Senior Officers' School
| Senior Officers' School | |
|---|---|
 Senior Officers' School at Earlstoke Park House (destroyed by fire in 1950) | |
| Active | 1916–1961 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Training |
| Role | Senior Army Officer Training |
| Garrison/HQ | Erlestoke Park,Wiltshire,England |
TheSenior Officers' Schoolwas a British military establishment established in 1916 byBrigadier-GeneralR.J. Kentishfor the training ofCommonwealthseniorofficersof all services in inter-service cooperation. It was established as part of a wider attempt by theBritish Armyto create a coherent training plan for its officers.
History
[edit]The School was originally intended for senior officers of the British Army who aspired tobattalioncommand. 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.[1]
The School was originally based atAldershotbut in the 1920s, it was transferred toSheerness.In 1939 it moved to Erlestoke Park, a country house atErlestoke,Wiltshire,[2]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.[2]The site was then converted into a detention centre for young offenders, and is nowHM Prison Erlestoke.[2]
There was also a parallel establishment, theSenior Officers' School, Belgaum,atBelgaumin India.[1]
Notable alumni
[edit]- John Alan Lyde Caunter,Brigadier, British Army[3]
- Andrew Cunningham,Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy[4]
- Kenneth Leask,Air Vice-Marshal, Royal Air Force[5]
- John Northcott,Lieutenant General,Australian Army[6][7]
- Evered Poole,Major General,South African Army
- Anton Muttukumaru,Major General,Ceylon Army
- Edmond Schreiber,Lieutenant-General
- John Tovey,Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy
- John Tyssen,Air Commodore, Royal Air Force[8]
- John Vereker,Field Marshal, British Army[9]
- Douglas Wimberley,Major General, British Army[10]
- Robert Nimmo,Lieutenant General, Australian Army
Commandants
[edit]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
- BrigadierBertie D. Fisher:September 1927 – March 1930
- Major-GeneralAndrew J. McCulloch:March 1930 – September 1933
- BrigadierWilfred G. Lindsell:September 1933 – May 1935
- BrigadierRobert V. Pollok:May 1935 – May 1938
- BrigadierRoderic L. Petre:May 1938 – August 1939
- BrigadierRobert C. Money:August 1939 – June 1940
- BrigadierWilliam Robb;June 1940 – March 1941
- Brigadier Piers D.W. Dunn: March – November 1941
- BrigadierD. Charles Bullen-Smith:November 1941 – May 1942
- Brigadier Stanley O. Jones: May 1942 – September 1943
- BrigadierJames M.L. Renton:September 1943 – 1944
- (school closed 1944–1945)
- BrigadierGerald E. Thubron:November 1945 – 1948
- BrigadierT. Patrick D. Scott:1948 – May 1950
- Brigadier John M.K. Spurling: May 1950 – October 1953
- Brigadier Christopher B. Lipscomb: October 1953 –??
References
[edit]- ^abKennedy, Gregory (2006).Military education: past, present, and future.Information Age Pub. Inc.ISBN978-1-59311-407-7.Retrieved26 April2010.
- ^abcIde, Isabel (2000).""A Very Pretty Seat": Erlestoke Park, 1780-1999 ".Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine.93:9–19.Retrieved26 July2021– via Internet Archive.
- ^"Caunter, Brig John Alan Lyde (1889–1981)".AIM25.Retrieved26 April2010.
- ^"Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham".Royal Navy Flag Officers 1904-1945.18 October 2007.Retrieved26 April2010.
- ^"Air Vice-Marshal Kenneth Malise St. Clair Graeme Leask".Air of Authority. 7 July 2013.Retrieved4 August2014.
- ^"General Sir John Northcott, KCMG, KCVO, MVO, CB, KstJ".Unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Services. 2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
- ^Coates, H. J. (2014)."Sir John Northcott (1890–1966)".Sir John Northcott.Australian Dictionary of Biography.Retrieved4 August2014.
- ^"Command of a Group".Flight.XXXI(1435): 355. 8 April 1937.Retrieved4 August2014.
- ^Rickard, J. (19 February 2008)."John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, 1886-1946".Military History Encyclopedia on the Web.Retrieved4 August2014.
- ^"Major General D. N. Wimberley CB DSO MC DL LLD".The National Archives.2014.Retrieved4 August2014.
External links
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