Sandhurst Royal Military College

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Located in Berkshire, England on Terra, Sandhurst Royal Military College (also referred to as the Royal Sandhurst Military Academy, Sandhurst Royal Military Academy and the Holy Order of Sandhurst)‎ is the oldest continually-active military academy in human history. Originally founded to be the initial officer training school for the British Army, Sandhurst has evolved to become one of the most esteemed and famous military colleges in the Inner Sphere, and post-Jihad has provided training to officers and MechWarriors of the Republic of the Sphere's Armed Forces.

History

The history of the Sandhurst Royal Military College dates back to its founding as the initial infantry and cavalry officer training school of the British Army in 1801, 160 years before the beginning of manned spaceflight in 1961. In 1947, Sandhurst merged with the Royal Military Academy Woolwich, which had prepared officers for the Royal Engineers and Royal Army Medical Corps, to create one all-purpose officer training school for the British Army. Out of these comparatively ancient times and into the era of mankind's expansion and conflict among the stars, Sandhurst has survived wars and the passage of centuries, and has endured in its role as a military college for over 1,000 years. Sandhurst came to greater prominence after Michael Cameron graduated from the college, leading it to become considered the best and most prestigious military academy in the Terran Hegemony and later the Star League, the pinnacle of the Star League Defense Forces so-called "War Triad" with the War Academy of Mars and the Military Academy of Aphros.

Falling into ComStar hands after Operation Silver Shield in 2788, the college was converted into a training school for the Order's newly founded intelligence agency ROM in 2811 and served as such until the reign of Primus Hollings York. Forming the ComStar Guards and Militia in response to the Necess Kurita Affair, York convinced the First Circuit to relocate the ROM training center and approve a million C-Bill revitalization to transform it into modern military complex in 2933 as the Holy Order of Sandhurst. Championing its reconstruction, York would be later assassinated during the corner-stone-laying ceremony for the rebuilt Sandhurst , with his successor Adrienne Sims ordering him buried in the church floor of his beloved pet project.

The revitalized Sandhurst served as the primary training facility and command headquarters for ComStar's military forces until Terra fell to the Word of Blake during Operation Odysseus in 3059. Sandhurst was a primary target of the Blakist forces and its cadets would prove to among the strongest resistance to the invading forces. Save for reinstating the indoctrination classes the Secular ComStar halted and more stringent security precautions, the Blakists operated Sandhurst almost identically.

Much like the Blakist take-over of Terra, Sandhurst would also be the site of intense fighting during Operation SCOUR in 3079. The Alys Rousset-Marik led task force of the 12th Atrean Dragoons, 7th Donegal Guards. the Devil's Brigade and the Com Guard Fifth Army would finally defeat more than a dozen different Blakist formations after a month of bitter fighting.

As with many Terran based facilities, the control of Sandhurst would fall to the Republic of the Sphere at the conclusion of the Jihad, the rebuilt facility serving to train troops for the Republic Armed Forces.

Atmosphere

While Sandhurst taught a wide range of combat skills like many academies, originally at the instigation of Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht the ComStar and Blakist controlled college also taught cooperation and interdependence between service arms to try and break inter-branch rivalries, ultimately instilling in the Com Guards and Word of Blake Militia a thoroughly combined-arms method of operation.

Under pre-Reformation ComStar and the Word of Blake, the school also included an indoctrination course to teach students the philosophies of the Blessed Blake. No matter the student's skills, failure in this course resulted in ejection from the college. This aspect of cadet life ended with the expulsion of the Word of Blake from Terra.

Graduation

The ComStar and Blakist controlled Sandhurst graduated its cadets as Acolyte to be assigned to a Com Guard or Blakist Militia unit. Officer trainees were promoted to Acolyte after two years of study before eventually graduating at the rank of Adept a year after that.

Notable Graduates

The list of distinguished Sandhurst alumni is extensive, going back over a thousand years. Numerous soldiers, generals, statesmen, and other individuals of note have graduated from the Royal Military College. A full and comprehensive list of all of Sandhurst's distinguished graduates would be immense. Some of the College's most esteemed alumni include:

• Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during World War II
• Michael Cameron, 2nd Director-General of the Terran Hegemony
• Bernard Montgomery, senior British Army officer in World War II

Bibliography

• 20-Year Update
• ComStar (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: ComStar
• Jihad Hot Spots: Terra
• The Star League