History of the
A Brief Historical Survey
1939 – 1992 by Capt. (Retd.) D.B. Richards Dip. Ed. Tech. with additional
material by Major M.V. Costanzo R.E.M.E. THE INFORMATIONThe training of young tradesmen in the Army is by no
means a recent innovation. Prior to World War II Artificers R.A., Armourers
R.A.O.C. (both specialist trades) and other tradesmen for technical corps
were trained at Woolwich, Hilsea and Chepstow. The
boys were taken direct from school and taught a trade in a manner similar to
industrial practice; except that the military apprentices were also trained
as soldiers so that they could take their proper place in the regiments or
corps to which they would eventually be posted. With mechanisation going
ahead it was clear, by the early 1930s, that the Army would be unable to
obtain enough tradesmen for its needs from adult enlistment and existing
apprentice training units. Two hundred Fitter Apprentices were recruited and
enlisted on Here then, we have the seed of our present Building
at Arborfield began in 1938 on the site of the Remount Depot and quickly took
shape; sports fields, workshops, offices, barrack rooms, gymnasium, NAAFI,
Officers’ Mess, Sergeants’ Mess and a hospital. The buildings, like many
others of that period, were constructed of wood and corrugated iron and
fitted with hot water central heating – they were destined to be in use for
42 years. Long before they were completed the selection of staff was being
considered and some of the first incumbents were as follows:
The Commandant and Deputy Chief Instructor were frequent
visitors to the site, from By R.A.O.C.
and R.A.S.C. [Royal Army Service Corps] boys were transferred to
Arborfield from Looking back to 1942 one must sympathise with the
apprentices in their aversion to wearing brass ATS insignia on their
epaulettes thus confusing them with the then familiar female element of the
war-time Army. After the January 1943 intake, the powers-that-be took the
point. Cloth shoulder flashes ‘ Apart from a break of 12 months (November 1939 – November 1940) when Colonel P.G. Davies, C.M.G., C.B.E., was in post, the first Commandant held the chair until September 1943. His regime thus saw, not only the opening of the School, but also the formation of R.E.M.E. Colonel Hilborn was the only Commandant to have served a double tour and he was commemorated by having the then Stevenson Road (after the engineer) renamed Hilborn Road, in his honour. THE DISPERSALColonel
J.D. White, D.S.O., M.C., (late R.A.O.C.) took over as Commandant in October
1943. Two events of particular note during his tour were the ‘dispersal’ and
the initiation of the Woolwich Arsenal Engineering Apprenticeship (later
Cadetship) Scheme. The Woolwich Apprenticeship Scheme was evolved to enable
certain apprentices to proceed to Woolwich Polytechnic and the Royal Arsenal,
with the object of taking a course culminating in the attainment of an
engineering degree or diploma, thereby qualifying for an engineering
commission. In November 1944 eight apprentices were selected for the course
from candidates put forward by Arborfield and Chepstow. The same term a new
commitment was placed upon the School, that of
training apprentices as Draughtsmen (Mechanical). This was necessitated by
the closing of the The
‘dispersal’ took place at the time when the invasion forces were assembling
for the The 72
in the Ashton-under-Lyne detachment started at The Ashford ( POST
WAR
The
Apprentices’ cap badge, which has been worn by so many thousands of
apprentice tradesmen, was first worn on parade on
A great day in the annals of the School was when the, then, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery, revisited the School for the November 1946 Passing-Out Parade and took the salute. He had this to say to the visiting parents: “The aim here is to turn your boy into the very best type of soldier tradesman. We aim that he shall reach the highest ranks of soldier tradesman in the Army or the best type of specialised commissioned officer. His education is continued so that he reaches the highest grade of education standards.” Of the Parade, Monty said: “I would go anywhere to be able to see what I have seen this morning.” High praise indeed. The
year 1947 saw not only the new badge on its first parade, but also a change
of title; from On
Palm Sunday, In
1948 the decision was taken to terminate the Woolwich Arsenal Cadetship
Scheme as the success rate with the first students had been a disappointment.
