OBM Kim Recieves The Queen's Medal

Published by Bedford Modern School on Thursday 24th of November 2022

On Friday 12 August 2022, OBM Kim Campbell-Bareham (2016-18) was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Top Military, Academic and Practical Scores across the Army Commissioning Course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

RMAS is a world-leading military academy in Surrey which serves as the training centre for all who wish to become qualified officers in the British Army. The Commissioning Course is 44 weeks long, including recess periods, and runs three times a year. It is an extremely demanding commitment which covers military, practical and academic subjects.

Kim underwent regular physical training and assessments, taking part in demanding events such as a platoon Log Race, in which individuals carry a 60kg telephone pole over 1.9 miles of undulating terrain, and a March and Shoot, whereby participants run a course with a heavy weight on their backs followed immediately by shooting on ranges. Alongside these physical tests of fitness, navigation skills and marksmanship, there was also intense academic study. Regular lessons are offered at RMAS covering defence, international affairs, war studies and cognitive and applied behavioural science. These sections are assessed in the form of written essays and reports, as well as presentations.

Achieving the outstanding marks to qualify for the Queen’s Medal took into account all of Kim’s practical, academic and military scores across the entire course: shooting scores on the ranges, times achieved in exercises, places won in the steeplechase and academic grades.

Upon receiving the award, Kim said: “I felt very proud and a little shocked, as it can be quite hard to get a picture of how you’re doing throughout the course. It was announced that I’d won during a ceremony for awarding the major prizes throughout the year of training in front of the rest of the intake.”

The Queen’s Medal, an engraved Gold Medallion issued by the Privy Council, was presented to him, on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff, at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Kim is now completing his trade-specific phase two training, after which time he will leave for his battalion and lead hi