Soldier education in the British Army, 1920-2007

This article surveys the history of compulsory education for soldiers' career advancement in the British Army. It begins with an examination of the organisational context before analysing the rationale, syllabus, teaching and assessment of soldier education. It concludes that for the Army education organisation their self-perception as soldiers and educators is of crucial importance; that the justifications for soldier education have been debated constantly between the 'liberal' and 'utilitarian' groupings within the organisation; and finally that significant work remains to be done in this nexus between British military and educational history