With hindsight this seems to have been a premature and unfortunate decision
as all eight apprentices selected for the last course graduated with either a
degree or a diploma in engineering; one, A/T B.G. Keast,
was later to become the Commandant of the In
September 1949 the School welcomed Colonel E.L. Percival D.S.O., (late H.L.I.
[Highland Light Infantry]) as Commandant. At the same time a new
commitment was placed upon the School for, in addition to Armourers,
Electricians (Control Equipment), Fitters, Instrument Mechanics, Millwrights,
Telecommunication Mechanics, Turners and Vehicle mechanics, the School was to
train Draughtsmen (Mechanical). These tradesmen, on passing out, were
intended to go to R.E.M.E., R.E., R.A., R.A.C. and R.A.O.C., but in 1950 the
War Office intimated that, in future, postings from the School would only be
to R.E. or R.E.M.E. Colonel
F.A.M. Magee (late East Surrey Regiment) took command in June 1952 at a time
of some difficulty. Because of a shortage of recruits it had been necessary
to disband one Company (‘D’ Company) and the strength of the School was down
to 643 apprentice tradesmen. The following year, on 1st June, 30
apprentices formed a guard of honour at At the February 1955 Passing-Out Parade, the Commandant announced the new trades would be taught at the School later that year. Radar Mechanic, Electrician R.E.M.E. and Fitter-Gun were to be added but the loss of the Turner and Draughtsman (Mechanical) trades would sever a long-standing connection with the Royal Engineers. In
October 1955 Colonel J.R. Cole (late Loyals) took
over as Commandant, the seventh to hold office. The Passing-Out Parade on An
outstanding figure in the history of the School departed in February 1956 when
RSM R.L. McNally, M.B.E., Scots Guards, who had spent 15 years as the
School’s Regimental Sergeant Major, retired. To quote the ‘Arborfield
Apprentice’ of the time – no member of the staff had played such an important
role in the life of the School over such a long period. Later that year an
establishment change permitted a much-needed improvement to officer manning
in the form of an assistant adjutant and company seconds-in-command. New
gates for the REORGANISATIONChanges
were in the air in 1960. The intake was to be increased from two to three a
year. The Vehicle Mechanic apprentice was to undergo a two-week driving
course as part of his training in his 8th term. The
programme now included more military training in the form of a full week of
this activity in the 4th and 8th terms in addition to
initial draft training. There were to be three wings in each company and the
formation of a senior company for the last two terms. Also, the School now
was concentrating on the electronic and electrical trades and Vehicle
Mechanics. The apprentices passing out were Vehicle mechanics, Electricians
R.E.M.E. (B), Control Equipment Technicians, Radar Technicians,
Telecommunications Technicians and Instrument Technicians. In that year the
Champion Company Award was presented for the last time, as it was decided to
discontinue this feature of School life – ‘A’ Company were the winners. The
Champion Company banner is no longer in the possession of the College and
again it is hoped that some reader can give a clue to its present location. In
September 1960 the School library moved from premises adjoining the
N.M.F.I. to the new Education Block. In the winter term of 1961 a new feature
of College life appeared in the form of three civilian lecturers in the
Education Department and a forecast for the future of half civilian and half
R.A.E.C. [Royal Army Education Corps] officers. By the end of 1962 the
education Department had said goodbye to its Sergeants, Staff Sergeants and
Warrant Officers; one of them, W.O.2 C.P. Salisbury, had served over seven
years at Arborfield. Colonel Legh left in October
1962 to be succeeded by the first R.E.M.E. Commandant, Colonel H. Dobie, B.Sc, A.M.I.E.E. In his speech
at his first Passing-Out Parade he referred to training policy changes about
to take place whereby it was more realistic for apprentices to take the
appropriate City and Guilds courses and to study for O.N.C., rather than take
G.C.E. subjects. City and Guilds was a logical tie-up with trade training and
would be in tune with industrial practice. There were changes, too, in the
trade training structure. The last of the Instrument Mechanics were leaving
the School and future course loading would be 44% Vehicle Mechanics, 18%
