Colonel (Retd) David Hayes CBE
On behalf of the Colonel Commandant and Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas, it is with deep regret to inform you of the passing of Colonel (Retired) David Hayes CBE, former Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas and Chairman Gurkha Brigade Association, who died peacefully at home on the evening of Wednesday 18 June 2025.
Colonel Hayes was commissioned into the 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles in 1972, beginning a distinguished military career that would span nearly four decades. He served with the Brigade of Gurkhas in Hong Kong, Brunei, and the United Kingdom, and was widely respected for his dedication, leadership, and deep affinity with the Gurkha community.
A seasoned field commander and staff officer, Colonel Hayes was deployed on numerous operational tours. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff of 8 Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland during the height of the Troubles in the early 1990s. Between his two appointments as Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas, he held the post of Head of the Defence Crisis Management Centre within the Ministry of Defence, where he played a key role in strategic operational planning and national-level crisis response. In this period, he also undertook operational deployments to both Bosnia and Kosovo, contributing to vital post-conflict stability and peacekeeping efforts in the Balkans. Later in his career he commanded Second Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles and was later appointed Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas on two separate occasions – a rare distinction that reflects the esteem in which he was held. His leadership helped shape the modern identity of the Brigade, reinforcing the unique bonds of loyalty, professionalism, and mutual respect between the British Army and its Gurkha soldiers.
Following his retirement in 2011, Colonel Hayes remained a tireless advocate for Gurkha welfare and heritage. He served as Chair of the Gurkha Brigade Association and was a trustee of both the Gurkha Welfare Trust and The Gurkha Museum. His contributions to these organisations were significant, ensuring that the needs of Gurkha veterans and their families continued to be met, and that the proud history of the Brigade was preserved and honoured. Colonel Hayes was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his exemplary service. He will be remembered as a soldier of distinction, a leader of integrity, and a true friend to the Gurkha community.
Colonel Hayes’s legacy lives on through the institutions he helped shape and through the countless Gurkhas whose lives he touched. He will be profoundly missed by family, friends, and the wider Gurkha community.
