A Message from the New Colonel Commandant Brigade of Gurkhas - Major General G M Strickland DSO MBE
I write this with mixed feelings. Sadness at handing over as Colonel The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR), but honoured to be taking over as Colonel Commandant of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Brigadier David Pack has now assumed the role of Colonel RGR and I wish him the very best of luck. In particular I pay tribute to our outgoing Colonel Commandant, Lieutenant General Wardlaw CB OBE, whose tireless efforts on all our behalf have secured the position of the Brigade of Gurkhas, and indeed seen us grow and thrive throughout his tenure. We are all extremely grateful to him for his superb leadership over such a significant time.
By way of background, I first joined the 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles as an undergraduate cadetship officer in 1989, before returning full time in 1993. I was a platoon commander when we amalgamated to become The Royal Gurkha Rifles, and I commanded 1 RGR in 2009-11. My first visit to Nepal was in 1988 when I spent some time teaching in the Annapurna Boarding School just outside Pokhara, and I have returned many times since, including a tour as Second in Command British Gurkhas Pokhara in 1997-8, so I have a keen interest in Intake 98! I have been lucky enough to be Colonel RGR throughout my time as a Brigade Commander, a Divisional Commander and a Deputy Corps Commander over the last 8 years.
My message to the Brigade of Gurkhas is simple. We must all be the best that we can be. That takes hard work, commitment and discipline – all of which are closely associated with the name “Gurkha”. Headquarters Brigade of Gurkhas exists to help every single one of you to be able to do your job, safe in the knowledge that you and your family are being well looked after by the system. I take that responsibility very seriously, as does Colonel BG who looks after such matters on a daily basis. The size, shape and roles of our units will continually evolve, but the one thing that will not change is that we are Gurkhas, and we should be very proud of that.
Jai Gurkha.
Major General G M Strickland DSO MBE
Colonel Commandant the Brigade of Gurkhas