Electricians and 38% electronic trades. However, an adjustment to the
September 1963 intake saw the entry of the first 22 Aircraft Technicians into
the School. At this time consideration was being given to the School running
its own two-year O.N.C. courses and by December 1963 a start had been made
with the teaching of O.N.C. mathematics and general studies. Also, the
run-down of the trade of Electrician in R.E.M.E. meant that a number of potential
Electricians had to be absorbed into new trades. This resulted in a
concentration upon Radar, Telecommunication and Control Equipment
Technicians, Vehicle Mechanics and Aircraft Technicians. Later that year an
interesting experiment was conducted to compare results obtained by formal
methods of teaching, scrambled textbooks, and teaching machines on which
Captain John Birch R.A.E.C. wrote programmed learning courses. There was
found to be no significant difference in learning between the three methods;
teacher and machine were shown to be complementary rather than mutually
exclusive. On During
the same year the School obtained authority to teach an O.N.C. (Ordinary
National Certificate) Course in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. As
a result the Commandant was able to report at the Passing-Out Parade in
December 1964 that of the previous September (1964) intake about half
had begun a course which, if they were successful, would enable them to begin
a 01 Course for O.N.C. in September 1965. This course was a three-term
General Engineering (G) course in English, Mathematics, Engineering Science,
Workshop Processes and Materials, and Engineering Drawing. Those apprentices
who achieved a high enough standard in the senior test examination, taken at
the end of the (G) course in those subjects, could embark on O.N.C. Those who
failed to reach this standard would start an appropriate City and Guilds (of
TRANSFER TO R.E.M.E. In
1965 Colonel G.W. Paris, M.B.E., A.M.I.Mech.E.,
succeeded as Commandant at a time of great importance in the history of the
School. In August (1965) the control and sponsorship of the School was
transferred from the Inspector of Boys’ Training (Army) to the Director of
Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (D.E.M.E.). The following
message (extract) from Major General L.H. (later Sir Leonard) Atkinson, the
then D.E.M.E., appeared in the November edition of The Craftsman (magazine):
“On It was
fitting that the first Passing-Out Parade in the Spring of 1966, when
all apprentices were members of R.E.M.E., should be reviewed by Major General
Atkinson. After a ten-year respite it was also the second wet weather routine
Passing-Out Parade as snow lay thick on the parade ground. Later that year it
was decided that Vehicle Mechanics would no longer be trained at the School.
Additionally, arrangements were completed for the final phase of equipment
training in other intakes would take place in the appropriate adult R.E.M.E.
Schools. Aircraft Technicians would go to Aircraft Engineering Training Wing,
Two
more important changes took place on In the
Arborfield Apprentice (magazine) of Summer 1966 there appeared an
article entitled “Arrive derci Sierra”. The title
may sound like an Italian pop song but, in fact, referred to the pending
disbandment of Senior Company. ‘S’ Company had been formed in September 1960
to provide a transition phase from boy service to adult service. All
apprentices were transferred (less a few N.C.O.s in each Company) at the end
of their seventh term to ‘S’ Company, to complete their training in the 8 and
9 Senior Division. The idea was a sound one, particularly in view of the fact
that the apprentices in ‘S’ Company were in many cases older than adult
soldiers in neighbouring units. In spite of this logic, a visit from the
Inspectorate of Establishments resulted in ‘S’ Company disbanding at the end
of 1966. The last Company Commander was Major D.D. Lister R.E.M.E. In March 1967, the College changed Commandants again. Colonel D.A. Brown C.Eng., M.I.E.E., F.I.E.R.E., A.M.B.I.M. was no stranger, having been Chief Instructor and Deputy Commandant since September 1966. In April, the first apprentices to complete the O.N.C. passed-out, having been taught the whole course in the College. Thirteen out of 15 were successful, one being referred in mathematics. In December, the Carr Memorial Trophy was presented for the first time to Apprentice Sergeant C.H. Richardson for the best all-round Aircraft Technician (Airframes and Engines).
