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British
Army - Brigade of Gurkhas
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Nepal Information |
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Nepal:
Recruiting for the Gurkha regiment
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The
British Gurkhas
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The
2nd Battalion, the Royal Gurkha Rifles, is known as 2 RGR. The 630-strong
battalion has its headquarters at Sir John Moore Barracks.
The British
Army's Brigade of Gurkhas (BG) was stationed in Hong Kong until the
former British colony was given back to China in 1997.
The BG is 2009 around 3,800 strong and provides around three per cent of the Army's
strength and eight per cent of the Infantry.
The
modern day Brigade of Gurkhas was formed in 1948 when four Regiments transferred
from the old Indian Army to the British Army. There are seven Regiments
in the Indian Army.
Gurkhas
are recruited in Nepal and remain Nepalese citizens throughout their service
with the Brigade of Gurkhas, which is in line with the wishes of the government
of Nepal.
There
are about 5,000 or less people who receive no pension at all and are living
their lives in Nepal even after serving in World War II on behalf of Britain
and other wars such as those in Malaya, the Falklands, Irak and Afghanistan.
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Hundreds
of men apply to join the British army
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Outside
a recruiting centre in Pokhara,
Central Nepal, hundreds of young men file in for the final selectoral process
for entry into the British army. It takes months - from basic literacy
tests to the ability to race up a mountain with 35kg of rocks strapped
on their backs.
It
was over a 180 years ago that the British army decided it couldn't defeat
these men in battle and so started to recruit them instead. The Gurkha
Regiment is one of the most decorated in the British army and one of its
most valuable assets. But the unquestioning loyalty and devotion
of the British Gurkha can no longer be taken for granted. As so often
in relations between wealthier countries and the developing world, even
here there have been allegations of exploitation.
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