|
No. 2 Officer's Quarters
Going through the second door on the West wall you will find yourself in
the room of a junior officer, probably who is moving into his room. Most
officers came from the upper and middle classes of British society because
being an officer was an expensive proposition. Officers had to pay for their
own food and equipment whereas the men did not. In addition, officers in
the infantry and cavalry had to purchase their own commissions at a cost
ranging from 450 to 9,000 pounds sterling: this was between three and twelve
times their annual salaries. Royal Engineers and Artillery officers did not
have to buy their commissions but they had to attend the Royal Military Academy
at Woolwich in order to qualify.
A few common soldiers were promoted to officer rank for merit however this
usually only occurred in wartime. In 1870, the "purchase system" was abolished
but the vestiges of the system persisted until the First World War.
|