One
memento of R.E.M.E. occupation of the Dockyard at Woolwich was the
acquisition of the old Toll Bell tower (common to all Royal dockyards), which
had stood by the dockyard gates, and the bell used to be tolled for the
commencement and finish of work. It was removed to the Army Apprentices’
School in 1966 and re-erected at the road junction opposite the College
chapel. During
the dismantling of the CLOSURE OF
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It
is always with regret that one records the death of a member or former
member of the College, be he apprentice or at the time, in 1972, it was sad
to have to record the death of Mr. McNally in a traffic accident. As the
R.S.M. for 15 years until 1956, he had been the corner-stone upon which the
standards of drill and the traditions of smartness in the College were
built. |
THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES
In
September 1973 the College received the first intake of young men who had all
stayed at school until their 16th birthday. In the same month
Colonel H.K. Tweed, C.Eng., F.I.Mec.E.,
F.R.Aa.S., M.B.I.M., assumed command. In the
following three years further change and innovation considerably altered the
content of the apprenticeship for both Technicians and Vehicle Mechanics. In
1974, working parties were set up to examine the implications of the
Technical Education Council (T.E.C.) requirements for the College technician
apprenticeship and the following year, as a result of discussion with City
and Guilds of London Institute (C.G.L.I.) the National Craftsman’s
Certificate was introduced for Vehicle Mechanics. This nationally recognized
qualification marked a further enhancement of the vehicle apprenticeship. A
highlight at the end of 1974 was a further visit by The Duke of Edinburgh,
who, in his capacity as Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps, reviewed the College
Passing-Out Parade on 9th December.
A new
training group system was introduced in 1975. This move was linked with the
incorporation of the Director of Army Training inspired common military
syllabus and a rationalization of the workshop practices syllabus for all
trades. A further step was taken when the Aircraft Technicians were enabled
to complete their Class III trade training within the College. In the
Electronics Wing a new syllabus “Basic Electronics in the 70s” was
introduced. This latter marked a change in training philosophy; the existing
‘Part to Whole’. Throughout the period discussions took place between the
Command
of the College passed to Colonel B.G. Keast, C.Eng., M.I.E.E., M.B.I.M., in June 1976. This was a
red-letter day for the College as Colonel Keast was
the first ex-Arborfield apprentice to return as Commandant. He had served his
apprenticeship at Arborfield between 1945 and 1948 and, indeed, was
one of the few apprentices selected for the previously mentioned Woolwich Arsenal
Engineering Cadetship Scheme. His tour was marked by two events which were to
have considerable significance on training. Firstly, during April 1977, the
College took delivery of a powerful mini-computer system and secondly, in the
September, the new T.E.C. courses were launched. The computer was obtained as
a result of work undertaken by the Evaluation and Quality Control cell as
part of a R.E.M.E. project known as ASCOT RAIN (ADP
in Support of COntrol
of TRAINing). The equipment
was provided to enable the College to implement a system of Computer Managed
Learning during the project. Not unnaturally the computer was received with
mixed feelings but, in the following year at the summer Passing-Out Parade,
the Commandant, in his address to parents, was able to say with reference to
the computer: “It has not developed into a ‘Big Brother’ as some people
feared but rather a ‘Man Friday’ that has helped in the decision-making
process, while in no way affecting the individuality of the apprentice. The
new T.E.C. programmes for Aircraft and Electronic Apprentices was the
culmination of an intensive period of preparation and negotiation, and
provided Diploma and Certificate courses for technician apprentices as
replacements for the Ordinary National and City and Guilds courses
respectively.
