The Arts Society Maidenhead visit the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Thirty-seven members of our Society enjoyed a wonderful day on Monday 12th June 2023, visiting the beautiful grounds and buildings of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. We learned about the history of formal training and education of British Army officers which started in 1741. The Sandhurst site began training cadets in 1812, when the iconic building now known as Old College was completed.

Three delightful and very knowledgeable retired Army Officers showed us around the most prestigious rooms and the chapels, explaining the process for selection and outlining the course that the cadets follow – ‘1st term, make the cadets into soldiers, 2nd term, make them into fighting soldiers, 3rd term, make them leaders’. There were many impressive paintings, mainly of battle scenes and eminent officers. In the Grand Entrance, there was a splendid painting of the Royal Family on the Occasion of Prince Harry’s Commissioning in 2006. There were also many fascinating artefacts gifted from around the world, including gleaming silver ceremonial swords.

The Royal Memorial Chapel was imposing and huge, commemorating the lives of all those who lost their lives in World War I and iall subsequent conflicts. Above the arch was the inscription ‘Dulce et decorum est pro patri mori’. The smaller, more recently built Roman Catholic Chapel had a charm of its own, with a beautiful series of paintings depicting the stations of the cross and Perspex regimental crests at the end of each light wood pew.

The original chapel is now the British Indian Army Memorial Room and dining room. and was my personal favourite. It boasted a magnificent chandelier, a gift from P&O, and huge colourful stained-glass windows, depicting various campaigns and many evocative paintings. The table was set for a major function.

Our visit concluded with a picnic lunch beside the waterlily-covered lake, with Canada geese, mallard ducks and a single grebe for company. The visit was arranged through the Sandhurst Trust.