Officer Class Sandhurst

We are almost knee-height now in depth

and then we're going to get down to basically neck-height.

HE SIGHS It's not going to last forever.

'Keep working hard, boys!'

Fucking stand by! I am seriously now frothing at the mouth

and I'm going to fucking throttle some of YOU fuckers!

Hey, what's going on over there? And you're still digging!

You're meant to be the two fucking commanders!

You don't sleep for so long, your dreams start intruding on your waking time,

so you're trying not to sleep, but you're dreaming at the same time as being awake, so you hallucinate.

56 hours with no sleep.

So everything's taking that little bit longer.

The only way you can be prepared

from childhood for something like this is if you come from an army background, which I don't.

The morale is going fucking down!

It's amazing how you can still function with so little food, sleep, when you're cold, wet.

They find out a lot about each other.

I really wanted to find out before I came here that I was a good person,

that I put others before myself, that I wouldn't Jack on anyone,

that I would be a leader when I was under pressure and under fatigue.

I don't know whether I'm finding out that that's so.

We've all discussed what we're doing this weekend, who'll get furthest.

Anything other than this!

I am going to some cocktail bar in London on Saturday night with the bird

and then we'll probably all sleep until three in the afternoon.

I think there's still definitely that perception that it's mainly upper class,

mainly public school-educated,

mainly young men that join and have a good life in the Officers Mess,

don't really pay too much attention to the men.

But it's not like that any more. We're an army at war.

And soldiers, you know, they don't want a bloke who can wear good moleskins

and can put the port down him. They want someone who is going to command them and lead them.

SOLDIER WHISTLES

'I've always been interested in politics and the democratic system in this country.

'We don't have the romantic debates in the chamber,'

in the House of Commons, that we used to have in the 19th century, but we still have officers

'and we still have Sandhurst and if you want to serve your country in that way,

'then this is the place to come, I think.'

'I'm just going to kickstart the discussion and say that Sandhurst,

'the British Army on the whole and particularly the officer corps,'

it's not really an essential part of the Army and only is the embodiment

of 18th-century British class structure. What do you think?

I think it's probably a commonly held view. What people see officers in red trousers and tweed jackets

-and stuff like that.

-Do you have a tweed jacket?

-No.

You don't?! What's wrong with you?

-Miss Eldridge?

-I do think that there's a conflict between 18th-century values

and that conception of the officer and what is required of an officer in modern conflict.

In the anthology it says, "The regimental colours are not merely a cloth on a pole,

"they are an object of religious veneration, a holy relic, and officers are in the same category,

-"their intrinsic worthlessness having no bearing on their enormous symbolic value."

-It says here

that a gentleman should seek to serve society through leading it.

Maybe a gentleman's desire would be to join the army.

The British Army is a very peculiar beast. You do things differently from any other western army.

If it's archaic, it's a throwback to the education system.

The Army is a product of the society it comes from.

Looking at some of the people, you can tell they went to public school.

You get a couple, like you say, who turn up and you can tell where they've been to school.

And I think a lot of them would be squaddies

if they hadn't gone to the careers officer and he's like, "You've got a degree. Go to Sandhurst."

'I always wanted to be in the Army in some capacity when I was a kid.

'It was like some people have always known that they're going to end up here.'

I'm not posh by any stretch of the imagination.

I'm not upper class, you know, but some people here, you can tell.

I think there's a Lloyd George in one of the other platoons

and he's like the great-grandson of the Prime Minister.

So I think it's nice that you're around these people.

It gives you the ability to... You could go beagling if you wanted to.

Where are you going to get the chance to do that? It opens your horizons. It opens up a different world.

HORN BLOWS

I kind of view it almost as like...

as a sort of... I don't know how it sounds to say it's almost like a finishing off of an education.

The Queen!

NATIONAL ANTHEM PLAYS

'I joined the Household Cavalry as a Confirmed Cadet and received my letter a month before I came.

'It's not only myself.'

In the intake, there is also one other Confirmed Cadet in the Household Cavalry.

The Household Cavalry being the household division, there are more traditions and a bit more of the...

of the sort of past taken into account and the fact that both our fathers were in the regiment

I'm sure had some degree, you know...

If we hadn't had that connection, maybe we wouldn't have stood out. At all.

You get some of the great military families. My father joined the Lifeguards, his grandfather did,

so I'll join the Lifeguards.

Many of them are great because they're almost inculcated with the values and standards

and they're part of a military family, so they understand so many of the dimensions of Sandhurst.

A few of them, very few, think it's a pink ticket into the Army.

I can't sit on my laurels and I've been told to make sure I have a strong performance.