In
October 1979, Colonel J.D.C. Peacock, M.A., F.R.G.S., assumed command of the
College. The period from then until July 1981 was, perhaps, the most
significant in the history of the College to date. In addition to numerous
far-reaching developments in the training of apprentices, the long awaited
move to the new buildings and re-designation as
In
February 1980 the College ran an inaugural two-day leadership assessment
cadre for senior apprentices, based on well-tried principles and practices used
at the Regular Commissions Board and the Artificer Selection Board. It was
highly a successful period of experimental learning both for the apprentices
and staff concerned, and heralded the start of formal developmental training
in the art of leadership for all apprentices. From February to October 1980,
a one-week introductory leadership cadre was introduced for all technician
apprentices in the fourth term, and for all Vehicle
Mechanic apprentices in their third term. In the training of craft apprentices,
the College took over the examination of C.G.L.I. Part 2 for Vehicle
Mechanics from the
The target was, and remained until 1991, the raising of £50,000 by appeal to our Old Boys’ Association, to Service Institutions, to other grant-making trusts, to commerce and industry, and last but not least to parents of the apprentices themselves; the apprentices being the direct beneficiaries. The investment income from such a fund should be sufficient to double the amount which apprentices already contribute and this hopefully will be sufficient for our purposes for the foreseeable future.
In
early 1981 a working party was set up to consider the future training of
apprentices up to T.E.C. Diploma standard, the result of which was the
phasing-out of the seven-term Advanced Diploma course and the eight-term
Diploma course and their replacement by a single seven-term Diploma course.
The first of the new Diploma courses started in September 1981. That same
intake also saw the re-introduction of Weapons apprentices the training of
whom had been moved to Carlisle in 1960 but not returned to Arborfield when
Potential
Armourers and Gun Fitters now follow a six-term apprenticeship based on
C.G.L.I. 200/205, at the end of which they undertake continuation training at
the
A significant consequence of the introduction of the T.E.C. courses at the College, and indeed throughout further education generally, has been the need for a dramatic increase in student assessment and administration. The answer for the College lay with the computer and additional funds were provided by the Army Committee for Instructional Technology to enable the system to be enhanced so that it could cope with the additional work. The required enhancements to both hardware and software were completed in September 1980, and not only gave the necessary power to handle T.E.C. matters, but also provided additional facilities, including the ability to generate examination papers from computerized question banks. The computer system, known as S.P.E.C. (Student Performance Evaluation by Computer), aroused considerable interest throughout the three Services and in many civilian technical training establishments.
Thus
ended another chapter of College history and a new one was about to begin.
Obviously over a period of forty-odd years a lot of material has been lost,
hopefully not for ever, as we depend on past members of the College to
correct.
THE NEW COLLEGE
After
many months of delay, and the many hours spent in deliberation over plans and
preparation by the members of the College New Build Co-ordination Committee
from 1975-1981 the new College had at last taken shape adjacent to the
The
new-build project obviously took time to plan and prepare before a brick was
laid, and during this period a few changes took place, namely the raising of
the school leaving age; the Army apprenticeship was shortened from three to
two years and the new Weapons apprenticeship had not even been envisaged. The
equipment on which the apprentices trained was undergoing change and there
comes a time in any project when the specifications cannot be altered any
more. So it was not surprising to find the new College to be less than a
perfect fit.
The
final move of the main College was completed in early July 1981 and Monday 13th
July was the first day on which the College was fully operational in
its new location. (Aircraft Wing remained in Bailleul
Barracks and finally moved in September 1985). The change of location was a
considerable achievement; over one thousand people and the equipment of such
a complex institution moved in a fortnight with little outside assistance.
There will always be the memory of those apprentices who helped move the
library of some ten thousand books in what seemed almost as many boxes, which
weighed far more than they had any reasonable right to weight!
