The Academy has a close affiliation with the US forces and in particular the United States Military College, West Point. In the Royal Memorial Chapel is the West Point Step. This is a marble step leading up to the altar, donated to commemorate the cadets of both academies who fell in the Great War.

Of interest is the eagle on the crest which faces to its left, a condition which only applies in wartime. Compare this to the crest on a contemporary West Point cap held by the Sandhurst Collection.

The Roman Catholic Chapel of Christ, The King has a stained-glass window donated by West Point.

The window features a cadet from both academies with extracts from three speeches. The first is from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the second is from Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” address and the third is an excerpt from General Dwight D Eisenhower’s address to newly commissioned Sandhurst cadets in April 1944.

The address is surely one of the best delivered at Sandhurst and is a masterpiece of relevance and brevity.

“The High Command can do no more than to put you in action in the best possible way, under the best possible conditions, and to make sure you are well supplied, well cared for, and everything is done for you in the way of getting you ammunition, food, clothing and everything that you need.

But upon your shoulders rests the greatest responsibility of all. You young men have this war to win. It is small unit leadership that is going to win the ground battle and that battle must be won before that enemy of ours is finally crushed. It is up to you young men to give your units - whether it is a tank crew, platoon, or becomes a company - leadership, every hour of the day, every day of the week.

You must know every single one of your men. It is not enough that you are the best soldier in that unit, that you are the strongest, the toughest, and the most durable, and best equipped technically. You must be their leader, their father, their mentor even if you are half their age. You must understand their problems. You must keep them out of trouble. If they get in trouble, you must be the one to go to their rescue.

That cultivation of human understanding between you and your men is the one art that you must yet master and you must master it quickly. Then you will be doing your duty and you will be worthy of this great school and of your great country.”

Eisenhowers speech on the steps of Old College in March1944 can be seen in the film below.

Although the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is an enclosed establishment, hundreds of visitors are welcomed each year on historical tours organised by the Sandhurst Trust.

Tours include visits to the main prestige room of Old College including the Indian Army Memorial Room, Wellington Room, History Room, and the Old College Grand Entrance. Also included are the two chapels on site -The Royal Memorial Chapel and Roman Catholic Chapel. Tours can now include a visit to the new Queen Elizabeth II statue that was installed in 2022 to commemorate Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Tours take place throughout the year and are led by experienced tour guides, most of whom are retired officers. These guides who share their extensive knowledge on the history of the Academy and its buildings plus personal stories of their time here at RMAS. Typical tours last 2.5 hours, giving visitors plenty of time to take in the history of the buildings and rooms.

To read more about tours and how to book please visit our Tour Page