And, yeah, I feel like I've got a lot to prove.

Every time now that I'm seen on a run to not be performing or if I ask a stupid question,

I feel all that pressure. That's not what the regiment would expect.

Harbord's probably the weakest in the platoon,

but he's the platoon commander so hopefully he'll get leader's legs and take them up. It's not big.

They get psyched out by it because the cadets call it Backturn Hill.

They're carrying a little bit more weight, but they're that much further down their training now

so it's not difficult.

Harbord, why are you giving up?! Why are you giving up?

You're platoon command. Keep going.

Fucking get over there. Come on. You're the fucking Platoon Commander, Mr Harbord.

There's a platoon of men following you. Think of the top. Keep going.

Come on, Harbord.

Come on.

Come on.

Stay back. Stay back!

He needs to dig in. Every time he stops, it affects everyone.

His respect threshold every time he stops dips just a little bit more.

He just needs to look within himself, work out if he really wants this and get to the top of the hill.

It's no time to be quiching out.

Come on, Mr Harbord!

Keep going, Mr Harbord, come on! You've got a platoon of men behind you. You're doing a good job.

This is mind games now, Harbord. You can see the end.

Two, three hundred metres away from the RV.

Straighten your back! Stand up!

You lead from the front, Harbord. You lead from the front. Come on.

You lead from the front.

There we go. Let's go.

I want Two Section there and Three Section on this access here!

I want access! Get you out of the wind.

Mr Harbord, stand up straight, act like a fucking officer!

You look like a bag of shit.

All right, one test and you've buckled.

He's been put in a command environment to illustrate to him the issues of not being fit enough.

If anything had happened at the top of that hill, he could do nothing, couldn't have influenced it at all.

He was in his own little world of hurt and so, really,

hopefully this illustrates to him the work he needs to put in.

Hopefully he's learnt his lesson. He should have done. He nearly dropped.

'The place thrives on masculinity'

and being the big dog, really. That's what everything's about.

If you look at the guys at the top of the platoon, they have the loudest voice. The masculine lads.

It is definitely tribal. You get here and are put into a group of 30.

We call it a platoon. Someone else somewhere in the world might call that a tribe.

That just goes hand in hand with, as tribes work together, do everything together.

So I suppose it's a bit Neolithic in that sense.

You're not... However far away we are from our ancestors, we're not that far away at all.

That tribal sense brings out that aggression.

We're far from what we used to be a few thousand years ago,

but a soldier's job, ultimately, is to go out and kill the enemy. That's a very tribal thing to do.

I'm still on stag for an hour and a half now

because nobody's come to relieve me.

So I'm a bit pissed off at the minute.

Oi, Gray? Gray, shouldn't Harbord be on stag?

What?

Shit!

-Riordan?

-Yeah?

-Harbord will be there in a second.

-Brilliant.

Harbord.

'If you were to say to someone, "You're fucking Jack,"'

it means you look after number one and are not committed to the platoon.

A Jack prick. That's not a good thing.

-'Jack is probably the opposite of what we're looking for.'

-Ohh...

But every cadet who comes through Sandhurst at times will find himself in Jack's place.

Oh, good Lord.

We've got to work on your fitness, Mr Harbord. At the moment, on Saturday you are under review, OK?

If you don't do well there, you have got to be on warning.

-How many loaded marches have you taken yourself on?

-Only the last four, sir.

-Who did you go with for those four?

-I didn't, sir.

-You went by yourself?

-Sir.

You need to ramp it up, every night this week. With a weight on your back, just run. Even really slowly

is still better than nothing and hopefully you can keep up.

Fitness aside, I still think you're a good bloke, personable, good for morale,

so there's loads of positives, but there's this one overarching negative aspect you need to crack.

I'm sure, come Saturday, you will.

I really hope, come Saturday, you will. I'm not sure, but I hope.

-All right?

-Yes, sir.

-Good, Mr Harbord. Who's next?

I'm not sure, sir.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Saturday lunchtime.

-You're over.

-Way over! Yes!

The helmet and rifle is six, so you've got 14 in your kit.

'Sandhurst is a game, for sure.

'There's one guy I've seen who says if you're not cheating you're not trying hard enough.

'It's a mile and a half with full kit, webbing, rifle.

'It had to weigh 17 kilos in your kit.'

And I was over that.

'So I just removed my body armour.

'I came to Sandhurst not wanting to change, if I could help it. I'm perfectly happy with who I am.'

Come on, Mr Harbord, keep grafting.

Well done.

-Is that a skip or a run?

-A comedy run!

-Well done, Mr Harbord.

