma'', ), officially known as Belagavi (also Belgaon), is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located near its northern western border in the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters ...

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 Occup ...

, Lieutenant General,

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is 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 ...

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 Army, 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 Servi ...

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 Commi ...

, Major General,

Ceylon Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...

* Edmond Schreiber, 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 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 ...

, Major General, British Army *

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

, 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
{{Authority control Training establishments of the British Army Military schools in the United Kingdom Military history of Wiltshire Commandants of the Senior Officers' School, Sheerness