Special Order of the Day by Major General G M Strickland DSO MBE Colonel The Royal Gurkha Rifles

On the 12th of September, I handed over my appointment as Colonel of the Regiment (The Royal Gurkha Rifles), after eight years. It has been the privilege of my life.

Your work has brought me nothing but pride as you have trained, deployed on operations, competed in sports and military competitions, and above all maintained our reputation. We are a family regiment, and our strength comes from that. I pay tribute to all of our families who have crossed between Brunei and the United Kingdom again and again and endured the separation of exercises and operations. I also thank all of our officers and soldiers. You are our regiment. Your cheerfulness in adversity, your ambition to succeed, and your high professional standards make us what we are. There are members of our regiment who have paid a high price for their service. Please never forget them, and look after those who continue to suffer. They are always part of our family.

I hand over to Brigadier D T Pack OBE, who I know will lead you with wisdom and compassion. I wish him and all of you the very best of luck.