Sounding Retreat and Dinner Night 2026 Under-Secretary of State for Veterans and People

On 24 June 2026, personnel from the Brigade of Gurkhas joined invited guests on Old College Square at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for the annual Brigade of Gurkhas Sounding Retreat. The salute was taken by the principal guest, Mr Calvin Bailey MBE MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans and People.

Before the ceremony began, guests gathered for drinks, conversation and the chance to renew old friendships. Against the imposing backdrop of Old College, each of the Brigade’s cap badges assembled on the steps for formal photographs, adding to the sense of occasion and continuity.

As evening settled over Sandhurst, the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, joined by bagpipers and drummers from across the Brigade, delivered a stirring marching display before sounding retreat. The ceremony concluded with sunset and the national anthems of Nepal and the United Kingdom, a fitting tribute to the Brigade’s unique heritage and enduring bond between two nations.

Following the Sounding Retreat, guests moved into the Old College Dining Room for a formal dinner. In his address, Major General Gerald Strickland CB DSO MBE, Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas, thanked the Brigade for another outstanding year and reflected on a number of notable achievements before dinner was served.

Steeped in history, Old College provided a suitably distinguished setting for the evening, hosting more than 350 guests in celebration of the Brigade of Gurkhas.

Beyond the top table of senior staff and honoured guests, the dining room reflected the breadth of the Brigade itself, with tables arranged around its seven cap badges. Each table welcomed a mix of serving personnel, veterans, friends and supporters invited to share in the evening’s events.

The evening drew to a close with further entertainment from The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas and the familiar sound of regimental marches, bringing a memorable celebration of service, tradition and fellowship to a fitting end.

This year the extreme conditions being generated by the heatwave meant that Mess Dress and Evening Wear had to be replaced by suitable regimental attire and no jackets. One for the history books.

Photography by Mr Mick Latter