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1 the SIRMOOREE Winter 2014/15 Number 74 THE SIRMOOREE Winter 2014/15 Number 74 Poppies at the Tower of London [JJB 1 CONTENTS EDITORIAL PRESIDENT’S NOTE CHAIRMAN’S LETTER HONORARY SECRETARY'S NOTES SIRMOOR CLUB NEWS SIRMOOR CLUB ACTIVITIES NEWS FROM MEMBERS BICENTENARY _____________________________________ SIRMOOR CLUB COMMITTEE President: Lieutenant General Sir Peter Duffell Vice-Presidents: Field Marshal Lord Bramall Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Colonel DR Wood Brigadier PA Little Chairman: Brigadier BC Jackman Honorary Secretary: Major NJD Wylie Carrick Honorary Treasurer: Captain EC Mackaness Editor The Sirmooree : Major JJ Burlison Editor Designate: Colonel NJ Hinton (wef 1 Jan 15) Elected Members: RJC Corfield, Esq JA Coulson, Esq Brigadier IA Rigden, late RGR Major DL Thomas 2 EDITORIAL This is my last edition after some two decades of producing Sirmooree. I am grateful to all who have contributed to the magazine over the years, and to those who have made comments or paid compliments. Nick Hinton now takes over and the standard is sure to rise. The coming year sees our bicentenary and the grand Durbar organised by David Thomas and his great team here and in Nepal. This magazine contains a short historical background to the event which I have cob- bled together and which I hope is not too controversial; the first part from John Cross certainly should not be! I have been asked what I am going to do to fill in time now spare from being editor: should I not record my memoirs? Well I could and I would call the work “My Life and Tim’s”, an exciting title for a bloke not married! Actually it would be an anthology of misprints! November 2014 ___________________________________________ All Rights Reserved Contents of The Sirmooree may not be reproduced without prior permission. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Sirmoor Club or of the Editor. Dates in square brackets [ ] after a name give the years of service in 2 nd Goorkhas. Copy for the next Edition of Sirmooree should be with the Editor by 20 May 2015 Editor wef 1 Jan 15: Colonel NJ Hinton MBE 24 Gilpin Avenue, London SW14 8QY. UK. Tel: 020 8876 3136. E-mail: [email protected] Retiring Editor: Major JJ Burlison High Bank, South View Road, Wadhurst, East Sussex. TN5 6TW. UK Tel 01892 782013. E-Mail: [email protected] 3 A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT Last year our thoughts and focus turned very much on the centenary of the start of the Great War. For me the poignancy of that terrible conflict - the last fatal flourish of the crowned empires of Europe that left few families untouched - was most strongly illustrated by the installation in the great Moat at the Tower of London of nearly 900,000 ceramic pop- pies movingly commemorating the Fallen of the First World War (see frontispiece picture to this magazine). It caused me to think again about the Regiment’s contribution to the battles on the Western Front. Our Second Battalion reached France in November 1914 and for the next year were heavily engaged most notably at the great battle of Neuve Chapelle – the first time in the war that the German line had been broken. ‘Type de Gurkha, Vieille Chap- pelle 19 March 1915’ (Contemporary print from a sketch by French artist Paul Sarrut. From the journal of the Indian Military Historical Society vol. 31 no. 3) The Battalion’s casualties in the course of that year were severe and the numbers of gallant officers and men that were lost – 22 British and Gurkha Officers and 135 rank and file not to mention, additionally, some 400 wounded and missing spoke eloquently for the severity of the Regiment’s fighting. 4 On 2 November 1914, at the start of the Neuve Chapelle battle Lieuten- ant Harold Lucas and 38 Gurkhas of the Second Battalion were killed in fierce fighting. Exactly 100 years later on 2 nd November 2014, the de- scendants of Harold Lucas gathered in the War Cloisters at Winchester College where he was educated, to remember him and his men at a simple but moving service designed by his nephew Canon Paul Lucas. I, together with your Chairman and Secretary were present and con- tributed to the service and I laid a wreath on behalf of the Regiment. A further member of the family, Captain John Lucas also served with the Second Battalion in Singapore where he was captured and worked as a POW on the Burma Railway. The Regiment’s contribution shall not be forgotten. The strength of our Association was very much in evidence at the Ser- vice of Thanksgiving for Johnny Kaye’s life held near his home at Frox- field in early October. The large turnout of