The greatest Chief of the Imperial General Staff Sir Alan Brooke entered The Royal Military Academy at Woolwich with a need to prove himself. He had entered the school at the end of the passes and was driven to leave the Shop, as the cadets called Woolwich, at a higher standing. Though he had scored poorly on his Latin exam receiving the next to last score amongst the new cadets and the lowest score in English composition with 273 points, he was not without his triumphs. He had earned the second highest score in French, earning 1,500 out of 2,000 points, and the highest score in freehand drawing earning 457 points. His mathematics and geography scores were average.[1]
Brooke had his character to help guide him through his education. On his entrance application to Woolwich the St. Georges’ principal noted that Alan’s high character would make him a successful candidate and he held Alan in the same regard as another St. George’s student, Victor Brooke, who had shown himself to be a successful officer. Brooke was a young man whom he held in the deepest regard and whose character and courage were irreproachable. Pau’s British doctor reported on the same application that Brooke had the material to become a useful officer.[2] To those who observed Brooke’s character, it appeared clear he would be successful in the Army. As a young man Brooke admired gentlemanly virtues which he attempted to follow in his own doings. This idea of honor came to become part of his personality and decision making.
Those lacking public school education were a minority at Woolwich. In fact, sixty-two percent of all officers during the Boer War had attended public schools. It was at Woolwich and Sandhurst, the Army school for infantry and cavalry cadets, which the most intellectually adept young men attempted to enter the Army. However, many of them, including those with public school education, needed time like Brooke at preparatory schools to prepare for the entrance examinations. Woolwich provided Brooke the uniform Army education necessary to become a typical officer. In 1913, ninety-nine percent of all Royal Artillery officers had passed through Woolwich.[3] Clearly at Woolwich, Brooke believed that the world included insiders and outsiders, and Brooke did not wish to be seen as different or on the outside.
Dedicated to his education and future advancement, he largely ignored organized games at Woolwich and dedicated himself to study. However, he did take with him a pistol and shot regularly.[4] He recalled his days at the Shop as:
a happy but strenuous time during which I learned much, not only of the normal subjects, but more especially in the most important of all accomplishments in life, that of sizing up the relative values of one’s fellow men.[5]
His time at the Shop was a highly formative period for Brooke. For the first time he was constantly in contact with a large group of his English-speaking peers.
Another important event during Brooke’s years at Woolwich was the Boer War. He would have been unable to avoid thinking of British action in South Africa since two of his brothers served against the Boers. Both brothers, Ronald and Victor, became the acquaintances of journalist and future Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill described Captain Ronald Brooke of the 7th Hussars as a soldier who had seen as much fighting as any other British officer. Captain Brooke was an experienced officer seeing his first action in 1895 with the British relief force in Chitral, having his name mentioned in dispatches to the London Gazette. His successful career continued in 1898 in the Nile Expedition earning him additional mentions in dispatches followed by a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in the Battles of Atbara and Khartoum in 1898. Meanwhile Churchill predicted that Alan’s personal hero, Lieutenant Victor Brooke of the 9th Lancers was a man to be noticed in the future. Lieutenant Brooke suffered a smashed left hand serving with the Kimberley Relief Force.[6] As a cadet, the heroic actions of his brothers would not have escaped his notice. He was an heir to a proud family military tradition. Brooke’s admiration of his elder brothers and their military service would help frame his personal beliefs, leading to his willingness to see military force as a legitimate tool for the obtainment of political goals.
Brooke proved a good cadet at Woolwich. His “Report for Autumn Term, 1902” stated that he had the qualities to be an excellent officer. He had earned “Very Good” on Mathematics & Mechanics, Artillery, Electricity and Magnetism, and “Good” in tactics.[7] He was evaluated as a “good all round cadet who would make a smart field artillery officer.”[8] He received a commission in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA). Through hard work and study, Brooke had worked himself up to the 50th position in his class. Based on the fact that twenty commissions had been distributed into the Royal Engineers in prior years, he believed he had safely earned an appointment as an Engineer. However, in the last few weeks he had slipped to the seventeenth slot and only fifteen Sapper commissions were issued. He was disappointed with losing out on an Engineering commission but was still pleased to find himself in the Artillery. Brooke was also denied the Tomb’s Memorial, awarded to the top Artillery cadet, by only 17 points.[9]
A classmate at Woolwich described Brooke as an average student. However his hard work allowed him to pass in the top third of his class of eighty cadets. He had never been an outstanding student but his tenacity reaped rewards. His classmates noted that he was a high-strung young man who had a hard time relaxing. Sport provided him the outlets he needed for relaxation; and he rode and shot as often as possible.[10] At Woolwich, his peers recognized Brooke’s work ethic and love of sport. And Brooke appeared to learn the value of hard work in reaching one’s goals. The value in preparing for an action would resurface throughout Brooke’s lifetime.