During
the summer leave period the College band embarked on a tour of the
Certainly
1982 started well when Mrs. Peggy McMaster W.R.V.S. was made a Member of the
Order of the
In the
shadow of the
The
The
College wished ‘Charlie’ the resident barber a happy retirement after nearly
30 years service with R.E.M.E.
On
Wednesday 20th October (1982) the College
entertained The Worshipful Company of Turners.
The
beginning of 1983 witnessed a change of command when Colonel S.J. Roberts
B.Sc.(
The
winter term of 1983 was significant for its changes; the reorganization of
the training programmes as a result of the Home Defence requirement for
trained soldiers in the Composite General Reserve (C.G.R.) Companies; the
arrival of the ‘One Year Apprentice’ on the closure of R.E.M.E. Company at
the R.A.O.C. Apprentices College, Deepcut (near
Farnborough) and the seven term apprenticeship reduced to six terms. Her
Majesty’s Inspectors from the Department of education and Science visited the
College for five days, an event which happens approximately every four years,
and their report was more than satisfactory.
Mr.
J.A. Wedgwood, Chairman of the Southern Electricity Board presented a cup to
the College, to be awarded to the best Electronics Technician, and the first
recipient was Apprentice L/Corporal K. Milner of ‘C’ Company on 16th
December (1983). Three apprentices passed out from R.M.A. Sandhurst,
R.J. Mitchell who won the coveted Sword of Honour, A.T. Powell, who received
the Anson Memorial Prize and P. Martin.
Despite
the unemployment situation in the country, recruitment was very low and
falling rapidly. The College population in the summer term 1984 was at its
lowest point in the 45 years of its history (493). However, some aggressive
advertising and presentations at schools and careers conventions resulted in
an upsurge in enquiries and firm acceptances for the future terms.
On the
architectural side, the College was being enhanced by the erection of the
main entrance of the supporting pillars for the College gates. The original
1939 gates were found at the rear entrance to the WOs’
and Sergeants’ Mess, in the old College and these were repositioned at their
original site. The existing gates, which were inherited on the closure of
After that incident we began 1985 on a happy note with
the selection of Brigadier G.B. Berragan (late
R.A.O.C.) to be the Director General of Ordnance Services, Logistic Executive
(Army) in the rank of Major General in October 1985. An ex-apprentice of
entry 48C, he joined ranks with major General (Retired)
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In
February, a service of dedication was held in Saint Eligius
Church, Arborfield, when a new Lectern Bible was presented by the parents
of Kieth Baker. He was an ex-apprentice (78C) who
was due to join R.M.A. Sandhurst but was tragically killed in a climbing
accident. |
As
mentioned previously, it was intended to re-erect the
May
1985 heralded the addition of the R.A.M.C./R.A.D.C. (Royal
Army Medical Corps/Royal Army Dental Corps) Junior Leaders from Mychett, on its closure. So history repeats itself. There
are, once again, three different cap badges worn by apprentices as there were
in 1939.
Once
again it was departure/arrival times for the Commandant. Colonel Sam Roberts
was handing over command to Colonel M. Soar B.Sc.(Eng),
M.I.Mfg.E., M.B.I.M., on
The summer leave, for some, was extended to enable the College to take part in Exercise BRAVE DEFENDER, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all concerned.
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The
death of Captain (Retired) |
Colonel
Soar’s time was a comparatively quiet one as far as change was concerned. The
last intake for the R.E.M.E. ‘One Year Apprentice’ was in May 1988. The
College became the center of interest for all sorts
of study groups as a result of the imminent Defence Cuts and finally Exercise
BONNIE DUNDEE saw the College take up its role in the large
The
latter part of 1988 witnessed a change in command to Colonel P.H. Kay O.B.E.,
B.Sc.(Eng), C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E.,
F.I.E.E., and looked forward to 1989 the Golden Jubilee Year.