'He did achieve greatness, then suddenly after the event, we weighed his kit and he was light.'

-So it's not surprising he sprinted around the course.

-Keep moving!

Uh...

Ungh...

'After we'd done the assessment, which had gone well, I was underweight.'

So not good.

It was a bit of a crash and burn after the effort that was put in. Bit of a waste of time.

He was expected to have 17 and he only packed 10. It was not up to the required amount.

That's a hell of a lot - seven bags of sugar.

So, yeah, it's a formal notification.

We know what you've done there and you're going to get punished.

It was definitely stupidity

maybe with a little bit of something else touched in.

People get very excited when you start mentioning the I word, integrity,

so it's got to be reined in and used on...

'specific circumstances.'

Warrant Officer Cadet, sir. Office Cadet, 'shun! Quick march!

Officer Cadet...halt. Officer Cadet, salute.

OK, you are charged as follows. JHS Harbord contravened order number one to our main company,

failing to complete the loaded march with 17 kilograms.

-Do you admit or deny the charge?

-Admit the charge, sir.

Having found the charge against you proved, I award you five days restriction of privileges.

Because I don't believe you to be deliberately dishonest,

I think this is a slip-up, an aberration of sorts.

However, you must understand as you progress through your military career

-that these sorts of things cannot be allowed to occur.

-Yes, sir.

Right turn!

-March out!

-'We take the Mick out of them.'

"Oh, Daddy bought that for me." It's complete, you know...

He's following in his dad's footsteps in the same way as when I worked as an electrician.

But it's all good-natured.

There are all sorts of excuses, but fundamentally I've got to motivate myself to get out earlier

and in the evenings to close the gap that exists between me and the rest of the team. As we've got fitter,

the gap has been maintained. It's as noticeable as it was at the beginning.

'As a Confirmed Cadet, Mr Harbord knows that he will gain a commission into the Household Cavalry

'if he completes the course.

'The rest will work hard at Sandhurst, hope that their reports gain them an interview

'for these competitive regiments.

'A lot of people will consider applying for the Parachute Regiment, Household Cavalry and others.

'Spaces are limited for the infantry and the cavalry and you have to work very hard to get into them.'

'In an ideal world, I'd like to go to the Parachute Regiment.

'Their basic function is to kill the enemy. That's the infantry's mission statement.

'When you look at it rationally, it doesn't seem like a nice, sensible thing to do.

'It's an itch I've got to scratch.'

It's selfish and it's not. It's selfish and the most unselfish thing you can do.

Unselfish in so much as you're willing to risk life and limb...

..for your country, but then...

the people that are being selfish, too, are the ones that actually are the ones you care most about.

Of course I want to have kids and grow old and do all those things,

but it's not me that would bear the brunt of it. That's the worst bit.

It's the people that you leave behind. I feel bad for my mum and dad and my girlfriend.

There's times when I think, "Is it worth it? Am I stringing her along?"

Last couple of weeks, they're dropping like flies.

Everyone, getting the chop. That's what this place does.

And we were told this from the beginning. I was like, "No!"

Even solid relationships have gone down the...down the tube.

It rips me up that I've...

There's no... It's a decision that I made.

-Enjoy it(!)

-At least my girlfriend didn't shag another guy.

DRUM BEATS OUT A RHYTHM

"He has impressive, applied intelligence and is convincing.

"He leads from the front and is liked and respected in equal measure.

"I sense that he has another gear and will make an excellent, if colourful, officer.

"Very strongly recommended." It's all there. You're a good, fit bloke.

Well liked by his peers and the staff. So I don't know about the Parachute Regiment.

It will come down to you. It's only down to you.

It's got to be a strong performance from you at the interview or they might well not offer.

-I know your heart is set on the Paras.

-Sir.

-That's it.

-Permission to go, sir.

-Please do.

'All of the hard work you've put in to being at Sandhurst up to now

'is what they're going to get tested on.'

Each regimental corps only has a set number of places to fill each year.

They've a quality line. If you don't hit it, they won't offer a place.

Certainly the most important job interview I've ever done.

I remember being eight years old and getting a book on the Paras

and reading it and thinking, "That'll be a good job."

Yesterday I was reading from that same book, getting some regimental history and to think I'm, you know,

an hour away from fulfilling an ambition I had as a little kid, it's quite fulfilling.

Well, it would be if I get it! So...it's good.

'When you're a kid playing soldiers,

'that's what you're pretending to do, isn't it? Leading infantrymen in combat is the biggest challenge.'

It's your turn. Good to see you.

'That idea of being highly motivated and a small team,

'that's the idea that appeals to me.'

