Princes faced bully sarge
By JOHN KAY
Chief Reporter
A VILE regimental sergeant major sacked for bullying cadets at Sandhurst did not even spare Princes Harry and William.
RSM Dean Hammond, 39 — nicknamed Osama Bin Hammond and the Herminator by terrified rookies — got his marching orders from top brass on Sunday.
He was ordered to return to his Grenadier Guards regiment six months before completing his prestigious 18-month posting at the world famous military academy in Berkshire.
Hammond is believed to be the first Sandhurst RSM ever to be removed from his post.
He was hauled before senior officers after a stream of complaints from cadets at New College, where Harry was trained and William is undergoing instruction to be an officer.
Hammond, who is 6ft 2in with a crew cut, is alleged to have subjected recruits, including the two Princes, to a torrent of foul-mouthed abuse.
The New College RSM carpeted Harry after he visited a strip club earlier this year — then was caught going to the SAME club himself with ten other Sandhurst NCOs.
A Sandhurst insider said: “The bullying was all verbal but it involved every swear word in the English language — and then some.
“There was no actual physical abuse but what he did to the recruits was intolerable. This is a huge embarrassment for the college and the Army.”
Last night one cadet who passed through Sandhurst with Harry revealed the legendary tongue-lashings that made Hammond the most feared man at the academy.
He said: “Everyone was terrified of RSM Hammond.
“His job was to enforce discipline into cadets and junior staff and it was a job he loved. If you were unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of one of his tongue lashings you knew about it.
“He’s a big guy and always carried a ‘pacy’ which is a brass-ended cane. He had a zero-tolerance approach.
“Like the rest of us, Prince Harry called him the Herminator, after the Arnold Schwarzenegger character. If he lost it he’d shout and scream abuse, using any word he wanted.
“And while he was dishing it out he’d make cadets stand to attention, then at ease, then back to attention. Even the most experienced would get out of step, which would just make him worse.”
Hammond’s wrath was not reserved for cadets.
According to a source, he screamed abuse at low-ranking instructors.
Last night a senior MoD spokesman told The Sun: “There is a difference between robust training and overstepping the mark.
“When that line is crossed we act. We won’t tolerate bullying.”
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