The induction of cadets in the Indian Army Memorial Room, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, June 2020

Pen and ink and watercolour by George Butler, 2020.

One of ten drawings recording the Army's contribution to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Operation RESCRIPT, 2020.

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst trains all officers in the British Army. These cadets had been at the Academy for only two days and, despite the pandemic, their training continued as normal. However, they were adapted with additional social distancing practices in place. All of the desks were at least two metres apart. In order to facilitate this distancing, large and airy spaces such as the Indian Army Memorial Room were used. It was the first time that this formal space had been used as a classroom. They were surrounded by paintings, stained glass and decorations from the collection of the National Army Museum on loan to the Royal Military Academy.

Since it takes some time for George to complete one of these sketches, and they are not posed, some of the figures shifted as he drew. This is reflected in the sketch of a cadet in the row one from the back, who is shown in two different positions.