That's how the guys feel. They want to do as best as they can.

They want to serve with quality soldiers and that's what the regiment offers, the quality of soldier.

If you're going to be a bear, why not be a grizzly bear?

-Elizabeth Eldridge.

-Hello, Elizabeth.

-Good afternoon, sir.

-How are you enjoying Sandhurst?

-Very much.

-Yeah?

'I think that there are a lot of characters at Sandhurst,

'a lot of different personalities.'

-It's the right mix to keep me here.

-Good. Let me introduce you.

'I have been described by my Platoon Commander as quirky

'and by my Company Commander as unconventional,

'but I don't feel alone.'

You have quite an interesting CV, actually, quite a lot of it with a political interest.

Tell me about that. How did you get into that?

Well, from a very young age I've always been interested in service to your country,

-so politics is just a function of that.

-Mm-hm.

By representing people and involving yourself in democracy, you may change things for the better.

It's the same stuff that motivates me to be here.

-Mr Harbord.

-'As a friend of mine who was commissioned last year said,

'he was confirmed for another regiment,

'when everyone else is being asked, "What have you got to give us? Why should we take you?"'

the hardest question he was asked was, "Tea or coffee?" If it's going to be as cushti as that, I'm happy!

I find this moment quite an enigma and quite a challenge for me.

You're a Confirmed Cadet and therefore we have set quite a lot of confidence

and support in your stock that you'll come through and do very well.

And you're sitting in the middle third, there are parts of you which are dropping you down

into the lower third.

And that is not really where we would expect someone who is seeking a commission in the Household Cavalry.

Sir.

When you first get exposed to soldiers, they will be quick to work out where the weaknesses are.

If the weaknesses give them concern for your future, that would be a big error. You have to sort that out.

Thank you, Sir.

You're described in one of your reports as slightly unconventional.

-Do you think Sandhurst supports the unconventional?

-Of course. Dare to be different.

OK, so if you're going to be different, I'll send you back in time

and you have an opportunity to influence the course of history.

I wonder if you can conceive of a moment in history where you might wish to bring influence to bear

and how you might change the course of history.

Russia, 1917.

I'd go and make friends with Lenin

and make him stick more to Marxist ideology than going off on purges

and destroying the idea of Communism as it was first conceived.

Oh, brilliant.

-Well done, sir.

-Thank you.

Good effort. Take a seat.

Yeah, I mean the board were thoroughly impressed

and just thought you were a genuine bloke. They like how you grafted through your electrician's course

and tried to find your feet and came here for the right reasons so, yeah, you did well.

Thank you, sir.

I think she would be surprised with those she would have under her command and what they get up to

and what she'd be faced with, but I think they would...

like what they saw in their young officer.

-She's my kind of different.

-I agree.

She's not conventional, but I think that's positive.

I think the soldiers will find her very different, but my experience of her extra-curricular activities

is that she's incredibly dynamic.

And, funnily enough, she will work tirelessly for her charges. That's not a bad starting point.

-I think she'll evolve. She's evolving massively at Sandhurst.

-I just think a very risky bet.

It could go either way - hugely successful or a complete disaster.

And for us I just think a little on the risky side. Perhaps not this time.

No.

Fair enough.

-How did you get on?

-Yeah, well.

-Did you get it?

-Yeah.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

-Ha ha!

-Smudge got it as well.

-Did he?

-You crack on.

-I will do. Cool.

-Who are you going to phone?

-My ex-girlfriend. I owe a lot to her, the support she gave.

And she gave me the kick up the arse to get here, so while it might not work out, might not be working out,

I think, you know, still... she played a massive part in me getting here and success.

-So yeah.

-All right, go on.

-Cheers.

The troops are doing the log race, which is one of the endurance competitions they do whilst here.

It makes them more competitive. 30 blokes against eight platoons,

trying to get the best time around a 3.5-kilometre route.

It's a good chance to show how well they work together.

It's a clove hitch in the front and then nailed to stop the rest of it coming off...

'The physical worry is still Mr Harbord. If he does well today,

'he'll probably come off his warning.'

But he had trouble even keeping up with the log. He had trouble running to keep up with it the other day,

so I don't think too much will have changed. We'll see.

A bit of Sandhurst folklore, really.

And we've got a perfect day for it. It's absolutely ideal.

I remember mine. I was talking to some guys and they remember theirs very clearly. It's a rite of passage.

I expect the boys to do well.

SHOUTING

It is sheer will and determination and guts.

It hurts from about the first 50 metres

and it will hurt until you cross the line.

