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ST EDWARD’S
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F E A T U R E S
Interviewed before the 2017 OSE Military
Dinner by LCpls Octavia and Sybilla Hamilton
(Fifth Form, Jubilee House)
What are your strongest memories
from your time atTeddies?
Mostly those spent outside the classroom: living
with everyone in Corfe, on the hockey pitch,
on the squash court, CCF and DofE.
Did the history of war heroes at the
School influence your view of the
military?
I think it definitely had an impact, though more
subconscious at the time than conscious.
Having the names of those who served in the
First and Second World Wars written on the
walls in chapel where I sat at least twice a week,
every week for five years, probably did have an
influence, though both my grandfathers having
done National Service also had a significant
influence. I think it’s probably something that is
stronger on reflection rather than at the time.
Did you know what you were going to
do before you left School?
When I left School I wanted to join the army
as a doctor, and had a deferred place at
Manchester Medical School. I spent a year
working locally, played semi-professional
squash and worked for Teddies, and then at
the end of that year I went to Australia and
ended up staying there for two years! On
my return I went to Bath University to do
Sport and Exercise Science, and joined Bristol
University Officer Training Corps (which is like
a cross between CCF and the Army Reserve).
I learnt a lot there and was good at it, so when
someone suggested I applied for regular officer
selection, I went for it. I passed and then never
really looked at any other options. Then I
suddenly found myself at Sandhurst one Sunday
afternoon with an ironing board under my arm
wondering what the hell I was doing there!
Tell us more about your time in
Australia.
I went out to work in a cattle station - chasing
cows basically, mostly on horses, sometimes
on motorbikes and quad bikes. It was great,
although not the kind of thing for everybody. I
was working on a huge remote station two or
The Armed Forces
Rosie Hamilton (K, 2000-2005)