Brigade Squad

Brigade Squad was a potential officers' course run by the Guards Division training depot at Caterham and subsequently Pirbright for those wishing to join the Household Division, i.e. the five regiments of foot guards and the two household cavalry regiments (now the Household Cavalry Regiment).

It started at about the time of the Second World War and was disbanded in the 1990s. During the period of its existence its character, duration and purpose changed and/or developed. Generally, as with any human activity, it was "worse in my day", as a combination of health and safety considerations, cost cutting and whining from parents slowly but surely trimmed its worst excesses back.

The purpose of the course (latterly) was to weed out or put off inappropriate applicants, and to assist those completing the course in their subsequent selection and training. It was reasonably successful in the first objective. The course was not passed or failed and there was no passing out parade, promotion, or other benefit for completion other than being permitted to proceed to officer selection. But potential officers did have the benefit of observing and experiencing the training given to ordinary recruits joining the household division. Equally guardsmen, being trained at the same facilities but in separate platoons, would be able to witness potential officers (who in due course would command them) enduring similar experiences to theirs. In theory Brigade Squad, although shorter than an ordinary recruit's course, was more unpleasant since far more intense.

Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath describes his experiences in the 1950s thus:


 * Potential Officers at Caterham were put into the Brigade Squad, where we were required to absorb within four weeks the disciplinary training that other Guardsmen took in more gradually over a period of months. But during these four weeks, the whole idea was to drain from us every spark of individualism, so that we could be remoulded into the fused identity of a single platoon. The process involved the deliberate destruction, or suspense, of all that had previously amounted to any sense of personal identity. We had to be transformed into automatons before we could be of any use to the Brigade of Guards. And the dehumanising process was focused upon the idea of getting us marching, stamping our feet, pirouetting and twirling to the frenzied bark of Sergeant McMahon.

http://www.lordbath.co.uk/bk3frame.htm

See also George Ramsey's description of Brigade Squad during the war at: http://www.secondworldwarforum.com/my-oral-history-archive/army/george-ramsay-british/

Alan Clark described Brigade Squad as follows:


 * Brutalisation can take two forms, both of which I have undergone. One is the Etonian education where there is the intellectual kind: it's not so much a brutalisation as a very cruel and long-drawn-out initiation ceremony to a fraternity. And then there is the much rougher brutalisation which takes place at the Guards Brigade Squad Camp, which every guards officer has to undergo. Quite rightly it is worse than that to which the ranks are subjected. So when you see all those 'chinless wonders' strutting about in their posh uniforms, you will know that for eight weeks they have had an absolutely appalling time, probably worse than you will get anywhere outside a Victorian prison.

interview: http://www.amielandmelburn.org.uk/collections/mt/pdf/90_09_04.pdf

Completion of the course was no guarantee of a commission since candidates still had to pass through the Regular Commissions Board at Westbury and then complete the commissioning course at RMA Sandhurst and any specialist junior officer training thereafter. In addition many completing Brigade Squad were also required to complete Rowallan Company before proceeding to the standard commissioning courses at Sandhurst.

As at the time that the course was disbanded it was of 8 weeks' duration consisting of basic recruit training, fieldcraft including battle camp, a march and shoot competition, adventurous training, and then a week of preparation for RCB.

Other parts of the British Army provided equivalent courses in imitation of Brigade Squad, e.g. the potential officers' course at Catterick for those seeking commissions in the Royal Armoured Corps.

People who have completed Brigade Squad
In theory any officer serving in the Household Division should have completed Brigade Squad. However there were a number of methods of avoiding it, e.g. by changing to a Guards Regiment after starting Sandhurst.

Andrew Sinclair, author; his experiences of Brigade Squad in the 1950s are described in his novel The Breaking of Bumbo

Robert Lawrence MC, Scots Guards officer injured during the Battle for Tumbledown and the subject of the film of that name; he describes his experience of Brigade Squad in the late 1970s in his book about Tumbledown

Frank Brian Mercer OBE

Michael Heseltine, Secretary of State for Defence: see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3622979/It-never-did-them-any-harm.html see also his autobiography, Life in the Jungle which describes his experiences at Caterham in the 1950s

Alan Clarke, Minister for Defence Procurement; see above

Lord Bath: see above

Harry Wynne-Williams, journalist: see his article http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/marching-to-a-different-tune-1173602.html

Billy Vincent; see interview at http://www.irelandfunds.org/awb/awbv2.pdf

Richard Drax MP (South Dorset): http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Drax_Richard.aspx

David Birtwistle

Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby, owner of Ouija Board (horse)

Michael Alison, conservative policitian (see http://barneshistorian.com/vm-alison.php)

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, see http://www.gouvernement.lu/salle_presse/actualite/2002/12/17ceremonie/grandduc.pdf