Vol 68 No 1: January 2016
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www.gurkhabde.com/publication The magazine for Gurkha Soldiers and their Families PARBATVol 68 No 1: JanuaryE 2016 The Gurkha Museum has teamed up with Royal Mail to produce a special commemorative Gurkha 200 Stamp Collection. This Commemorative Sheet traces the history of this famed fighting force who have served the British Crown for 200 years. Gurkhas have played a vital part in British military operations since the raising of the first Gurkha regiments in 1815. Originally part of the British Indian Army, they fought Pathans on the frontiers, dacoits in Burma and mutineers in India. With six battalions on the Western Front, four in Gallipoli and others in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Palestine, Persia and Salonika, Gurkhas were prominent in the First World War, and similarly so in the Second World War, where they served in North Africa, Italy, Malaya and Burma. After 1947, Gurkha regiments were divided between the armies of independent India and Britain, with British Gurkhas in the forefront of operations in Malaya and Borneo, and subsequently taking part in the Falklands campaign, and more recently in Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan. Ten stamps illustrate the history of Gurkhas from 1815 in the foothills of the Himalayas to recent operations in Afghanistan and the work of the Gurkha Welfare Trust. It is in limited edition of 7500 and can be purchased online via: www.royalmail.com Front Cover - Lt Gen James Bashall CBE taking the General Salute at the Gurkha Recruit Intake 16 Attestation Parade in British Gurkhas Pokhara (BGP) ii PARBATE Vol 68 No 1 January 2016 PARBATE HQ Bde of Gurkhas, FASC, Sandhurst, The Brigade of Gurkhas celebrates Camberley, Surrey, GU15 4PQ. the beginning of a new year with All enquiries Tel: 01276412614 94261 2614 another 240 Nepalese men joining Fax: 0127641 2694 the British Army. (Page 4 - 7) 94261 2694 These men have now arrived in Gurkha Company, Infantry Training Centre Catterick where they will Email: [email protected] undergo a nine-month Combat Infantrymen’s Course. Editor More news on this will be published in the next edition. Cpl Sagar Sherchan 0127641 2614 We also take a look at a 1 RGR and 3rd Battalion [email protected] Royal Brunei Armed Forces typhoon disaster scenario exercise (page 8). Cpl Sagar Sherchan. Comms Officer 1 RGR “Intake 15” Riflemen take their oath of Mr Ken Pike 0127641 2776 allegiance (page 9). [email protected] QG Signals bid farewell to their Colonel of the Please send your articles together with high Regiment, Lt Gen Pope while the Brigade welcomes the quality photographs (min 300dpi), through new Colonel QG Signals, Brigadier Cole (page 17). your unit’s Parbate Rep, to: QGE soldiers carry on their humanitarian and disaster relief efforts for the Nepal Earthquake with Gurkha The Editor, Parbate Office, Welfare Trust (page 24). HQBG, FASC, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 4PQ Parbate is published every month by kind permission of HQBG. It is not an official publication and the views expressed, unless specifically stated otherwise, do Parbate competition! not reflect MOD or Army policy and are the personal views of the author. No part of this publication may be Send your fondest memories of Gurkha 200, reproduced without the permission of the Editorial Staff. No along with a photo, and the best entries will responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in this magazine can be accepted by the Editorial Staff or be posted in Parbate. Colonel BG will select Publishers and advertisements are accepted on the express his favourite to win a copy of “Arc of the condition that they in no way contravene the provisions of the Trades Descriptions Act 1968 nor any other prevailing Gurkha” by Alex Schlacher. Consumer Legislation. The Editorial Staff and Publishers cannot accept responsibility for the result of errors or Entries should be e-mailed to omissions in articles or advertisements. [email protected] by end of Feb 16. Parbate is designed by the AMC Design Studio, The winner will be announced in the March ADR005611 edition of Parbate. and produced using recycled paper. You can find out more about the Gurkhas and see some of the things they do on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Search for The Gurkha Brigade Association Follow us @ Gurkha Bde Search for Gurkha Brigade Association Alternatively, visit our website: www.gurkhabde.com Gurkhas from Close Support Troop, ARRC Support Battalion providing Force Protection at EX ARRCADE FUSION 2015. Full story about EX ARRCADE FUSION will be published in the next edition. PARBATE Vol 68 No 1 January 2016 1 PARBATE Vol 68 No. 1: January 2016 FEATURES 04 Intake 16 Regional and Central Selection. Potential recruits go through a gruelling selection process to be the best of the best. 06 Attestation Parade in British Gurkhas Pokhara. 