REGIMENTAL
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
T
hankfully, Brexit was not the only story of 2019: in November at our Reunion we celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Regiment being awarded the royal title “Queen Elizabeth’s Own”; the Trust was able to purchase Colonel Cecil Allanson’s medals, which have now been added to the Sari Bair memorabilia in our Gurkha Museum; the family of Hugh Wallace kindly presented his well-known portrait to the Museum where it will join Hugh’s Elizabeth Cross; our successors, the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR), marked their 25th Anniversary in July with a parade in the UK attended by their Colonel-in-Chief, HRH The Prince of Wales, and where we were represented by our new Chairman, Duncan Briggs. In June Duncan organised a wonderful Memorial Service on the 75th Anniversary of the death of Captain Michael Allmand VC at his parish church of St Edward the Confessor in Golders Green, where we were joined by both family members and RGR representatives. In October all of us rejoiced when Nirmal Purja, ex-Queens Gurkha Engineers, set a record when he conquered the 14 highest mountains in the world in a mere seven months.
as we took on 233 new posts, ranging from the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) Support Battalion to training establishments across the army. Gradually more posts have been acquired and early last year the latest package was announced, which sees the conversion of the ARRC Support Battalion to GURTAM (Gurkha Trained Adult Males), two additional squadrons for both Queen’s Gurkha Signals and the Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, and an additional squadron for Queen’s Gurkha Engineers. Furthermore, five new rank-rich specialized Infantry Battalions, with the role of training other armies in high-threat environments, are being formed and these will include the Third Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles – 3 RGR. Other enhancements to establishments will mean that the Brigade will grow from some 2,560 to over 4,700.
All this is vital in the light of the Versatile Engagement, which only offers soldiers an initial 12 years service, with pensionable service to 24 years by selection only. Our poor conversion rate, necessary to avoid promotion blockages and retain high And in 2020 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bill deployability, caused many high-grade men to transfer Slim joining our Regiment – as Field Marshall William out of the Brigade at the five-year point to units where there was less competition and hence better Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, conversion prospects. But the new establishments GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC, KStJ, one of the greatest now provide more senior posts and lower demands wartime warriors of the British Army. This edition of on deployability, while the point at which our men the Journal is dedicated to him. can transfer to UKTAM units has been raised to seven years. These changes will have a major impact on For many of us, service with the Brigade of Gurkhas has been overshadowed by seemingly endless rounds conversion rates (one unit now has an unheard of 100% conversion rate) and lead to better retention of redundancies and manpower cuts since 1967. and more contented soldiers. Indeed, there have been some who have constantly preached doom and gloom, but I am delighted to say That our Brigade has survived protracted assaults over such prognoses have proved wrong: over the next the last 50 years and is now growing is due to the five years our Brigade will grow by nearly 75%, with recruiting being increased from 270 in 2018, to 400 in hard work put in over many years by HQ The Brigade of Gurkhas and our ability to recruit exceptional 2019 to 432 from 2020 onwards. individuals from Nepal. Even more importantly, our Growth started slowly (and rather discreetly) in 2016, Gurkha soldiers have earned the right to continue to two years after the last round of major redundancies, serve: our Brigade demonstrates excellence in all we
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