Pokhara: The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh saw the deep bonds of UK-Nepal friendship through the Gurkhas and welcomed —from the care provided to veterans and their dependents in Nepal, to the 274 young Nepali men who today formally joined the British Army at the annual Attestation Parade here.
At the Attestation Parade, they witnessed the important moment for the young Nepalis who have reached the end of the selection process, marking the beginning of the military career for 274 Nepalis who will join the British Army. After the formal event, the Duke and the Duchess met some of the families of the new recruits.
This year, 274 trainee riflemen will join the British Army following a highly competitive recruitment process. The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas led the march-out of the Parade, attended by proud family members of the new recruits who hail from across Nepal. The Duke of Edinburgh said: “You are now a Gurkha. One amongst only 274 new Gurkhas from over 13,000 potential recruits this year. This has been one of the greatest challenges of your lives. You deserve to feel very proud of your achievement”.
The 274 successful trainee riflemen join the British Army after a rigorous, open and transparent, year-long selection process. They will head to the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Catterick in the UK, where they will undergo a nine-month training program.
Others in attendance included British Ambassador to Nepal, Rob Fenn, Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas Major General Strickland DSO MBE, Major General The Lord Lancaster TD PC, Deputy Colonel Commandant Brigade of Gurkhas, Colonel Dan Rex MVO, Commander British Gurkhas Nepal (BGN) and Lieutenant Colonel Rajeshkumar Gurung, Deputy Commander BGN witnessed the Attestation of the new recruits. 38 Coronation Medals and 2 Long Service & Good Conduct Medals were also presented to Gurkha and British Staff on parade.
The Duke and the Duchess also visited the Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT) “Area Welfare Centre” (AWC) Kaski and saw how the UK – through different charities – provides support in Nepal to those who have served in the British Army. They also spent some time seeing the work of the GWT Residential Home, that cares for 20 of the most vulnerable former-Gurkhas or their widows with accommodation and support. As part of the visit to the Residential Home, the Duke and Duchess met 104-year-old Ash Kumari Tamang, whose late husband was a Gurkha soldier who served with the 4th Gurkha Rifles during the Second World War. She has been living in the Residential Home since 2011.
The Duke and Duchess also received a briefing on the work of the Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Association KAAA in Nepal.
About Gurkha Welfare Trust and KAAA
The Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT) is the leading charity dedicated to supporting Gurkha veterans, their families, and communities. It was established in 1969 to provide financial aid to Welfare Pensioners; those who left the British Army before they qualified for a MOD pension. Today, the Trust provides financial, medical, and development aide to ensure Gurkha veterans and their families can live with dignity in Nepal (and India where there remain some Gurkha beneficiaries receiving financial and medical support). Through its 515-strong Nepal-based team, the GWT has made significant impacts across Nepal, spending circa £24m each year on things like: welfare pensions and grants to thousands of impoverished Gurkha veterans and widows, ensuring they can live with dignity; Earthquake Relief and Resilient Housing (the Trust provided immediate relief and has since built over 1,750 earthquake-resilient homes for Gurkha veterans and their widows); Medical Care: Providing high-standard healthcare to Gurkha veterans and their families. Last year, over 21,200 patients accessed their medical services; Clean Water and Sanitation (bringing clean water to remote communities installing last year alone 1,590 tap stands, benefiting more than 8,800 people); and education: The GWT’s Schools Programme builds and refurbishes schools in remote areas, improving access to education for Nepali children.
The Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Association began in 1968, when Brigadier ‘Bunny’ Burnett told Sir Horace Kadoorie that he was worried about how the Brigade of Gurkhas could best support its veterans in Nepal. Since the scheme began, the Kadoorie family have provided £125m to help Nepal’s hill communities. KAAA now does more in the way of infrastructure engineering and training than it does in agriculture; but in essence it is about “helping those who help themselves” and “bringing opportunity in life to the disadvantaged”. KAAA is solely funded by the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation; at the MOD’s request and with their support, it works as an implementing partner alongside the Gurkha Welfare Trust. In a typical year, their activities, worth some £7.5m per annum, encompass infrastructure, employment training, special projects, and discretionary schemes. In the recent past, they have built 800 homes to replace some of those lost in the 2015 earthquake and have contributed generously to Nepal’s COVID response.
The recruit intake 25 (RI25) attestation parade on 7 Feb at British Gurkhas Pokhara (BGP) is the final event of a three-phase selection process run by British Gurkhas Nepal (BGN). On parade will be 274 Trainee Riflemen (T/Rfn) who will join the Brigade of Gurkhas. For RI25, over 13,000 potential recruits (PRs) applied to be Gurkhas throughout March. The whole process is independently assured so that it matches the Gurkha Recruiting mantra of free, fair and transparent.
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