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| Inspector of Military Schools Gleig conducts an examination of the Royal Hibernian Military School | ||||||||||||||||||||
Editorial note: The Rev. George R. Gleig, prolific writer and ordained minister with the military establishment, wrote a biography of Wellington. For a time, he ingratiated himself with the Duke. However, when appointed Inspector of Military Schools, he overstepped his authority in the Home Command and put himself at odds with Wellington, who was at that time Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Contrary to The Times report (see below), Gleig was Inspector of Military Schools, not the Inspector-General of Military Schools as he styled himself. Chaplain-General of the Army (1844-1879), he was appointed Inspector of Military Schools by the Secretary at War in July 1846 on the recommendation of the Bishop of London. In the letter confirming his appointment, he was instructed that '...no orders could be given affecting the schools except those given by the Secretary at War.' Gleig's duties were to inspect military schools and make recommendations. His negative reports on army education, however, 'struck consternation in the Horse Guards' (A.C.T. White in "The Story of Army Education", p55) and so angered Wellington that he ordered units to take no further part in the tests of the Inspector of Military Schools. Wellington died in 1852, which enabled Gleig to consolidate his position in the army education establishment. Unquestionably, he influenced the course of army education and his own fortunes by writing a series of books that became standard set books for use in military schools. |
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| The annual examination of the pupils was held on Monday by the Rev. R. Gleig, Inspector-General of military schools. His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant, attended by several of the members of the Viceregal household, arrived at the school at 10 o'clock, and, having been received by the officers of the establishment, was conducted to the examination hall, which was appropriately fitted up for the occasion. The masters in classes for the purpose of examination; and their fine healthy appearance and steady demeanour formed the subject of general remark. On the arrival of his Excellency and suite in the hall the band of the corps played the National Anthem. After the usual preliminaries had been gone through the examinations commenced. The Rev. Mr. Gleig questioned the pupils with much strictness on the various branches of the English and military education in which they are instructed; and the answering, which was listened to with much attention, was creditable alike to the boys and their masters. The examination having concluded, the pupils were paraded on the plateau in front of the building, and put through a variety of military evolutions, all of which the performed with the ease and dexterity of trained soldiers. The business of the day having ended, the Rev. Mr. Gleig congratulated the youthful corps on the proficiency they exhibited during the examination, and expressed a hope that they would continue to progress in their studies till they had fully acquired the education and training of soldiers of the Queen. His Excellency and suite, having partaken of luncheon, quitted the school at 5 o'clock, the band of the school playing "God Save the Queen" as the distinguished visitors departed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
