Royal Military Academy
Encyclopedia
The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich
, in south-east London
, was a British Army
military academy
for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery
and Royal Engineers
. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Signals
and other technical corps
.
and perfect Engineer
s". RMA Woolwich was commonly known as "The Shop" because its first building was a converted workshop of the Woolwich Arsenal
.
A larger building was specially designed for the Royal Military Academy by James Wyatt
, built between 1796 and 1805 and opened for use the following year.
Notable teachers at Woolwich included Frederick Augustus Abel
, Peter Barlow, Samuel Hunter Christie
, Adair Crawford
, George Greenhill, Percy MacMahon
, Paul Sandby
and James Joseph Sylvester
.
The Royal Military Academy Woolwich closed in 1939 and in 1947 the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
was formed on the site of the former Royal Military College at Sandhurst (which had previously only trained officers for the Infantry
and Cavalry
) with the objective of providing officer training for all arms and services.
Durkan Group bought the Woolwich site by public tender in 2006. The Woolwich buildings have since been converted and extended into 334 houses and apartments, including 150 for a housing association
.
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
, in south-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
and other technical corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
.
History
The Royal Military Academy Woolwich was founded in 1741: it was intended to provide an education and produce "good officers of ArtilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and perfect Engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
s". RMA Woolwich was commonly known as "The Shop" because its first building was a converted workshop of the Woolwich Arsenal
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
.
A larger building was specially designed for the Royal Military Academy by James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
, built between 1796 and 1805 and opened for use the following year.
Notable teachers at Woolwich included Frederick Augustus Abel
Frederick Augustus Abel
-External links:...
, Peter Barlow, Samuel Hunter Christie
Samuel Hunter Christie
Samuel Hunter Christie was a British scientist and mathematician.He studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge where he was second wrangler. He was particularly interested in magnetism, studying the earth's magnetic field and designing improvements to the magnetic compass...
, Adair Crawford
Adair Crawford
Adair Crawford FRS , a chemist and physician, was a pioneer in the development of calorimetric methods for measuring the specific heat capacity of substances and the heat of chemical reactions...
, George Greenhill, Percy MacMahon
Percy Alexander MacMahon
Percy Alexander MacMahon was a mathematician, especially noted in connection with the partitions of numbers and enumerative combinatorics.-Early life:...
, Paul Sandby
Paul Sandby
Paul Sandby was an English map-maker turned landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768.-Life and work:...
and James Joseph Sylvester
James Joseph Sylvester
James Joseph Sylvester was an English mathematician. He made fundamental contributions to matrix theory, invariant theory, number theory, partition theory and combinatorics...
.
The Royal Military Academy Woolwich closed in 1939 and in 1947 the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
was formed on the site of the former Royal Military College at Sandhurst (which had previously only trained officers for the Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
) with the objective of providing officer training for all arms and services.
Durkan Group bought the Woolwich site by public tender in 2006. The Woolwich buildings have since been converted and extended into 334 houses and apartments, including 150 for a housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
.
Commandants
Commandants have included:- 1912-1914 Brigadier-General Arthur Holland
- 1914-1918 Major-General William CleeveWilliam CleeveMajor-General William Frederick Cleeve CB JP was a British Army officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.-Military career:...
- 1918-1920 Major-General Geoffrey WhiteGeoffrey White (British Army officer)Major-General Geoffrey Herbert Anthony White CB CMG DSO was a British Army officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.-Military career:...
- 1920-1924 Major-General Webb GillmanWebb GillmanGeneral Sir Webb Gillman KCB KCMG DSO was a British Army General during World War I.-Military career:Educated at Dulwich College, Gillman was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery in 1889...
- 1924-1926 Major-General Ronald Charles
- 1926-1930 Major-General Hugo De PreeHugo De PreeMajor-General Hugo Douglas De Pree CB CMG DSO was a British Army officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.-Military career:...
- 1930-1934 Major-General Cyril WagstaffCyril WagstaffMajor General Cyril Mosley Wagstaff CB CMG CIE DSO was a British Army officer who became Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.-Military career:...
- 1934-1938 Major-General Arthur GoschenArthur GoschenMajor General Arthur Alec Goschen CB DSO & Two Bars DL was a British Army officer who served as an Area Commander during the Second World War.-Military career:...
- 1938-1939 Major-General Philip NeamePhilip NeameLieutenant General Sir Philip Neame VC, KBE, CB, DSO, KStJ was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...