SHOUTING CONTINUES

It has no great correlation to any military activity,

other than just working out how determined and robust they are.

SHOUTING

Mr Harbord.

-Free to enter, please?

-Please do.

Great stuff. Let's keep it going.

One of the first things that happens at your regiment is Commanding Officer's PT.

They look out for young officers. That's the nature of the business.

It's a very quick win you can achieve. You're physically fit,

your blokes will see that and it's an instant respect threshold.

Good effort. Keep ploughing away, but you're off your warning.

-Slip back quietly into the ranks.

-Thank you very much, sir.

-Thanks, Mr Harbord. Have a good leave.

-Thank you, sir.

His respect in his platoon is back which is always important.

His self-respect is there, but when he gets to regimental duty, he needs to plough away at it

because the blokes like their platoon commanders to be fit.

We often talk about bad apples.

What about if it's a bad barrel?

And what about if it's a bad barrel maker that infects the apple?

In no time at all, you are all going to be barrel makers.

You'll all have your own barrel, a platoon, and you're going to have 30 men and women under your command.

And your actions and your influences are part of that system

and are part of that situation.

And if you get it wrong, it can be toxic.

These guys join the army because they think they're going to go to war and kill the Taliban.

They think they like the idea of going to war.

OK, we've got a dodgy-looking character coming round the corner.

Simon has spotted him.

You can hear him radio in. He's told the Ops Room he's got his eyes on a suspicious guy.

Stop!

Stand still!

-Stand still!

-MAN SHOUTS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE

GUNFIRE

So there's the scenario. You've got a guy coming towards you.

You need to stop them far enough away, so you can search them and make sure they're no threat.

In this situation, they failed to stop.

It doesn't automatically mean they are a threat and we can engage them.

'Broadsword by its nature throws up a number of surprises.

'There are people who you think are doing very well,

'but it's their reaction to stress that lets them down. Suddenly, it spirals down very quickly.'

Clearly, your head will be on the big deliberate ops and you have one tonight - Op Armadillo.

'We'll teach them and they'll get better, but some guys, their reaction to stress is still poor.

'At this stage of the course, that's a massive cause for concern.'

I mean, just looking at 3 Platoon, I can tell you that a good 30, 40% are really nice, charming people

who have probably never been in a fight,

-let alone had to turn aggression on outside of a sports pitch.

-Hello, Guard Room...

For some, it is like pulling teeth. Some really don't like having to get physical and get aggressive.

Yeah, one second. I'll do that now. Out.

But needs must. It's what goes on out there.

Not just with regards to the Taliban or whatever insurgency we're facing.

Sometimes the local population need some gentle persuasion as well.

At uni, there were a couple of brawls and things that broke out

because I said some silly things after drinking some drinks.

But I was never...

I didn't get carted off to the rozzers or anything for such a terrible performance.

So, no, I've always been quite careful. I've never been in a sort of life-or-death situation.

HQ, be advised there's a large crowd gathering outside Gate 3

who appear to be stopping people getting in Gate 3. Over.

In a counter-insurgency environment, there's civilian population,

there's insurgents, there's detainees, there's all kinds of other factors to think about.

They must make a quick decision as to whether they're allowed,

under the law of armed conflict, to pull the trigger or not.

Tonight and tomorrow morning, you will embark on your Sandhurst Public Order Training package,

which for many of you will be the first time you've been in a fight

and may be the first time you've experienced true fear

and for the majority of you will be the first time you've experienced burning.

Sir!

-No, no!

-Get away, get away!

CHANTING

Start moving back now!

DEMONSTRATORS CHANTING, SOLDIERS SHOUTING

Fucking pricks.

Right, come on.

Get down!

WHISTLES ARE BLOWN, SHOUTING

Right, listen. We're going to have to negotiate the corner. At the corner, we're taking over.

SHOUTING OF ORDERS

-Harbord!

-Mr Harbord!

You're not interlinking. You're just getting shoulder to shoulder.

SHOUTING

Move forward!

We're fuckin' losing! You're losing it!

Get out, get out! We're out!

I'm telling you, gentlemen. That was fucking shocking!

Some people there didn't even want to fucking get out and start having a fucking scrap.

You've got to understand the orchestrations of what we're doing.

You are better than this, every one of you. We're just not working as a fucking team.

Six-foot shields, not getting the shields straight, not clipping the shields back in together.

We need to get it fucking right. You're letting them kick you and you're going back.

You're losing the ground you've gained. We've got to keep that fucking ground!

It's about you controlling your aggression. He's coming, you're staring him out.

He's coming in with a kick. "Get back!" Straight away, he goes down to the floor.

