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The mission of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Central Library is to provide a dedicated specialist service, research, and training collection, to support development of professional military education in meeting the learning, academic and leadership training objectives of Sandhurst for the 21st century.
To harness and develop the potential of the RMAS Central Library’s print and digital collections and the professional subject expertise of its staff. Creating an exemplar resource of curated library, research and digital spaces for Sandhurst.
Along with muskets, rifles, drill, leadership and professional military education, the provision of a library has been one of the constant features of cadet life since training began at Sandhurst in 1812.
It is officially recorded in “A List of all the Officers of the Army and Royal Marines…” published by the War Office in February 1812, that the Reverend Dr William Wheeler not only had the distinction of being the first Chaplain at the Royal Military College Sandhurst, but he was also the first officially recorded Librarian.
Libraries have always been important in the Army for morale and as places of learning. In the archives of Blenheim Palace, a letter from a certain Gentleman Cadet Winston Churchill of E Company in September 1894, praised the library and reading room he used while at Sandhurst.
In 1913, the library moved to New College and during the First World War, the collection grew to 7000 volumes. In 1931, the library, by now integrated with the Museum Collection, moved to its present location in the old RMC Gymnasium which had been built in 1863. The Spring edition of the 1932 RMC Magazine and Record triumphantly hailed the opening as “the outstanding event of the term.”
The Post War Library
With the post Second World War amalgam of British Army officer training, the libraries of the Royal Military Academy Woolwich (1741-1939) and the Royal College Military Sandhurst (1812-1939) were brought together by the then Academy Librarian, Lt Col (Retd) Alan Shepperd MBE.
Alan Shepperd was a remarkable man. Commissioned into the Manchester Regiment, he was double amputee veteran who despite his injuries, turned himself into an author and librarian. Retiring in 1976, he was conferred with the title Librarian Emeritus Honoris Causa to mark his 29 years of service.
Sandhurst is an international institution and its library continues to welcome international academics and military leaders from home and across the world.
1947 - Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery of Alamein.
With the opening of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 1947, Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery of Alamein or, as he was universally known, “Monty”, used the RMAS Library to address Intake One on the theme of Leadership and morale.
1947 - The First Kermit Roosevelt Lecture: marking the special relationship between the UK and the US.
On the 29th of May 1947, the RMAS Library was the place where Lieutenant General A.C. Wedermeyer (US Army) gave the first Kermit Roosevelt Memorial Lecture in this country.
1979 - A Former British Prime Minister.
In 1979, former British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan (Earl of Stockton) used the library as a venue for a VIP visit and spoke for 20 minutes on his experience as an officer in the First World War.
2022 - A Chief of the General Staff and the 40th Chief of Staff of the US Army.
On the 13th April 2022, the RMAS Central Library had the honour of hosting the then Chief of General Staff, Sir Mark Carlton Smith and General James C. McConville, the 40th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, attended by former RMAS Commandant, Major General Duncan Capps CBE.
2017 onwards – A place for home and international academics.
Working closely with the Sandhurst Faculty of Leadership, Security and Warfare and the Sandhurst Trust, the library is pleased to welcome home and international academics and authors, providing a prestige space for the Sandhurst WARDIG and CABSDIG lectures.
A specialist library of print and electronic collections focusing on defence, military history, international affairs, international security, laws of war, leadership and the behavioural sciences.
Search the RMAS Central Library on the Defence Learning Environment
Accessing the library:
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Central Library is a Defence library supporting the Sandhurst Commissioning Courses, short courses and the research of the Faculty of Leadership, Security and Warfare.
Members of the Sandhurst Trust are welcome to use the resource. External academics and researchers may apply to the Head Librarian, Mr John Pearce, BA(Hons), PGDipLIS, to use the resource by prior appointment only and subject to necessary security restrictions.
