Heseltine spent nine weeks in the ranks as a Guardsman before being sent for three months of officer training at Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, alongside men from other regiments. He was a capable cadet, reaching the rank of Junior Under-Officer and graduating with an A-Grade, but he was not awarded the Sword of Honour or promoted to the rank of Senior Under-Officer, as it was felt his age had given him an unfair advantage over younger cadets.Michael Heseltine, Life in the Jungle, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000, , pp. 50–3. Throughout his training he had been troubled by an old ankle sprain, but he declined the offer of a medical discharge.Michael Heseltine, Life in the Jungle, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000, , p. 52. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 11 June 1959.
Heseltine spent nine weeks in the ranks as a Guardsman before being sent for three months of officer training at Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, alongside men from other regiments. He was a capable cadet, reaching the rank of Junior Under-Officer and graduating with an A-Grade, but he was not awarded the Sword of Honour or promoted to the rank of Senior Under-Officer, as it was felt his age had given him an unfair advantage over younger cadets.Michael Heseltine, Life in the Jungle, Hodder & Stoughton 2000, , pp. 50–3. Throughout his training he had been troubled by an old ankle sprain, but he declined the offer of a medical discharge.Michael Heseltine, Life in the Jungle, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000, , p. 52. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 11 J,une 1959.