This is a list of the governors and commandants of the Royal Military College, first at Great Marlow (1802–1812), then at Sandhurst (1813–1939), and of its successor on the same site, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (1947 to date).
The Commandant of the Academy, as of the former Royal Military College, is its commanding officer and is always a senior officer of field rank. Most Commandants serve for between two and three years and many go on to further significant promotions.
History of the role The Royal Military College Sandhurst was originally led by a Governor (a figurehead), a Lieutenant Governor (in command of the college) and a Commandant (responsible for the cadets).Conference Room Sandhurst Collection In 1812 the posts of Lieutenant Governor and Commandant were merged into the role of Commandant. In 1888 the posts of Governor and Commandant were merged into the role of Governor and Commandant and in 1902 that single role was retitled Commandant.
With the creation of the merged Royal Military Academy in 1947, the commanding officer continued to be called the Commandant.
List of governors 1802–1811: General Sir William Harcourt (from 1809 3rd Earl Harcourt) 1811–1819: General Sir Alexander Hope 1819–1824: Major-General Sir George Murray'Murray, Sir George (1772–1846)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, Melbourne University Press, 1967, pp 270–271. 1824–1826: General Sir Alexander HopeMemorial in Sandhurst Chapel 1826–1837: General Sir Edward Paget 1837–1856: General Sir George Scovell 1856–1866: General Sir Harry Jones 1866–1868: General Sir George Wetherall 1868–1875: Major-General Sir Duncan Cameron'CAMERON, Sir Duncan Alexander, G.C.B.', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 23 April 2009 1875–1882: Major-General William Napier 1883–1886: General Richard Taylor 1886–1888: General David Anderson
List of lieutenant-governors 1801–1811: Major-General John Le Marchant 1811–1829: Colonel James Butler 1829–1837: Major-General Sir George Scovell 1837–1854: Major-General Thomas William Taylor 1854–1857: Colonel George Walter Prosser 1857–1864: Colonel Charles Rochfort Scott
List of commandants The Commandants include:
Royal Military College, Sandhurst 1864–1869: Colonel Edmund Gilling Hallewell 1865–1874: Colonel Joseph Edward Addison (Superintendent of Studies) 1874–1879: Colonel Frederick Dobson MiddletonHart's Army List for 1875, p. 127. (Assistant to the Governor) 1879–1884: Colonel Frederick Middleton'MIDDLETON, Lt-Gen. Sir Frederick Dobson', in Who Was Who 1897–1915 (A. & C. Black, 1988 reprint: ) (Commandant reporting to the Governor) 1884–1886: Colonel Frederick Solly-Flood (Commandant reporting to the Governor) 1886–1888: Colonel Aylmer Cameron'CAMERON, Col Aylmer', in Who Was Who 1897–1915 (A. & C. Black, 1988 reprint: ) (Commandant reporting to the Governor) 1888–1893: Lieutenant-General Edward Clive (Governor and Commandant) 1893–1898: Lieutenant-General Sir Cecil EastCecil East at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Governor and Commandant) 1898–1902: Lieutenant-General Sir Edwin MarkhamRoyal Military College, Sandhurst Hansard, 14 May 1900 (Governor and Commandant) 1902–1907: Major-General Gerald Kitson 1907–1911: Colonel William Capper 1911–1914: Major-General Lionel Stopford 1914–1916: Brigadier-General Stuart Rolt'ROLT, Brig.-Gen. Stuart Peter', in Who Was Who 1929–1940 (A. & C. Black, 1967 reprint: ) 1916–1919: Major-General Lionel Stopford 1919–1923: Major-General Sir Reginald Stephens'STEPHENS, General Sir Reginald Byng’, in Who Was Who 1951–1960, (A. & C. Black, 1984 reprint: ) 1923–1923: Major-General Herbert Shoubridge'SHOUBRIDGE, Maj.-Gen. (Thomas) Herbert', in Who Was Who 1916–1928, (A. & C. Black, 1992 reprint: ) 1923–1927: Major-General Charles Corkran'CORKRAN, Major-General Sir Charles Edward', in Who Was Who 1929–1940 (A. & C. Black, 1967 reprint: ) 1927–1930: Major-General Eric Girdwood 1931–1934: Major-General Reginald May'MAY, General Sir Reginald Seaburne', in Who Was Who 1951–1960, (A. & C. Black, 1984 reprint: ) 1934–1937: Major-General Bertie Fisher'FISHER, Lieut-General Sir Bertie Drew', in Who Was Who 1971–1980 (A. & C. Black, 1989 reprint: ) 1938–1939: Major-General Ralph Eastwood'EASTWOOD, Lt-Gen. Sir T. Ralph', in Who Was Who 1951–1960 (A. & C. Black, 1984 reprint: )
Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, 1947 to present 1947–1948: Major-General Francis Matthews 1948–1950: Major-General Hugh Stockwell 1951–1954: Major-General David Dawnay 1954–1956: Major-General Reginald Hobbs 1956–1960: Major-General Ronald Urquhart 1960–1963: Major-General George Gordon-Lennox 1963–1966: Major-General John Mogg 1966–1968: Major-General Peter Hunt 1968–1972: Major-General Philip Tower 1972–1973: Major-General Jack Harman 1973–1976: Major-General Robert Ford 1976–1979: Major-General Philip Ward 1979–1982: Major-General Richard Vickers 1982–1983: Major-General Geoffrey Howlett 1983–1987: Major-General Richard Keightley 1987–1989: Major-General Simon Cooper 1989–1991: Major-General Peter Graham 1991–1994: Major-General Timothy Toyne Sewell 1994–1995: Major-General Hew Pike 1995–1997: Major-General Jack Deverell 1997–2000: Major-General Arthur Denaro 2001–2002: Major-General Philip Trousdell 2002–2006: Major-General Andrew Ritchie 2006–2007: Major-General Peter Pearson 2007–2009: Major-General David Rutherford-Jones 2009–2012: Major-General Patrick MarriottMARRIOTT, Major-General Patrick Claude in Who's Who 2012 online at ukwhoswho.com (accessed 16 April 2012) 2012–2013: Major-General Timothy Evans 2013–2015 Major-General Stuart Skeates 2015–2020 Major-General Paul Nanson 2020–2022 Major-General Duncan Capps 2022–2024 Major-General Zachary Stenning 2024 – Present Major-General Nicholas Cowley
References
See also Royal Military College, Sandhurst