On the 14th November the pass out parade for Gurkha Company Recruit Intake 2018 took place, held at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick, North Yorkshire. This event marked the end of a 39 week training cycle for 270 young soldiers on the Combat Infantryman’s Course.
The Inspecting Officer was Major General P A E Nanson CBE (General Officer Commanding Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command). Also in attendance was Deputy Lieutenant, Major General Michael Charlton-Weedy CBE DL, Brigadier G M Strickland DSO MBE (Colonel of The Royal Gurkha Rifles), Colonel J G Robinson (Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas) and Colonel P Stitt (Commandant School of Infantry).
The young Gurkhas will now be assigned to various units within the British Army:
- The Royal Gurkha Rifles
- The Queen’s Gurkha Engineers
- Queen’s Gurkha Signals
- The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment
- The Gurkha Staff and Personnel Support
- The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas
Prizes were awarded for:
- Fittest Recruit
- Most improved in English
- Champion Shot
- Overall Champion Recruit
- Commandant’s Trophy – awarded to the Corporal and below considered to have made the greatest contribution to Gurkha Company throughout the year
- Role Model Trophy – Awarded to the Warrant Officer or Senior Non-Commissioned Officer considered to have been a role model, delivering the Army Leadership Code and Coaching throughout the year
- Champion Section Commander
- Champion Platoon Commander
Gurkha Company
The mission is to deliver trained Gurkha soldiers in order to meet the operational requirements of the Brigade of Gurkhas. It is responsible for delivering the 39 week long combat Infantryman’s Course (Gurkha). All Gurkhas serving in the British Army are trained by the Gurkha Company to become infantrymen first. This provides the Brigade with an agile edge.
Until 1948 recruits for the Brigade of Gurkhas were trained in India. After Indian independence the training was centralized in North Malaya in 1951. In 1971 the training was moved to Hong Kong until 1994 when it moved to Church Crookham in the UK. In 1999 the Company was relocated to Catterick.
