ABSTRACT
Maj.-Gen. W. R. 'Wully' Robertson, who was Commandant of the Staff College from August 1910 to October 1913, was a very different sort of man to his predecessor. There exists one piece of documentary evidence at the Staff College to suggest that Robertson's severely practical attitude to the instruction of staff officers had the drawback of curbing the inquiring minds of the more brilliant students. Within the limits of his orthodox and not particularly imaginative approach to war, Robertson's final addresses to the students who graduated in 1911 and 1912 are models of clarity and common sense. The following passage from the latter address epitomizes his views on the role of the Staff College: It will further assist you to keep on the right lines if at all times you remember to study with the definite aim of obtaining guidance for future use in war, and not merely for the sake of amassing a store of information.