In
1989, the Worshipful Company of Turners decided to make the following annual
award to the College. The Company’s Silver Medal, together with a monetary
award and Certificate to the apprentice who achieves the highest standard of
craft skills during his training. The first recipient of this prestigious
award was Apprentice Armourer Timothy Leak in February 1989. The Commandant
also received the Kitster Trophy awarded by the
Livery Company.
1989
saw the start of the 50th year of the establishment of the
College, its Golden Jubilee. Whilst the College undertook its normal routine
and everything to the outside world was peace and calm, underneath a great
deal of activity was taking place. Committees were organizing the Golden
Jubilee celebrations. The first of these was Golden Jubilee Passing-Out Parade.
The Parade took place on
The
College commissioned a painting by the artist David Rowlands
to commemorate the Golden Jubilee. The center of
this painting depicted the Passing-out Parade and around the periphery, it
contained scenes of College life over the years. The original now hangs in
the College foyer but many members of the College both past and present
purchased limited edition signed prints.
A special
event took place during the year when Colonel (Retired) John Peacock, who was
the College Commandant from October 1979 to January 1983
returned on a visit to present a sword to the Apprentice Drum Major. This
sword, which normally hangs in the Commandant’s office with the Mace, is worn
by him on all ceremonial parades.
As usual, the Old Boys’ Association had their annual reunion in October 1989. The programme of events over that weekend followed the normal format. The Saturday morning parade was reviewed by D.G.E.M.E., Major General Shaw. In the evening, however, instead of the normal stag dinner, a dance was held in the College Gymnasium. This was much enjoyed by the wives of the Old Boys and everyone agreed that it was a great success.
On
THE 1990s
1990
will be remembered by the College staff as the year in which they prepared
the College, and themselves, for contractorisation.
The College, of course, was not to be sold-off but the Ministry of Defence
had decided, as a trial, to replace Burnham Lecturers, Instructional Officers
and Military Instructors with contract personnel. Naturally enough, there was
concern for jobs and the possibility, however remote, of redundancy. The
Chief Instructor and the Senior Education Officer were totally involved in
writing the Statement of Requirement.
On
Late in
1990, the contract to provide teaching staff was won by SERCO; a company well
known to the Ministry of Defence in other fields. The company was well placed
to understand the needs of the College having a number of retired Army
officers (one late R.E.M.E.) on its board of directors. The contract was to
commence on
Once
he had seen the start of the contract Colonel Kay decided to hang up his
boots and retire from the Army. He had been given the difficult task of
steering the College through a period of great change – a task that he had
carried out with great success and an abundance of enthusiasm. In May 1991 he
was relieved by Colonel P.H. Gibson B.Sc.(Eng),
C.Eng., M.I.E.E. who came to the College hot-foot from the Gulf War where he
had been Commander Maintenance. The College was not to be allowed a period of
quiet and consolidation however. “Options for Change” was with us and the
Ministry of Defence was studying the whole future of apprentice training in
the Army. The study continued throughout the second half of 1991 and, at one
time, it was rumoured that the College might close. During the Old Boys’
Association annual reunion, held as usual in October, the Commandant briefed
those attending on the options for the College and explained to them his
hopes for the future. He mentioned that, should the College survive, the
arrival of the first female apprentice was only a matter of time. In December
1990, the Executive Committee of the Army Board (E.C.A.B.) met to decide the
fate of all the Army Apprentice Colleges. E.C.A.B. sent two recommendations
to the Secretary of State for Defence. The first, that apprentice training
should reduce to a single year, has been accepted and the new course will
commence in September 1992. Under the new scheme, the College will undertake
basic military and technical training with the final months of the
apprenticeship (until C & G and B.T.E.C qualifications) taking place at
the adult training schools (S.E.M.E., S.E.E., and S.A.E.). The second recommendation
concerning the long-term fate of Chepstow,
