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This book tells the little known story of the Army's schools, which were established in 1812 to provide schooling for soldiers' children and subsequently for enlisted men, some 30 years before governments first provided money for civilian elementary schools in England and Wales. This is the first published work on the Army's schools during the 19t
About the author
Howard Clarke was born in Sheffield in 1943 and has lived for most of life in the north of England. After attending grammar school he obtained degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Oxford University. Following a short spell working in accountancy, he taught economics, government and politics before moving into college management. In his capacity as a college principal and chairman of the Association of Sixth Form Colleges, he represented the interests of this part of the further education sector with government at the national and local level. Since retirement he has pursued his lifelong enthusiasm for political and military history and has developed a particular interest in the origins and early years of the British Army's schools for soldiers' children and enlisted men. Because of family connections, his research focused initially on the Royal Hibernian Military School (RHMS).In 2011 he published A New History of the Royal Hibernian Military School, Phoenix Park Dublin 1765-1924 andhis articles on the school have appeared in a number of journals in Great Britain and Ireland. In 2015 he was a contributor to the BBC Radio Ulster series: WWI at Home. He is currently working on a history of the Royal Military Asylum Chelsea (1800-1892). When not reading and writing, he spends much of his time walking his spaniel, travelling at homeand overseas and adding to his collection of old toy soldiers.
