The Royal Military Academy, Woolwich (1741-1939)

During the mid-eighteenth century the expansion of the British interests aboard and in particular the protection of those interests highlighted to the Board of Ordnance the need for adequately trained officers competent to carry out those responsibilities, so in 1741 the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich (The Shop) was created to meet those training needs for "instructing the people of its Military branch to form good Officers of Artillery and perfect Engineers".

The Royal Military Academy (RMA) provided the high level of scientific education required by the Artillery (nicked named The Gunners) and Engineers (nicked named The Sappers), while at the same time ensuring that their officers had the same quality of military training as those serving in the Line. The cadets were referred to as 'gentleman cadets' and were only granted their commission after completing the course.

On passing out from the Academy, the new officers were placed in order of merit. Promotion in within the Corps was by seniority, not by purchase. This was a great incentive to study. A difference of one or two places in the final order of merit at the RMA could result in many years difference in later promotion, as the career pyramid narrowed in the higher ranks.

An immediate effect was in limiting a gentleman cadet's choice of arm. When there were more candidates for the Royal Engineers (which formerly offered better pay and wider prospects of employment than the Royal Artillery) than there were vacancies, the places were offered to cadets highest in order of merit.

After 1920, when the Royal Corps of Signals was formed as a corps separate from the Royal Engineers, it drew its regular officers from cadets trained at the RMA. Between 1922 and 1939, up to half of the officers of the Royal Tank Corps were also drawn from the RMA.

In 1936, it was decided that the RMA should be amalgamated with the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Before this decision was put into effect, both establishments closed on mobilisation in September 1939, as, in the light of experience during the First World War, no regular commissions were to be granted in time of major war. The senior cadets of both establishments were commissioned at once. The juniors were called up into the Territorial Army as private soldiers. They were then dispersed to various Officer Cadet Training Units, according to the arm or branch for which they were intended.

Notable teachers at Woolwich included Frederick Augustus Abel, Peter Barlow, Samuel Hunter Christie and Paul Sandby.

Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst website at: www.atra.mod.uk/atra/rmas/

Links to further reading:

Corps History - The Corps of Engineers (1716-1832)