Address by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - 29th July 1965

" Today, those of you in the Senior Division become officers and it will not be long before those in the other Divisions follow in your steps. The day on which you receive your Commission is one of the most important in your life, because your duties and responsibilities as leaders of men are among the most onerous your country can confer upon you.

You have learnt here that an officer must be, above all else, a leader; a person whom men will follow into danger, discomfort, and every ordeal which nature, climate or a human enemy can contrive. Remember always that the best and purest form of leadership is example; that 'Come on' is a much better command than ' Go on '.

You come of races renowned for courage and I know that as officers you will never fail to be the first in danger.

But leadership in the stress and excitement of battle will not be your only responsibility. Your patience. inspiration and attention to detail will also be required in the often equally testing routine duties and in what may seem uneventful and even unimportant periods of service. These times call for leadership of a special kind if you are to keep the morale and efficiency of your men at the pitch required. Leadership demands a dedicated responsibility towards the men under your command. Their lives will be in your hands and they will have the right to expect from you the highest standards of character, professional competence and integrity. If you will always put their interests and welfare before your own, you will not fail them and together you will be able to undertake any enterprise. You will often inspect your men, I suspect that when you are doing so, they will be just as keenly inspecting you. Soldiers have always been ambassadors and representatives of their country. This applies with even greater force to officers. Your civilian countrymen will perhaps unconsciously-pay you the compliment of expecting you to show. not only a higher degree of courage and duty than themselves, but, when serving abroad. a standard of behaviour which reflects well upon your country. As you join your Units, you will be stepping into a profession which has played a most important and distinguished part in the evolution of this country. I am confident that you will continue to uphold its tradition as servant and protector of the state. The path on which you are now setting out will often be rough and steep; my trust, my thoughts and my good wishes go with you on it".