REGIMENTAL
very solid case for a space and a memorial where they and their families can meet and celebrate for puja and remembrance ceremonies, and have, additionally, indicated significant financial support; the UK based Nepalis have also stepped up to the plate with an impressive figure and we, the UK Association, must now deliver our best efforts to support the Project, which will yield a lasting memorial to the Regiment in which so many of us, British and Nepali, have been proud to serve, or with which so many have in recent years wished to be associated.
for the engagement of a local project manager in due course to oversee the physical development of the Memorial at the Museum in Pokhara. Hand in hand with designing and creating the monument we now need to accelerate our funding efforts. 6th Gurkha veterans in Nepal have made a
Our objective is to have the Memorial in place for a late 2022 unveiling ceremony in Pokhara; it’s the year in which Her Majesty the Queen, whose name the Regiment has borne for more than 60 years, is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. Can there be anything more fitting? Mike Channing
ROYAL GURKHA RIFLES NEWSLETTER
M
FIRST BATTALION
aintaining a light infantry battalion at very high readiness in 16 Air Assault Brigade is an exciting challenge; 2020 has proved no different for 1 RGR. The first quarter saw engagement in routine training, the second and third a shift towards innovative training delivery and the fourth a return to a ‘new normal’ in the build-up to a major joint exercise scheduled for Spring 2021. Throughout the year, one lesson has proved abundantly clear: maintaining readiness as the Air Manoeuvre Battle Group set the foundations required to thrive through uncertain circumstances.
The year started with the induction of new Riflemen from ITC Catterick. Under the guardianship of C Company the new Riflemen were put through their paces in the wet and cold of Cinque Ports Training Area. As well as the staple recce patrols, ambushes and attacks, the exercise also sought to build
resilience through Public Order Training, teaching the soldiers the importance of controlled and measured aggression. Concurrently, a team of novice cross-country skiers led by Sgt Deep Nursing deployed to Sweden and France for Ex NORDIC KUKRI. The only team across the whole Army led by a SNCO, the 1 RGR team conducted extensive training before competing in individual cross-country, skate and patrol serials at the Infantry and Divisional Championships. Having never skied before, the soldiers enjoyed the transferability of skills in land navigation, fitness and marksmanship through snowy, sub-zero conditions. In a similar vein, a team led by Lt Parsons departed on Ex FROSTED BLADE, the annual Army Infantry Ski Championships held in Val D’Isere. With the Team comprised of two experienced and six novice skiers the Battalion Team adjusted well to the demands of
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