240 newly recruited Gurkhas swear their Oath of Allegiance to the Queen and the British Army. 08 EX TYPHOON KUKRI 2. 1 RGR and 3rd Battalion Royal Brunei Armed Forces work together on a typhoon disaster scenario exercise. 11 Hong Kong Trailwalker 2015. 1 RGR sent a team to the Hong Kong Trailwalker 2015. 14 Photo News. Photo news from across the Brigade of Gurkhas. 16 New Appointments in the Brigade. QG Signals bid farewell to Lt Gen Pope and welcome Brig Cole as their new Col of the Regt. 20 Brunei Signal Troop - A year review. OC BST, Capt Nim Pun provides an annual report of the troop. 22 G200 reception. Gurkha 200 reception held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr Kamal Thapa. 23 Opening of BFBS Gurkha Transmitter. Col BG officially opened the new BFBS Gurkha Transmitter in Aldershot. 25 GSPS Dinner Night 2015. GSPS Coy celebrated its 3rd annual Dinner Night with Col GSPS and Col BG. 26 OP MARMAT 2. QGE soldiers provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief to the people of Nepal through the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Doko Race - Potential Recruits competing the gruelling Doko race during Central Selection in Pokhara 2 PARBATE Vol 68 No 1 January 2016 11 Newly recruited Gurkha with his parents at the Attestation Parade in British Gurkhas Pokhara Gurkha Coy Instructor teaches a newly recruited Potential Recruits in British Gurkhas Pokhara Trainee Rifleman to wear his beret. taking their educational tests during Regional Selection 16. DOKO To DRILL SQUARE Recruit Intake 2016 - Regional Selection fter the two devastating earthquakes struck Nepal, a decision was made to cancel the 6-week Registration phase and the 6 week long ARegional Selection (RS) phase. As a result, the Recruit Intake 16 contingency plan (CONPLAN) was enacted - a 9 month process had to be compressed from mid-November until the end of December to allow the young men and families of Nepal the appropriate time to recover from the deadly Earthquake. Numbers of 1st attempt Potential Recruits (PRs) attending RS were phenomenally large. The number of 1st attempt PRs entering British Gurkhas Pokhara (BGP) was greater in the first 3 days than numbers for both RS West and East combined last year. The queue of PRs at 0200hrs ranked 4-wide, extending from the BGP gate to past the taxi rank near the Gurkha Museum - a remarkable sight. It looked extremely positive that the quality of PRs was not affected by the CONPLAN. In total we had 4,785 arrive for the British Army and 2,988 for the Gurkha Contingent Singapore Police Force (GCSPF). Central Selection began with 130 “GCSPF” PRs arriving on 04 Dec amongst which the best 80 were selected. The best 500 British Army PRs (250 from West and East respectively) arrived in BGP in the first week of December and the best 240 were to be enlisted. 4 PARBATE Vol 68 No 1 January 2016 Recruit Intake 2016 - Central Selection he first phase of the Central Selection was completed on 18 Dec in British Gurkhas Pokhara. 120 Potential Recruits Tfrom Western Nepal successfully passed the rigorous selection on the day while a further 120 PRs from Eastern Nepal were selected a week later. 500 recruits were called forward from Regional Selection (250 from both East and West respectively) in the first week of December and spent two weeks being tested to the limit with everything from language tests, medical examinations, swimming challenges, fitness tests and the legendary doko race. Colonel Commandant School of Infantry, Brigadier Andrew Williams OBE paid a visit during the Central Selection process. He spoke to some of the PRs and also tried for himself the toughest challenge, the doko race. The very best 240 were selected to join the ranks of the British Gurkhas while 80 were selected for the Gurkha Contingent Singapore Police Force (GCSPF). PARBATE Vol 68 No 1 January 2016 5 6 PARBATE Vol 68 No 1 January 2016 n attestation parade was held on 3 January 2016 in British Gurkhas Pokhara with the Afamilies of the successful 240 recruits invited Attestation to attend the celebration from different corners of Nepal. The sun shined down beautifully onto Parade - Pokhara for a memorable parade where Trainee Rifleman swore their Oath of Allegiance to The Queen and the British Army in front of their families Intake 2016 and loved ones. Lt Gen James Bashall CBE, presided over the ceremony and inspected the newly recruited Trainee Riflemen while the recently appointed British Ambassador to Nepal, His Excellency Richard Morris also attended. This year has been especially challenging for Nepal and for selection as a result of the Earthquake and Fuel Crisis so it was a wonderful day to celebrate. The Nepal Army Band were appointed to play music throughout the Parade.