If you don't strike him well, as he comes in and you move,

he over-fucking-compensates, hopefully ripping his testicles apart, and you're all over him.

'I hadn't quite realised how shaken up people were going to be

'by facing a mob.

'The number of times you look around and you see someone breaking

'and you see them surge forward from the line or drop back

'or being slightly reticent about using force...'

I think all of you will feel it keenly

that we've just completely capitulated outside.

Mission failure, OK? That's what it feels like.

Whatever activity you're involved in,

gain the momentum,

hold it and maintain it.

And if you have to fight for it, you damn well fight for it.

We lost it and we never even attempted to try and gain it back.

And as a result, we're in here licking our wounds.

We need to have a stronger, tougher stance when we're out there.

But it's difficult because all the preparation has been with rules of engagement,

law of armed conflict,

how to operate in an environment where there are civilians and insurgents there,

and you want to gain popular support, win the hearts and minds campaign.

SHOUTING

And then you've got a mob rushing you.

I think that the natural reaction is to retreat from the situation

because you think aggression will inflame it.

We try in the training environment to replicate many of the stresses and strains of operations.

That's what makes operations so challenging.

Go, go, go!

GUNFIRE

They've got to understand just how brutal it is, be it various body parts strewn around.

Don't silhouette yourself against the window...

War is the biggest fucking test, isn't it? That's what I think.

And it sounds mental, you know, but it's just...

It's the biggest test, isn't it?

We've got a casualty there.

'I want to fight and I want to experience combat.'

Yeah, he's in a bad way.

One, two, three.

In saying that, at the back of your mind, it's like...

Yeah, you might experience it and get your legs blown off.

You might end up in a wheelchair, you might end up dead.

That could happen and, you know, I could be like, "What a dickhead!"

I don't want to be one of those people that regrets...not doing something.

BARKING

-Free to enter, please?

-Yeah, please do, Mr Harbord.

-OK, where do you think you sit in the platoon?

-Hopefully, up to the middle third, sir.

-Really?

-Sir.

-Honestly?

-Sir.

No, you're still in the bottom third.

Seven weeks we've got before you join the Household Cavalry.

-They'll have high standards of what they expect from you, as will the soldiers.

-Yes, sir.

-So we need to think about a few things. What sport are you doing this term?

-Polo.

-Is that a good sport to do for someone who needs to work on their fitness?

-Possibly not, sir.

-Shall we change your sport?

-We can do, sir.

What did you do for sport last term?

Uh... Shooting.

And in first term, it was beagling.

-OK, what sport do you think would be better for your general fitness?

-Triathlon, sir.

Triathlon or cross-country I would say, yes.

Let's drive... Keep going.

SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

-Fellas, wait for Harbord!

-Wait for Harbord!

Nearly there!

Come on, Harbord!

Come on, come on, keep up!

-Keep up, guys.

-Come on, Harbord!

Let's go! Let's go!

-Harbord, keep up!

-Keep your head up!

It's Mr Harbord going in a jack wagon, really.

He just couldn't handle the pace.

There's no injury. He's just not fit enough.

The platoon went out really fast and caught him out.

He was going to drop. He had about another 50 metres

before he hit the tarmac, so better to pull him off there.

But he's licking his wounds in the wagon, as you'd expect.

There'll be a post-mortem and let's hope he survives that. There's not much else wrong with him.

That was a fucking good effort. We can hold our heads high. We lost Harbord.

Harbord was about to pass out. He was fucking dead.

I had to hold him up to stop him falling over.

He gave it his all, probably started a bit too fast,

but it saved us time to lose him, so that's why we lost him.

I think they gave him permission to quit or be physically weaker than he should have been.

And his close mates, those going to the regiment with him,

should have taken him to task and said, "You're embarrassing yourself

"and potentially us in the future because we'll all be in the same regiment

"and the platoon as a whole doesn't need to carry you."

He just never applied himself and his platoon never held him to task.

-Your foot that way, is that a bit uncomfortable?

-A little bit if you really go for it.

-If I press in there...

-Yeah.

OK, what about that way?

He can't do the exercise for seven days.

-The meat of the exercise is the first six days for us, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-No firing.

He can run round the ranges. I know it's not the same, but...

I think we'll take him up there. If it stays as it is at the moment, seven days,

I don't think that counts as successful completion of Dynamic Victory,

so he must go back and do it again.

A week ago, I felt pretty good. You're one day closer every time you tick one off.

That's when we started. You get pretty close to the end and now it feels like a bit of a false hope.

He's just sort of saying, "Prepare to be back-termed,"

which obviously, no-one wants, especially when you're this close to the end.

