Gurkha Museum

Colonel Cecil Allanson’s medals, purchased with a grant from 6 GRRA’s Legacy Fund

GURKHA MUSEUM

As one of the Four Pillars of the Brigade, Services Institute in October as part of a National the Gurkha Museum continues to fully Army Museum initiative to provide a museum curator’s engage with the other Three Pillars as course for Indian military collections. I am also pleased well as the public in this country and to announce that Charlie Martin has been promoted abroad. Both locally and nationally we are expanding to Head of Fundraising and Marketing and has been educational outreach opportunities and developing joined by Alison Wells as Fundraising Co-ordinator. A stronger links and partnerships with other museums, new Administration Assistant, Marta Lourido, joined organisations and agencies. This year we have the staff in October and, as always, the three Gurkha consolidated our position in the provision of Gurkha staff, Megh, Hom and Mekh continue to provide heritage to the serving Brigade, wider Army and work and service at the highest level. In December the public. they were also joined by Chris Manson to help as a

Staff

Museum Assistant.

In February 2019, Christine Bernath, Charlie Martin and Trustees Doug Henderson were given the opportunity to travel After serving seven years as Colonel BG, Colonel to Nepal. During their stay they visited British Gurkhas James Robinson CBE, stood down in September as Kathmandu, British Gurkhas Pokhara, the Nepal ex-officio Trustee of the Gurkha Museum Trust with Army Museum and the Gurkha Memorial Museum. Colonel Jody Davies MBE becoming the new ex-officio Christine Bernath also visited the Indian United Trustee in his place. Likewise, Major Chandrabahadur

Pun stood down as a Trustee in March and was replaced by Major Gajendra Angdembe, OC Gurkha (Sittang) Company. Further new Trustees appointed during 2019 were Lt General Sir David Bill KCB, Mrs Sudha Rai and Major John Harrop.

Volunteers

Volunteers at the Museum provide invaluable help and assistance in enabling the Museum to function efficiently and provide a high level of support. We currently have about twenty five regular volunteers that assist in the shop, archives, collection and stewarding exhibitions. They are to be commended for the quality of their work, commitment and time freely given.

Education and Outreach

Since my last report we have had 24 visits from Brigade units and units from the wider army. Military visits accounted for over 1,000 soldiers which is 10% of our total visitor number of 10,903. I would particularly like to thank The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment for their tangible support for the Museum’s Armed Forces Day event in June. We continue to host annual visits from Gurkha Company Catterick as part of Ex TESRO KHADHAM. In addition to the unit visits, Nepalese communities continue to organise large group visits with Kamal Purja bringing 275 to the Museum in May from Maddhat Shamua. This group also visits nearby Hillier Gardens where there is a Gurkha Memorial Chautara. This year has also seen the Museum develop a partnership with Hillier Gardens which will help with the education and outreach development of us both.

Together with the other military museums in Peninsula Barracks we have had 597 school children visit from ten different schools across the region on STEM subjects, history and remembrance. Children’s craft events throughout the year continue to attract large numbers of children and parents, currently numbering 300.

Staff from the Museum have given lectures on Gurkha heritage to Gurkha units in Camberley, York, Maidstone and Warminster and to special interest groups in Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, including a regional Royal British Legion annual conference in Newbury.

Lectures

Lectures in 2019 increased in number and variety. In May, Adrian Hayes spoke about his experiences on K2; in June, Dr Robert Lyman gave a lecture on Viscount Slim; Brigadier David Morgan spoke about the Falklands and the Director gave an evening lecture entitled ‘Bandits, Revolt and Confrontation’ regarding operations between 1948 and 1966. Of particular note was the lecture given by Tim Bean on Imphal and Kohima. It was so popular it was repeated the next day with over one hundred people attending both dates. Garfield Smith was instrumental in arranging this talk which in total raised over £4,000 for the Museum. The Museum also hosts six winter lunchtime lectures on behalf of Winchester’s Military Museums on various military topics which receive good local support. We continue to host the popular Sirmoor “Armchair Battlefield Tour” lecture series given by Major Gordon Corrigan.

The Museum will be instigating seminar format events with multiple speakers and a curry lunch. Two so far being planned will be on the topics of Mountaineering and Valour.

Exhibitions

Doug Henderson curated this year’s summer exhibition entitled “Between Two Worlds” detailing life and activity in the Gurkha Brigade between the two world wars. The exhibition, opened by Colonel Brigade of Gurkha designate, Colonel Jody Davies, ran from 1 August for one month and attracted 725 visitors. This was an 18% increase over last year’s attendance.

