The following pages contain a history of the life of a Woolwich Cadet as
it was about thirty years ago. The hero of the tale is taken through
the then usual routine of a cram-school at Woolwich, and from thence
passed into the Royal Military Academy. The reformation that has taken
place--both in the preparatory schools and also at the Academy--may be
judged of by those who read this book and are acquainted with existing
conditions. The habits and life of a Cadet of the present day are well
known, but the singular laws and regulations--written and unwritten--in
former times may not be so generally understood; and, as memory of the
past fades away, the following pages have been penned, to give a history
of the singular life and manners of the old Cadet. The work has no
other pretensions than to give this history, and to afford amusement to
the young aspirant for military glory.
_Southsea, September_, 1874.