The morning before the deployment for the final exercise, it's the last thing you want to hear.

And it definitely feels a lot better now.

Let's go.

Dynamic Victory represents the final hurdle for them.

GUNFIRE

Are you prepared to take the pain and do what it takes to become an officer in the British Army?

Get down there.

Up to now, they've been using blanks on all of the exercises that they've done

with their yellow BFAs on the ends of the barrels and the blank magazines.

Now they've got live rounds, hence why the direction staff are in helmets.

-What about that? Did you enjoy it?

-Very much so.

-Good.

Accuracy of fire was quite spot-on there.

Every three rounds, the target was going down. It took three rounds before the target would move.

But you've got to be more aggressive. Get up there towards those guys. Let's go. Quickly!

Get down!

All move back!

Get down!

Start moving!

How can you command if you're not at the front? You should be pushing your way through there!

Oi, you! You start showing some aggression for the first time in your lazy life! Get a move on!

You are lazy!

By the time they've finished, they will be stripped out, completely nothing left!

It's a question of how hard they push themselves.

They'll think it'll be hard graft, but they'll be halfway through and think they have nothing more to give.

Yet they can find it somewhere. It's a question of where they find it.

They'll learn vast amounts about themselves and other blokes as well.

They'll see each other at certain stages, so it's a good opportunity to win the respect of your mates again.

Fucking no smiling! It's aggression! You're going for it!

To kill the enemy! And fucking push the bayonet into his heart and watch the life die out of him!

-What are you going to do?

-Kill!

-Kill the enemy! Come on!

-Prove it to yourself!

-Stand up there. Stand up!

-Stand up! Stand shagging up!

-You are mincing!

-I'm not, sir.

-You are mincing! Back to the beginning and start again. Get a move on!

Get a shagging move on!

-Let's go, Mr Harbord.

-Move it.

-Let's go!

-I can't hear you!

-Do you understand?

-Yes, sir.

-Listen to me, gentlemen.

The only thing that will get you through this range today is pure, raw aggression.

Your legs, body and mind are going to go. However, aggression will keep you ticking over.

I'm not expecting them to be great company commanders. That comes to people 12, 14 years down the line.

But it gives you an idea of their capacity at this age.

Pain is fucking gone!

Push through that pain barrier and fucking push it to the end!

Start moving! Move it!

Stop fucking fannying and get through it!

Get over them! That's the way!

Kill the fucking...

SHOUTING CONTINUES

Mr Harbord, stop making silly sounds.

Your weapon's there.

OK?

CONVERSATION CONTINUES INDISTINCT

It'll start swelling up even more if he takes it off now.

Get moving!

If you were to ask me at the beginning who won't make it, he would have been the number one choice.

-That's what the future of the army's got to look forward to! Is it? Inspirational leadership(!)

-Come on!

There he is, come on! Do him! Fucking kill him! Kill him!

And again! And again! His eyes! He's still alive! Kill him!

It was so fucking close!

Harbord, stop making silly noises. It annoys me.

Fucking wimp.

Harbord, you're not going to fucking get out of this. I'm telling you now.

Get your bayonet out!

Get going! Get on there!

There's an enemy on the other side of that tunnel!

He's killed your soldiers, Mr Martin. He's killed your soldiers!

Arrrgh!

Now! Come on! You've got it in there! Get fucking...

Are you quitting, Mr Harbord, are you? Are you quitting?

Pretty handy how the foot comes back into play when things are getting a bit tough?

We've done live ranges. All easy. Things get tough, the foot comes into play again, does it?

That's what I think. That's what the company commander and the company sergeant major think.

Pathetic!

You're pathetic, Mr Harbord!

And you're going to lead troops?

-Get down now!

-Get down! Bayonet!

Miss Eldridge, there's an enemy out here and he's laughing at you!

-Come on!

-Jump on him! Kill, kill, kill! Miss Eldridge...

-SHRIEKING:

-Kill, kill, ki-i-i-ill!

-In the face, in the face!

-Keep going! He's not dead yet. He's laughing, Miss Eldridge.

OK, stand up! Stand up! Fix your bayonet and carry on.

-Go on, Eldridge, put it on. Put it on!

-Aagh!

I want to carry on, but I can't twist it like that,

so it would be fucking stupid to carry on.

But it's fucking ridiculous that...

It's right now. We're halfway fucking through. I want to carry on and do it.

All of them have got bayonets.

-Have you got it on there?

-Have you got a bayonet?

Eldridge! Eldridge!

Miss Eldridge, Miss Eldridge! Miss Eldridge, get your bayonet on!

If I was a betting man, I would say I think you might get your commission, OK?

Bizarrely enough, because the commandant has a context that I don't have necessarily.

So I... Despite my recommendation, don't regard it as a done deal at all.

But I'm afraid you can anticipate a nervous two hours as a result.

-Thank you, sir.

-Thanks, Mr Harbord.

Would he have been Household Cavalry if he hadn't been a confirmed cadet?

Not a cat in hell's chance. He is bottom third rating.

-His old man's at HCR?

-Yeah.

-Has he met the Sandhurst standard, wherever he's going?

-I think he's a quitter, to be honest, sir.

-Yeah.

-He lacks determination.

You think it's a character thing?

Yeah. I would love him to say, "If I commission, I'll go to Brecon for three weeks.

"I'll work hard to make sure I turn up at my regiment ready to rock."

I suspect he'll go to Saint-Tropez or wherever it is.

-We'll see.

-Yeah, absolutely.

Right, tell me about Mr Harbord.

Mr Harbord, sir, he has had a number of significant failures.

On the endurance competition, he dropped out. On the log race,

he didn't attach himself to the log at any stage.

He missed the march and shoot. He came off the bayonet range yesterday

with an injury, but rejoined training today, so probably not a substantial injury, given the nature of that.

So one could argue that he has a history not only of a possible physical frailty,

but also possibly mental robustness.

Is he motivated?

I don't think he is, sir,

because his physical shortcomings were clearly identifiable in the first term,

yet it wasn't until RB5 when he instigated his own training regime, despite our encouragement,

and he has consistently elected to choose sports which don't require any physical endeavour.

I just think that's poor judgment.

If you're coming up short, you do what you can to rectify it. I don't think he has.

The issue seems to be he's got the breaking strain of a soggy Kit Kat

when it comes to physical and arduous conditions.

I think it's more a character flaw. I think it overwhelms him.

HE BARKS ORDERS

March! Left, right!

Officer Cadet, halt!

Mr Harbord, you know why you're in here. You have passed all the mandatory tests,

so in theory, on purely physical fitness terms, we should let you go,

but we're not going to because this is not a back term for physical fitness.

It's a back term for determination.

You're a confirmed cadet going into the Household Cavalry Regiment, so we want to hold on to you.

It's determination in adversity that I want to see. It's in there, so we're giving you a second chance.

-Look at it positively. Is there anything you want to say?

-No, sir.

-Is that fair?

-It is, sir.

-All right, well done, Mr Harbord. March out.

'In order to learn, you need to confront failure.

'Failure is a great teacher all by himself

'and so we do make cadets fail, quite deliberately so.'

We put them under pressure and make them fail and we do that even to the very best, then bring them on again.

Suddenly, they surpass where they failed the last time and they say, "I can do it. I know what it takes."

So failure is an important part of Sandhurst.

Since it's my determination that's called into question, I'll have to come back fighting hard.

It might be strong and it might be tough

to be able to endure physical degradation,

feeling humiliated, physically exhausted,

physically in pain...

It also sort of makes you a little bit less...I don't know, less human?

We all got our berets handed out earlier and then his was left. It was pretty...

-In Jack's pocket.

-His beret and his cigars.

Celebratory Cuban cigars.

Have a look at that.

Do you think he'll mind?

I think he'd be upset if we didn't.

WHISTLES TUNE

Good morning, sir.

You have to be so focused on stuff that you reject the wider picture

to focus on the here and now and getting through Sandhurst.

I don't have a girlfriend any more,

but I think what I've lost, I've gained massively elsewhere.

I get to wear a maroon beret.

OFFICER SHOUTS COMMAND

It is your day.

Enjoy it. Take the atmosphere in.

Live the great Sandhurst dream.

By the left, quick...MARCH!

And please look after and treat our men and women well!

BRASS BAND STARTS PLAYING

Present...

..arms!

BAND PLAYS SLOW MARCH

I think I'm harder and harsher,

but I would rather be the person who's getting a commission

than the person who walked up the steps in junior term.

I'm often asked, "Is there one golden rule for leadership?"

As officers, you are serving your soldiers.

Some day, you may have to lead men into battle.

It is an extraordinary thing to do.

You are their servants.

And you do that through leading them. That's how it works.

If you don't understand that, you ain't got it. That's "serve to lead".

Go out and love your soldiers.

'A British soldier killed by an explosion in Afghanistan on Friday has been named.

'Lieutenant Daniel Clack, who was 24 and from 1st Battalion The Rifles,

'was on foot patrol when a roadside bomb exploded.'

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011

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