List of governors and commandants of Sandhurst

This is a list of the governors and commandants of the Royal Military College, first at Great Marlow (1802–1812), then at Sandhurst (1813–1939), and of its successor on the same site, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (1947 to date).

The Commandant of the Academy, as of the former Royal Military College, is its commanding officer and is always a senior officer of field rank. Most Commandants serve for between two and three years and many go on to further significant promotions.

History of the role

The Royal Military College Sandhurst was originally led by a Governor (a figurehead), a Lieutenant Governor (in command of the college) and a Commandant (responsible for the cadets).[1] In 1812 the posts of Lieutenant Governor and Commandant were merged into the role of Commandant.[1] In 1888 the posts of Governor and Commandant were merged into the role of Governor and Commandant and in 1902 that single role was retitled Commandant.[1]

With the creation of the merged Royal Military Academy in 1947, the commanding officer continued to be called the Commandant.

List of governors

• 1802–1811: General Sir William Harcourt (from 1809 the 3rd Earl Harcourt)[2]
• 1811–1819: General Sir Alexander Hope[3]
• 1819–1824: Major-General Sir George Murray[4]
• 1824–1826: General Sir Alexander Hope[5]
• 1826–1837: General Sir Edward Paget[6]
• 1837–1856: General Sir George Scovell[7][8]
• 1856–1866: General Sir Harry Jones[9]
• 1866–1868: General Sir George Wetherall[10]
• 1868–1875: Major-General Sir Duncan Cameron[11]
• 1875–1882: Major-General William Napier
• 1883–1886: General Richard Chambré Hayes Taylor
• 1886–1888: General David Anderson

List of lieutenant-governors

• 1801–1811: Major-General John Gaspard Le Marchant[12]
• 1811–1829: Colonel James Butler[13]
• 1829–1837: Major-General Sir George Scovell[7][14]
• 1837–1854: Major-General Thomas William Taylor[8]
• 1854–1857: Colonel George Walter Prosser[15]
• 1857–1864: Colonel Charles Rochfort Scott[16]

List of commandants

The Commandants include:[17]

Royal Military College, Sandhurst

• 1864–1869: Colonel Edmund Gilling Hallewell[18]
  • 1865–1874: Colonel Joseph Edward Addison[19] (Superintendent of Studies)
  • 1874–1879: Colonel Frederick Dobson Middleton[20] (Assistant to the Governor)
• 1879–1884: Colonel Frederick Middleton[21] (Commandant reporting to the Governor)
• 1884–1886: Colonel Frederick Solly-Flood[22] (Commandant reporting to the Governor)
• 1886–1888: Colonel Aylmer Cameron[23] (Commandant reporting to the Governor)
• 1888–1893: Lieutenant-General Edward Clive (Governor and Commandant)
• 1893–1898: Lieutenant-General Sir Cecil East[24] (Governor and Commandant)
• 1898–1902: Lieutenant-General Sir Edwin Markham[25] (Governor and Commandant)
• 1902–1907: Major-General Gerald Kitson[26][27]
• 1907–1911: Colonel William Capper[28]
• 1911–1914: Major-General Lionel Stopford
• 1914–1916: Brigadier-General Stuart Rolt[29]
• 1916–1919: Major-General Lionel Stopford
• 1919–1923: Major-General Sir Reginald Stephens[30]
• 1923–1923: Major-General Herbert Shoubridge[31]
• 1923–1927: Major-General Charles Corkran[32]
• 1927–1930: Major-General Eric Girdwood[33]
• 1931–1934: Major-General Reginald May[34]
• 1934–1937: Major-General Bertie Fisher[35]
• 1938–1939: Major-General Ralph Eastwood[36]

Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, 1947 to present

• 1947–1948: Major-General Francis Matthews
• 1948–1950: Major-General Hugh Stockwell
• 1951–1954: Major-General David Dawnay
• 1954–1956: Major-General Reginald Hobbs
• 1956–1960: Major-General Ronald Urquhart
• 1960–1963: Major-General George Gordon-Lennox
• 1963–1966: Major-General John Mogg
• 1966–1968: Major-General Peter Hunt
• 1968–1972: Major-General Philip Tower
• 1972–1973: Major-General Jack Harman
• 1973–1976: Major-General Robert Ford
• 1976–1979: Major-General Philip Ward
• 1979–1982: Major-General Richard Vickers
• 1982–1983: Major-General Geoffrey Howlett
• 1983–1987: Major-General Richard Keightley
• 1987–1989: Major-General Simon Cooper
• 1989–1991: Major-General Peter Graham
• 1991–1994: Major-General Timothy Toyne Sewell
• 1994–1995: Major-General Hew Pike
• 1995–1997: Major-General Jack Deverell
• 1997-2000: Major-General Arthur Denaro
• 2001–2002: Major-General Philip Trousdell
• 2002–2006: Major-General Andrew Ritchie
• 2006–2007: Major-General Peter Pearson
• 2007–2009: Major-General David Rutherford-Jones
• 2009–2012: Major-General Patrick Marriott[37]
• 2012–2013: Major-General Timothy Evans[38]
• 2013–2015 Major-General Stuart Skeates
• 2015–2020 Major-General Paul Nanson
• 2020–2022 Major-General Duncan Capps
• 2022–2024 Major-General Zachary Stenning[39]
• 2024 – Present Major-General Nick Cowley[40]

References

1. Conference Room Archived 2011-03-14 at the Wayback Machine Sandhurst Collection
2. "No. 15377". The London Gazette. 20 June 1801. p. 691.
3. "Visitation of England and Wales volume 12, p.29". Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
4. 'Murray, Sir George (1772–1846)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, Melbourne University Press, 1967, pp 270–271.
5. Memorial in Sandhurst Chapel
6. Edward Paget at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
7. George Scovell at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
8. "No. 19465". The London Gazette. 10 February 1837. p. 328.
9. ICE Virtual Library^[permanent dead link‍]
10. Dictionary of Canadian Biography
11. 'CAMERON, Sir Duncan Alexander, G.C.B.', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 23 April 2009
12. "Le Marchant, John Gaspard (1766–1812)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/16423. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
13. "No. 16514". The London Gazette. 17–20 August 1811. p. 1618.
14. "No. 18560". The London Gazette. 20 March 1829. p. 527.
15. "No. 21528". The London Gazette. 3 March 1854. p. 714.
16. "No. 21990". The London Gazette. 17 April 1857. p. 1374.
17. Army Commands Archived 2015-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
18. "No. 22829". The London Gazette. 8 March 1864. p. 1430.
19. "No. 22925". The London Gazette. 30 December 1864. p. 6806.
20. Hart's Army List for 1875, p. 127.
21. 'MIDDLETON, Lt-Gen. Sir Frederick Dobson', in Who Was Who 1897–1915 (A. & C. Black, 1988 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-2670-4)
22. "No. 25372". The London Gazette. 1 July 1884. p. 3011.
23. 'CAMERON, Col Aylmer', in Who Was Who 1897–1915 (A. & C. Black, 1988 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-2670-4)
24. Cecil East at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
25. Royal Military College, Sandhurst Hansard, 14 May 1900
26. "No. 27480". The London Gazette. 7 October 1902. p. 6347.
27. The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland by Edward Walford, p.206
28. List of Fellows of the Zoological Society of London, 1910
29. 'ROLT, Brig.-Gen. Stuart Peter', in Who Was Who 1929–1940 (A. & C. Black, 1967 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-0171-X)
30. 'STEPHENS, General Sir Reginald Byng’, in Who Was Who 1951–1960, (A. & C. Black, 1984 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-2598-8)
31. 'SHOUBRIDGE, Maj.-Gen. (Thomas) Herbert', in Who Was Who 1916–1928, (A. & C. Black, 1992 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-3143-0)
32. 'CORKRAN, Major-General Sir Charles Edward', in Who Was Who 1929–1940 (A. & C. Black, 1967 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-0171-X)
33. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
34. 'MAY, General Sir Reginald Seaburne', in Who Was Who 1951–1960, (A. & C. Black, 1984 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-2598-8)
35. 'FISHER, Lieut-General Sir Bertie Drew', in Who Was Who 1971–1980 (A. & C. Black, 1989 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-3227-5)
36. 'EASTWOOD, Lt-Gen. Sir T. Ralph', in Who Was Who 1951–1960 (A. & C. Black, 1984 reprint: ISBN 0-7136-2598-8)
37. MARRIOTT, Major-General Patrick Claude in Who's Who 2012 online at ukwhoswho.com (accessed 16 April 2012)
38. Defence Viewpoints
39. "No. 63787". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 August 2022. p. 15558.
40. "Leadership and Mission Command; Centre for Army Leadership Annual Conference 2024" (PDF). British Army. p. 4. Retrieved 4 December 2024.

See also

Royal Military College, Sandhurst