Topic: AIF - Misc Topics
On 27 June 1911, Governor-General Lord Dudley officially opened the Royal Military College at Duntroon thus becoming the first Commonwealth facility within the Australian Capital Territory. The first intake of students followed. When the Great War erupted, many of the students were given compressed courses to ensure rapid graduation, thus many graduated in 18 months rather than the required two years. During the Great War, some 158 cadets graduated to become officers within the AIF. From this group, 42 were killed in action and a further 58 were wounded in action. It was safer to be an infantry man in the trenches at the Somme than a RMC Graduate.
In recognition of this sacrifice, below is a picture of three anonymous cadets from RMC. The picture was on the face of an unused post card print and so the identity of the men remains unknown unless someone who has a file of named photographs of RMC graduates can make that identification. Otherwise their names are lost forever.
Three Cadets from Royal Military College, Duntroon
On their collars and hats one can clearly see the RMC emblem. The man sitting down appears to have had greater service than the two men standing behind him. This picture clearly demonstrates the type of uniform worn by the men who attened RMC Duntroon during the Great War.
Citation: Three Cadets from Royal Military College
