Senior Officers' School, Belgaum


The Senior Officers' School, Belgaum was a British military establishment established in 1920 for the training of senior officers of all services based in India in inter-service cooperation.

History

The School was originally intended for senior officers of the Indian Army who aspired to battalion command and to ensure that all such candidates received suitable training. The School attempted to widen officers' outlook by including in its syllabus subjects that were not immediately military but led to an appreciation of the wider political, geographical and technological environment in which the Army would operate. The first commandant was Brigadier-General Henry Edward ap Rhys Pryce, who was appointed in December 1920, and the last commandant was Brigadier William Slim, who was appointed in June 1939, shortly before the school closed in September, due to the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe.
There was also a parallel establishment, the Senior Officers' School, Sheerness, at Sheerness in England.

Commandants

The following officers commanded the school during its existence: