"Officer Cadets, First of all I want to say that I was very impressed with your drill and smartness this morning. I congratulate the instructors on a very good job. The parade did great credit to The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and you may be certain that the Queen will get a good report.

I would like to congratulate also the prizewinners: remember that you have got more important prizes to aim for after you leave here. To those who have not won any prizes or distinguished themselves in any way, and to those who passed out not quite at the top of the list, I only want to say this: that success in any career can only be measured at the end of it. Everyone of you leaving this term has exactly the same chance of eventual success.

You must all realize by now that your most important, and most difficult job when you leave here will be to lead the men of the Corps and Regiments which you join. This job is more important than ever now that such a large proportion of the young citizens of this country pass through the ranks of the Army. Your influence upon them while they are serving in the Army can be of very great help to them, and to the country as a whole when they return to civilian life. Your next job will be to understand and to learn how to handle your technical equipment. This part of your job may not be so rewarding as the leadership of men, but unless you can thoroughly master the machines as well as thoroughly understand the men, you will never be properly equipped to exercise executive military command in any sphere.

There is one other thing to which I would like to draw your attention; while it is most necessary that you should constantly try to improve your professional qualifications as soldiers, do not lose sight of the fact that your Corps or Regiment is part of the Army, that the Army is part of the Armed Forces of the Crown, and that Armed Forces of the Crown are part of our national fabric. If you are to serve this country well in positions of trust and responsibility later on, you must keep yourselves well informed about political as well as military events and thoughts in this country and the rest of the world. By keeping yourselves informed about these events, I naturally do not mean that you should get involved in them in any way whatsoever while you are still serving.

Finally, as you grow older try not to be afraid of new ideas. New, or original, ideas can be bad as well as good, but whereas an intelligent man with an open mind can demolish a bad idea by reasoned argument, those who allow their brains to atrophy resort to meaningless catch-phrases, to derision, and finally to anger in the face of anything new.

Now I know that soldiering means hard work and is a serious business, but I still hope that you will all have a lot of fun in your chosen career. Good luck to you all! " 

Sandhurst Trust members get exclusive access to the full photo gallery. However, for non-members, please enjoy this special video of Intake 15's Parade from our archives.

To become a member please visit our Alumni Membership section