06 August 1999 was the commissioning day (Passing out Parade) of CCC-983 (Common Commissioning Course) at The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom. Today is its 24th anniversary.
I had the honour to represent Pakistan and was awarded Queen’s Commission (Since Queen Elizabeth II was Regina) which was converted in to The President’s Commission (awarded by President Rafique Tartar) the very next day i.e 7 August 1999.
On that particular day the excitement was way too less but in hindsight it had been among the most memorable days of my life.
So the FAQ. What is the difference in training? Quite a lot. Marked difference was quality at RMA versus quantity at PMA.
There was no disconnect with reality. Training was up to the mark. Their motto was ‘Serve to Lead’ as opposed to ‘Men at Their Best’ at PMA. I liked humility about serving first then qualifying to lead which inspired me a great deal. However, it wasn’t the best course of action rather proved to be the beginning of the end.
Nonetheless, highlights of that year at Sandhurst were exposure, learning and confidence. Lifelong friendships from Jamaica to Thailand and Sri Lanka to Kuwait and of course United Kingdom.
Earned overall A Grade, Commandant’s Medal for Merit and King Abdullah’s Prize for Best Academic Grades among floppies and ended the year as part of No 1 Platoon Blenheim Company as Sovereign’s Platoon (Best Platoon of the course). Indeed a privilege to train with a bunch of strong lads under supervision of Capt Rickets (Royal Engineers Corps) and Capt Mecham (Royal Australian Armoured Corps).
Colour Sergeant Hardwick also deserves a mention for his all encompassing persona.
It was an ambassadorial assignment and to get a thumbs up as ‘First Class Ambassador of Pakistan’ from the then Commandant, Major General A G Denaro at the end of the year was thoroughly rewarding and highly satisfying as mentioned in the report below:
Besides maintaining official journal, I also maintained another journal all year long for the betterment of my parent Alma Mater - PMA. However, it got zipped. I didn’t know at the time that only top men matter in our system. As a young lad I was impressed by things like a cadet should first pass weapon handling test before going to ranges for actual fire. Likewise, write complete range instructions before hitting the range for the first time. All field exercises were written by groups of cadets. Please note that I wasn’t familiar with the term ‘chhappa’ by that time. Platoon commanders would put up in the lines and join the physical activities with cadets because I had seen A G Denaro running endurance runs with the cadets. Just wanted my parent institution to learn from experiences at RMA.
I was envious of British Cadets’ sense of duty. They would practice drill in their own time. Follow the rules. Their comradeship was not ‘covering your mate for his wrongdoings’ rather helping him overcome the problem or get a public bashing. Sleeping on sentry duty meant withdrawal from the academy. I liked that one. And they would enjoy the weekends which I don't cherish too much because it set the wrong tone for my early years.
War history and communication skills were taught by highly qualified civilian faculty who would appear in History or National Geographic channels for their knowledge and expertise on respective subjects.
Representing academy in Cricket and Squash was also fulfilling experience. Not many leg spinners are born on British soil, so I found my spot in the Academy Team.
During my visit to the Sandhurst last October, mix feelings of nostalgia and happy memories surrounded me and today was the most appropriate day to revisit one of the finest years my life at one of the finest institutions in the world.
During visit last year 2022
I guess taking Sandhurst motto too seriously didn’t help. It was meant for Sandhurst Graduates who had to serve to lead in British Army whereas Margret Jones who provided welfare assistance to oversees cadets at Sandhurst for over 50 years (also a civilian) would take a jibe at me when I would get frustrated with slow processing of visas, leaves etc,’Our Army is not as bossy as yours’. Wonder what she meant by that! 🤔
All in all a wonderful year. I owe it all back to my institution. It is hurtful to see the perception among masses going south. I hope its image among its own people improves which will require sincere efforts. I would love to live the day we prove Margret Jones wrong.
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