In
peace and war, military training has always
taken up a large amount of the soldier's time.
Before 1860, soldiers were only drilled in
the detailed movements that might be required
in battle.
Victorian reformers were concerned about the
poor health of the nation's soldiers.
In 1860, 12 sergeants in Aldershot formed
the Army Gymnastic staff and became instructors
in physical training . From this point there
developed two closely linked aspects of army
life: physical training and sport. |