The Army Apprentice

The object of this article is to tell of the circumstances, which over a period of one hundred and fifty years, led to the development of the army apprentice scheme.

From medieval times to the present day the maintenance and repair of the Army’s equipment by soldier-tradesmen played a significant part in ensuring its fighting efficiency.

Until the end of the 19th century, the simplicity of the equipment- cavalry, horse drawn artillery, supply wagons and small arms- meant that soldiers, assisted by artisans such as regimental armourers, farriers, saddlers and carpenters were able to fulfil the Army’s needs for technical support.

However, the introduction of the “Rifled” Cannon in the 1871 Franco-Prussian war, the development of the internal combustion engine in the 1880s, and powered flight in 1908, began an evolutionary process of sophistication in military equipment that rendered many craft trades obsolescent.

To meet the demand for engineering skills to maintain and repair the Army’s increasingly complex equipment, the Army established the first dedicated apprentice school at Aldershot on the 25 September 1923. The first intake of boys, with those who joined in January 1924, then moved to Beachley Camp, Chepstow on the 28 February 1924.

For the next 30 years, the Apprentice Tradesmen were trained in various locations, until the Army Apprentice scheme reached its apogee in the latter half of the 20th century with the establishment of the four principal Army Apprentice Schools - at Arborfield, Carlise, Chepstow and Harrogate. The four benches mounted on the memorial are a reflection of the army apprentice scheme in its final form.

The facsimile Army Apprentices School Cap-badge engraved on the memorial monolith is a statement in stone that commemorates the thousands of boys who passed through the army apprentice scheme. The School Cap-badge not only gave the Apprentice Tradesman a regimental identity, but also symbolises the ethos that controlled and directed the activities of a system that turned boys in to skilled soldier –tradesmen.

Prominent and most important are the Cross and the Crown. These stand respectively for ‘Character and Loyalty’ - character based on the principles of Christianity and Loyalty to the School, the Army, the Nation and the Sovereign. The Torch stands for ‘Learning and for Training’ of both body and mind on good sound health lines. The Crossed Swords stand for the military virtues of ‘Discipline, Steadfastness, and Devotion to Duty’. Finally, the Gearwheel forms the basis and background of the whole design, denoting ‘Technical Knowledge, Skill and Co–operation’. It is only by meshing or co-operating with others that good work is done.

These are not “just words”; for the Army to be operationally effective it is required to believe in them and live by them. The standards demanded are “lawfulness, appropriate behaviour and total professionalism”, which gives rise to an institutional climate of decency and fairness.

Many of the boys who entered the army apprentice scheme came from an underprivileged and chaotic background. The shared experience of education, training and comradeship enabled a significant majority of the boys to go forward and achieve successful careers in the services, commerce and industry.

Their ability to do so is a measure of the intelligence, integrity, determination, self-discipline and courage that define the Army Apprentice.

Remember with Pride

Arborfield Old Boys' Association