GBA

I would like to thank the 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles’ Regimental Association (6 GRRA) and Trust for their help and support throughout the year. Many Associations and Trusts hold their meetings here in the McDonald Gallery and 7 GR, 9 GR and 10 GR also hold their annual reunions at the Museum. The financial support given to us by you and other Associations and Trusts is most welcome and is a very

Gavin presents a copy of 6 GR’s History Volume 2 to The Gurkha Memorial Museum in Pokhara

important element of our annual income. It helps us protect and preserve Brigade heritage and to educate and inform others of the contribution that Gurkhas have made to this country.

GWT

There has been a significant strengthening in liaison with the Gurkha Welfare Trust. GWT staff have been to the Museum on a number of occasions to find out more about Gurkha heritage and the Museum. The Gurkha Museum entered teams for the Doko Challenge and Trailwalker raising over £1,700 for the Trust and on 11 April the Trust and their guests celebrated their 50th Anniversary with a Curry Lunch at the Museum. GWT Trustees continue to hold Museum and GWT staff jointly attended three days of training by the Brigade Culture and Language Team in our McDonald Gallery. In October GWT and the Gurkha Museum featured together on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow when Major Bishnu Pun was interviewed with the medals of his father, Captain (QGO) Bhaktasing Pun MM. The medals are held at the Museum.

Commercial and Communications

Charlie Martin, our Commercial Manager, has expanded the product range of our shop with new lines for all age groups. Trading continues to develop as new opportunities to market and advertise the shop are taken. A number of new unique and Gurkha branded meetings at the Museum and earlier in the year

products have been added to the range including a USB memory stick in the form of a kukri! A children’s item that is proving most popular is the Museum’s Gurkha Tiger soft toy called Nepti. Part of the trading development is through the website and social media platforms and these are playing a far greater role in promoting our products as the number of followers increase. Facebook has seen a 30% increase in followers, Twitter a 9% increase and for Instagram 50%.

Fundraising

At the end of 2019 the Museum finalised plans to make provision for a dedicated fundraising capability. This will enable the Museum to achieve routine fundraising potential and at the appropriate time, capital fundraising capability. There are several factors that are affecting the choice of time in launching plans for the re-development of the displays

and archives and the Trustees are mindful that this should be done at the right moment. It is an exciting time for the Museum with new staff, new Trustees, new initiatives and new plans. As already reported, Charlie Martin will head this new initiative forward.

Of particular note this year was the money donated to the Gurkha Museum from an auction of items belonging to Jean Stone, the widow of Lt Colonel Geoffrey Stone (5 RGR and 6 GR). In total £1,480 was raised from the sale of 5 RGR and 6 GR pieces, including a very fine, white gold and diamond 6 GR sweetheart brooch. A copy of Volume 2 of the 6 GR History from this collection was also donated to the Gurkha Memorial Museum in Pokhara and delivered in person by me when visiting Nepal in November. I am grateful to Lt Colonel Brian O’Bree for organising this auction and magnificent donation to the Museum.

Acquisitions

Of great significance to the Museum has been the donation of the decorations and medals of Colonel Cecil Allanson of Gallipoli fame. These medals came to us via 6 GRRA which used their Legacy Fund to purchase the medals for £11,200 before presenting them to the Museum. Following that donation, John Allanson Davies donated the important Allanson Papers to enhance the 6 GR archive. Later in the year Don Ruffell donated a fine and recently renovated portrait of Lieutenant Hugh Wallace, tragically killed in action in 1963 whilst serving with 2/6th GR in Borneo. Although we do not readily accept kukris into the collection (we already have over 350!) we did take advantage of acquiring two kukris and two Afghan knives collected by Captain George Robinson of 2/6th GR in 1935. There have been welcome donations to the collection and archives.

Friends of the Gurkha Museum

Friends Membership is almost exactly the same as last year and stands at 596. Membership charges have risen this year to £20 for single membership, £30 joint and £200 for life membership. I would encourage all to join and enjoy the benefits of free entry and many discounts for the shop, gallery bookings and the café at Peninsula Barracks. The AGM and Tea

The restored portrait of Lieutenant Hugh Wallace by Juliet Pannett which was presented to the Museum by the Ruffell family

held annually in May is to be commended as a way of learning more about the Museum and next year there will be other Friends only events.

Legacies

We have produced legacy information material for circulation and have added it to the Museum website. A fundraising and legacy strategy will be produced in the new year when it is hoped there will be more effective measures to raise awareness of our need to be financially supported via legacies.

Conclusion

In 2020 there will be appointed a new Director as I shall be retiring, having worked at the Gurkha Museum in one guise or another for twenty-seven years! It is the right time for me to retire and I will do so at a date yet to be fixed. It is appropriate that my successor should be in post from the start of our new fundraising initiatives and exciting plans for the future of the Museum. Thank you for the consistent help and support you have given the Museum, my staff and me personally.