The President

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Idoubt that many will regard 2020 as among the best of years. My upbeat message last year was written just before the Coronavirus pandemic began to make an indelible mark on all our lives, and to those who have lost loved ones or suffered as a result of this scourge, we all offer our sincere condolences. We must hope that, with the introduction of the vaccination programme and improved treatments, we can look forward to a brighter, healthier and above all ‘lockdown-free’ life sometime in 2021, and in UK we owe the oftmaligned and incredibly-dedicated NHS our gratitude for all they have done. Unfortunately, a successful resolution will also depend on some of the more feckless elements of society realising that their complete disregard of the rules destined to keep us safe are threatening the lives of others.

Whilst the pandemic has limited training, our Brigade has played an intrinsic part in providing “Military Aid to the Civil Community” and have been involved in helping to control Coronavirus within the UK. QGE and QGS applied their skills to the building of the Nightingale hospitals, while both QGE and 1 RGR ran Covid-19 testing programmes, initially on lorry drivers bound for Europe and later within local communities. QOGLR assistance ranged from logistical support for the transport of medical supplies to the running of one of the quarantine facilities. In Brunei, the garrison has been able to operate near normal and have supplied the manpower to Nepal for the 2021 recruiting process. Our reputation remains high.

Enhancements to our Brigade continue. The latest batch of 431 recruits have passed-out and joined their units or started their specialist training, and the next intake of 340 recruits will have started training by the time you read this. New Corps squadrons continue to form, the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Support Battalion will become a Gurkha Unit in due course and 3 RGR, formed on 6 January 2020 at Company strength, is expanding and will relocate to Aldershot. The protracted lockdowns this year have played havoc with planned Regimental and Gurkha Brigade Association events. The annual Bhela, the GBA events in November and at Sandhurst, the Association gathering at Winchester Cathedral and the AGM all had to be cancelled, as did the hugely popular Cuttack Lunches. On the other hand, our redoubtable Regimental Secretary, Mani, managed to get together representatives from each Infantry Association and, joined by Hugo Slim and his wife, on VJ Day we laid wreaths at the Chindit Memorial, the Slim Statue and the Gurkha Statue, where we were joined by a few well-wishers and a piper and bugler. Mani and I had planned, at the very least, to lay wreaths at our Book of Remembrance in Winchester Cathedral but these plans had to be called-off at the very last moment; the new Gurkha Museum Curator, Daren Bowyer, did manage to lay the wreaths on our behalf later on.

In November we were all delighted to hear that Manikumar Rai had been appointed a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Hampshire. This is a significant and well-deserved honour, and to have one of our own in such a prestigious post recognises the outstanding contribution our soldiers, retired and serving, make to the Hampshire community.

Many readers will remember Ken Neville-Davis, who served in 1/6 GR before rejoining the Police. For many years Ken was Gil Hickey’s right-hand man in the Regimental Committee, and we were all delighted to hear that his wife, Doris, has been appointed a Member of the British Empire: over the past 35 years Doris has been heavily involved in Education, serving as a school governor of nine schools, as well as in other roles, and we congratulate her.

When the Gurkha Chautara was unveiled in 2014, those of us involved in its construction were well aware of the debt we owed Rob Cross QGE, who designed it and oversaw the construction. We congratulate Rob on his appointment as a Member of the British Empire for services as both Chairman

of GWT North Midlands Branch, where he and his late wife raised over £100,000 for our soldiers, and for their work on behalf of GBA.

In 2015 we commemorated the 70th anniversary of the fall of Mandalay and many of us were able to meet Major John Phillips, who had commanded D Company in that action. On 16 September John celebrated his 100th Birthday and on behalf of the Association I was privileged to send him our congratulations.

And there is more to follow, for later this year we hope to see the publication by Pen and Sword of the enthralling diaries of Robert Atkins MC, who served in 8 GR during partition in India and with 1/6 GR from 1950 to 1958 in the Malayan Emergency. Robert, now 94, passed his diaries to Lieutenant General Sir Peter Duffell who, together with Brigadier Christopher Bullock, has prepared them for publication: the Gurkha Museum and Brian O’Bree helped with photographs. You will also read elsewhere in the Journal about the presentation portraits of Field Marshal ‘Bill’ Slim. It has been a hard year, but we must hope for a better future. Our Brigade’s reputation remains high, and the incredible mountaineering exploits of Nirmal Purja have reinforced the reputation of our Gurkha soldiers: we salute him. We have a new Colonel Commandant, for in November Lieutenant General Sir Nick Pope handed over to Lieutenant General Richard Wardlaw, and Colonel Jody Davies is now firmly settled into the demanding post of Colonel BG. We are fortunate that our Brigade is in such safe hands.

May 2021 be a kinder year wherever you are and, in the words of the wonderful Irish blessing:

”May the windbe always atyour back, May the sun shine warm uponyour face, The rains fall soft uponyour fields and until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

John Anderson

Major John Phillips, OC D Coy 1/6 GR at the fall of Mandalay in 1945, celebrates his 100th birthday (Sadly John Phillips passed away in March 2021)