(One of a series of posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)
Martin Gilbert, Churchill’s official biographer, tells us what he learned in 1964 about Churchill’s subject grades and overall achievement at Sandhurst. He also says something about a myth concerning them:
[A copy of Churchill’s] examination marks at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, [was] sent from the academy in 1964.Tomorrow’s post will also deal with Churchill’s success at Sandhurst, something of which he was very proud.
The young Churchill had dramatically improved his marks in the course of a single year, from December 1893 to December 1894. Military topography had been one of his best subjects. His marks in tactics, as well as in the study of fortifications had been very high. His horse riding skills had been judged exceptional.
The young cadet’s conduct had also steadily improved, from “good but unpunctual” to “unpunctual” (half way through the year) to “good.”
Most remarkable, as the librarian at Sandhurst pointed out in a covering letter, Churchill had come within 24 marks (out of 2,720) of receiving the Sword of Honour for his year: he only failed to attain that coveted prize because the winner had received a bonus of fifty marks for already being an Under Officer.
The image of the backward cadet could no longer be sustained, even though, thirty years after this discovery, it is still being perpetuated.
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Martin Gilbert, In Search of Churchill: A Historian’s Journey. (John Wiley & Sons) (pgs. 16-17)
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