Figure 1.--Here we see a photograph of the Duke of York's School 'colour guard'. They wear the red uniform of the British Infantry. The School, which is, technically. a unit of the British Army, has its own regimental colours, according to A.W. Cockerill who dates it from the 1890s. Notice the boys are wearing campign caps rather than pillbox caps.

The first British military school for children was founded in Dublin, Ireland by a charitable gtoup in the mid-18th century as a result of the privations experienced by military family when the father was posted abroad. This occurred after the Seven Years War. The problem became increasingly serious during the extended conflicts associated with the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The Eventually the British Army took over this responsibility and schools were founded in England and later Scotland. The Irish school was closed when Ireland obtained its independence. The two British military schools are now operated like British public (private) schools.

The 18th Century

Historian A.W. Cockrill who has written extensively on children in the British military tells us, "In 1769, following the Seven Year War, the Hibernian Society of Ireland was created by the field officers of the Cork and Dublin garrisons and their wives to care for the children of the other ranks. Poverty was rife and a number of charities sought to alleviate the plight of orphaned children. The Hibernian Society, however, granted a charter by King George III, who contributed £1,000 to the fund, was for the exclusive care of military children in need." [Cockerill, July 3 2004.]

The 19th Century

The ongoing wars with first the French Revolution and then Napoleon involved increasing numbers of Britons in the military. Their service placed great strains on their families. Cockerill tells us, "In 1800, the Society was renamed the Royal Hibernian Military School and came under the direct control of the military hierarchy. In 1801, the Duke of York, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army (York was the butt of the lampoon 'Grand old Duke of York' nursery rhyme – in fact a ditty of French origin aimed at Louis XV) founded the Royal Military Aslym, Chelsea, for the orphaned children of British rank and file soldiers. It welcome boys and girls from as young as six months of age (infants were housed under the care of nurses in an infant establishment on the Isle of Wight and transferred to Chelsea when they reached the age of six years). The Royal Military Asylum, which soon became known as the Duke of York's School, was based on the system of management, known militarily as the 'interior economy', of the Royal Hibernian Military School, Dublin. At the height of the Napoleonic period of the French Wars (1793-1816) the Asylum housed 1,650 boys and girls: about 1,100 boys and 550 girls. The accompany illustration shows a boy seated and girl shown standing (circa 1809). Note that the girl wears corporal's stripes on her right arm and wears a 'charity tippet' (bonnet), typical of the early 19th Century. The Asylum was governed by a board of governors under the chairmanship of York along with senior officers of the Army and the Established Church and staffed by military personnel: a commandant, adjutant, sergeant-majors of companies, pioneers and, for the girls, a staff of nurses and a supervisor, all with strong military connections. The school was organized as a military battalion, into ten companies. The school had its own band. The authorities taught the children to read, write, the four rules of arithmetic as well as a trade such as tailoring, seamstress, leather worker, sadler. They made their own clothes and, at the age of 14, were either given indentured apprentices or, in the case of boys, encouraged to enlist in a regular unit of the army. Because the children were taught military discipline, the boys were much sought after by military units who vied with each other to attract suitable recruits. The education provided by the Army was new, structured and revolutionary using the monitorial system of education introduced by two competing authorities: Joseph Lancaster and Dr. Andrew Bell. Bell's 'Madras system' soon became the system used throughout the British Army (seventy years before parliament passed the National Education Act to provide children with an elementary education). Asylum children (age 11, 12 and 13) were used to introduce the new education system to units in Portugal, Canada and other overseas stations. (Joseph Lancaster later introduced his monitorial system into Canada and, later, the United States. Public education in Canada – Upper Canada then – began with the work of the two Asylum boys, age 11 and 12 respectively, shipped to North America." [Cockerill, July 3, 2004.]

The 20th Century

The 1900s

Cockerkill writes, "In 1900, a third military school was established, principally for the sons of Scottish Soldiers. This was the Queen Victoria School, Dunblane, Scotland. A similar regimen to the RMA was established for use by the QV School and, whereas the Asylum boys (girls were excluded in the 1840s and did not re-enter the system until 1994) wore the same red uniform of the scarlet-coated British Infantry soldier, boys of the QVS wore Scottish dress, short red coats, trews or kilts and glengarries." [Cockerill, July 3, 2004]

The 1920s

Cockerill explains, "Following the changed political scene in Dublin that resulted in the creation of the Republic of Ireland, the Royal Hibernian Military School, was evacuated to Shorncliffe, Kent, in 1922 and amalgamated with the Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover (it was renamed the Duke of York's in 1892 and moved to new premises in Dover in 1909). In 1940, the majority of records of the Royal Hibernians were destroyed in the London Blitz." [Cockerill, July 3, 2004]

The 1940s

Cockrill who was a student at the Duke of York's School provides us a glimse of the school during the War years when he an his brother were there..

The 1950s

After VE-Day in Europe (May 1945), the Labour Government won the General Election and launched a wide-ranging series of social reforms. Part of this reform addressed education. The education reform actually began in 1944. A key part of the effort was an major expansion of secondary schools so that most British children could persure secoindary studies. The two British military schools were affected by these reforms and began offering a full secondary education curriculum. The schools thus began to shift from primary to secondary schools. Ths also reflected developing attitudes in Britain where some parents were beginning to question the idea of boarding younger children.

The 21st Century

Two British military schools for children still exist, the Duke of York's School in England and the Queen Victoria School in Scotland. Both schools continue to be focused on servicing the children of Britih servicemen as well as retired military personnel. These families no longer face privations, but British servicemen are still stationed abroad. Not as many as in the days when the Empire cointrolled a quarter of the globe, but there are still foreign postings. Today these postings rarely involve family postings. Military families do, however, have to move within the U.K., but not as mush as American military families. At any rate these two schools provide boarding school facilities to military families requiring these services. They also offer a private school experience for military families that otherwise might not be able to afford it. The schools today look more like other British private schools than was formerly the case. The academic program, like preparatory and public (Private) schools, is now designed to prepare children for university entrance. Another major change is that the schools now attract the children of officers as well as enlistedmen. The Duke of York's School tells prospective parents, "The school offers what you would expect from a leading independent boarding school, plus much more. Founded in 1803. The Duke of York’s Royal Military School provides a unique education for 11-18 year old children of those who have served for a minimum of four years on regular engagements in the British Armed Forces." The Queen Victoria School describes its mission, "To provide a high quality, stable, and uninterrupted boarding education for the sons and daughters of Scottish personnel or those who have served on regular engagements in Scotland." The age range at both schools is now boys and girls from 11-18 years of age. The age of 11 is presumably chosen because this is when British children complete primary school.

Author

This page was mostly authored by Art Cockerill who has researched the subject of boy soldiers. Readers interested in his work should persue his web page linked below.

Sources

Cockerill, A.W. E-mail message correspondence, July 3, 2004.

Cockerill, A.W. Information*Research*Publications.

Created: 11:44 PM 7/3/2004
Last updated: 9:42 PM 7/4/2004