regimental, professional and family friends was indicative of the great respect and affection we all felt for Johnny together with our admiration for the steadfast man- ner that he fought his medical battles. William Shuttlewood gave a generous and eloquent address about Johnny and his three sons also paid moving tributes. This is the last edition of the Sirmooree under the distinguished editor- ship of John Burlison as he hangs up his boots and hands the mantle on to Nick Hinton. John has certainly earned an honourable retirement after close on 20 years as editor of our magazine. His sharp and imagi- native editing and his gentle wry humour have given us all great pleasure while keeping the Association abreast of regimental affairs and much else besides. We owe him a considerable debt and are most grateful to him for his labours on our behalf. 2015 will be very much a year of celebration for the Regiment both in Nepal and the UK as we mark the 200 th anniversary of our founding. I very much hope that everyone will manage to attend some aspect of our celebrations and I look forward to meeting up with you in Kath- mandu, Pokhara or London. PRD 5 CHAIRMAN’S LETTER This letter really follows on from my letter in the last Sirmooree and concentrates on the Durbar . There are now only about three months before so many of us will meet up in Kathmandu on the 25 of March for the start of a week's celebration; beginning with the Embassy Re- ception and Gurkha Brigade Bhela in Kathmandu, before moving down to Pokhara for our own anniversary programme, followed by the private après Durbar plans that so many have arranged to make the most of their time in Nepal. By now I hope all those with the slightest inkling of attending the Dur- bar have signed up with David Thomas, booked their flights and ac- commodation, and arranged any après Durbar activity. However there is still time for those whose circumstances may have changed to free them up for this once-in-a-lifetime event after all. If so, just do it! One of the spin-off benefits of this whole exercise has been the number of Members who have now 'discovered' the website. It really is a su- perb means of conducting Sirmoor business. Those who have yet to sign on should do so at www.2ndgoorkhas.com and complete the short and simple procedure under the Registration/Log-in tab. This will en- able access to a fund of information in the restricted 'Members Area'. Over the next few months the website will contain final details of the Durbar for those going to Nepal. In addition there will be important information for all Members, whether attending the Durbar or not. For instance the issue of the 200 th Anniversary Medal (Medallion for wid- ows) to all those who have served in the Regiment, including attached and seconded; the only criteria being that they are Members of the Sirmoor Club, Sirmoor Club Nepal or Sirmoor Sathis. There will also be details of the various pieces of Anniversary Memorabilia – some of which will be collectable items, and information on how to acquire such things as a copy the Durbar Programme, Souvenir Booklet, Bookmark, and other publications to mark the anniversary, as well as Durbar CDs, Sirmoor 200 polo shirts and jholas etc. 2015 will be a busy year. Please do keep yourself abreast of events. BCJ 6 HONORARY SECRETARY’S NOTES MEMBERSHIP The Sirmoor Club membership now stands at 382 members. A break- down of the membership is shown below: Ser Category Totals 1 Full 178 2 Associate 121 3 Honorary 83 4 Total 382 New Members : Lt Col Paul Gilham Lt Col G Chadwick MBE (2 nd Bn UEO 1963 – 65) Mrs Rachel Magowan Hon Member (related to Frederick Young) Resignations : Nil. Deaths : Major J W (Johnny) Kaye (1st & 2nd Bns 1968 - 1988) on 2 July 2014. Lt Col D R Large (RC & 1st Bn 1943 - 1947) on 27 Sep 14. Mrs Margaret Neill (widow of Colonel Nick Neill OBE MC 3 rd & 2 nd Bns 1941 – 1972), on the night 6/7 November 2014. Abbreviated Address List . The updated address list is available on www.2 nd Goorkhas.com webpage. Please note that the Sirmoor Ad- dress List has been made available to the GBA, GWT (UK) and Gurkha Museum for internal communication use only and is not made avail- able to outside organisations. Please contact the Hon Sec if you wish your details to be withdrawn from the Sirmoor Address List. Any member (without e-mail) requiring an updated address list or sum- mary of amendments, please contact the Hon Sec. 7 E-Mail Address . Please note the following e-mail addresses: • [email protected] • [email protected] • Member E-Mail Address Amendments. Please ensure any e-mail amendments are sent to the Hon Sec.
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