Royal Military College of Canada - Review Yearbook (Kingston, Ontario Canada)

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12 R. M. C. REVIEW June 1st of this year 1936 was the Diamond Jubilee of the Royal Military College of Canada. On that date sixty years ago the College opened in H.M.S. Stone Frigate with sixteen cadets.- A few days later two more recruits joined, and thus came into being the immortal Old Eighteen . Colonel E. O. Hewett, R.E., had been appointed the first Com- mandant in the previous year. The first cadet, as everyone knows, was No. 1, Alfred George Godfrey Wurtele, the number of the latest joined recruit, now at the College, is 2507. The original staff consisted of the Commandant, Captain J. B. Rid- out, 90th L.I., Captain of Cadets, Captain E. Kensington, R.A., Professor of Mathematics and Artillery, Captain G. W. Hawkins, R.A., Professor of Fortification and Military Topography, and Professor G. O. Ferguson, Pro- fessor of French and German. The course of study laid down for this first class included mathematics, geometrical drawing, modern languages, in- fantry drill and swimming. In September, 1876, the first regular quarterly examination was held, at which the cadets showed moderate but not marked improvement . The first senior gentleman cadet was No. 7, L. H. Irving, who also had the great distinction of being the first cadet to hold the successive ranks of lance-corporal, corporal, sergeant, company ser- geant-major, and battalion sergeant-major. He was also in 1884 the first president of the R.M.C. Club. The original building, used by both staff and cadets, for sleeping, eat- ing and working fthe order in which these three essentials are named has, of course, no significancej was the old Stone Frigate, then lighted by 108 coal oil-lamps, but in 1878 took place the opening of the Educational Build- ing, now the Administration Building. This building is in a most pleasing and distinctive style of Canadian architecture. Since then many other buildings have been added, and those who were responsible for their design have been consistent in one respect, at any rate, they have never permitted any two buildings on the College grounds to have the same style of archi- tecture. This, of course, enables the cadet, if he be so minded, to study, right on the premises, the various kinds of architecture which have at- tained popularity in Canada during the last sixty years. The growth in the number of cadets is perhaps best shown by com- paring the size of the first recruit class, 18, with that of 1935, 71. As mentioned above the number of buildings has also greatly increased, but in .this connection the obvious fact should not be forgotten that the more buildings you place on a circumscribed area of land, such as the Inner Enclosure, the less space you have left for playing fields, in fact we now have one where we had three. The Outer Enclosure, though it has plenty of open space, is so cut up that there is only room for one playing field, it looks as though we shall have to go across to Barriefield Common for addi- tional recreation grounds in the very near future. Pls Dk Pk bk The death of No. 47, Lt.-'Colonel E. F. Wurtele was a very great loss to the College and to all connected with it. The Editor loses not only a personal friend but also one who has always given him the greatest assist- ance since the inauguration of the Review. His unrivalled knowledge of the early history of the College, his unceasing kindness in sending the editor items of news about ex-cadets and the College, sometimes three times a week, and above all his unqualified love and enthusiasm for his old College

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R. M. C. REVIEW Volume XVII JUNE, 1936 Number 33 EDITORIAL NOTES N THIS OUR FIRST NUMBER OF THE YEAR 1936 'IHL ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA AND ALL WHO HONOUR HER NAME JOIN NOT ONLY THE BRITISH COMMON WEALTH OF NATIONS BUT PHE WHOLE WORLD IN EXPRESS ING THEIR HEARTFEIT SORROW AT THE PASSING OF HIS LATE MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V AND THEIR DEEPLST SYMPATHY WITH HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY QUEFNT MARY WE CANNOT ADD ANYTHING TO WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ALREADY ABOUT OUR LATE GRFAT SOVEREIGN BUT Wh TO HIS SON KING EDWARD VIII LONG MAY HE REIGN CAN, HERE AND NOW, AFFIRM OUR SOLEMN ALLEGIANCE E have the honour and pleasure of presenting as the frontispiece of this number a photograph of the Governor-General of Canada, His Excellency the Right Honourable the Lord Tweedsmuir, G.C.M.G., A very short time ago We had the honour and pleasure of Welcoming His Excellency to the College. As this year is the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Military College of Canada it seems fitting to recall that the Earl of Dufferin was the first Governor- General to honour our College with his presence on September 6th, 1877, and that since his time We have been visited, usually more than once, by each Governor-General in turn.

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