While surfing through youtube I came across this video which shows a Gurkha unit marching through Whitehall on April 30, 2015, and participating in a memorial service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Dw6VSLNi8
Does this take place every year? i would love to see this in person. In 2014 I visited the Gurkha museum in Winchester, and because the place had so few visitors on that day the museum manager allowed me to take photographs which is normally not allowed.
Wow, that is interesting.
No, that was a specific event to mark the 200th anniversary of the Gurkhas in the British Army.
If you're visiting in the next few weeks, the Queen's Gurkha Engineers are providing the Guard at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle until 12 April, including changing the guard (not every day though so check timetables on-line if you want to see Gurkhas specifically).
Thanks folks. Looks like I won't be seeing Gurkhas ever again except if I visit the museum in Winchester or attend Remembrance Day. I will look on google for photographs of Gurkha's serving as palace guards - that will be a hoot.
Gurkhas have full rights to live in the UK, thanks to a long campaign which won that permission about a decade ago. One outspoken leader was statuesque actor Joanna Lumley. She was born in India to a British father who had fought with the Gurkhas. Their military traditions (and fairly poor countryside) contributed to the willingness to serve the former colonial power. I clearly remember attending the famed Edinburgh tattoo many decades ago when the Gurkhas were the guest regiment, performing manoeuvres on motorcycles and showcasing their bagpipe band.
Geor(ge), can you please explain why it would be a "hoot"?
To me that doesn't sound very respectful.
Joanna Lumley discusses the Gurkha campaign in the latest Rick Steves' radio show.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/radio
Geor , is it a "hoot" when an American army regiment is selected to be the honour guard for the President of the USA?
Hi all:
Thanks for your responses. I am sorry that my use of the term "hoot" was not interpreted as I hoped it would be. My use of this term was intended to be a noun that describes something that is joyful and gives pleasure. Ex: "Ridley Scott's Superbowl commercial was a hoot. - it was a masterful piece of advertising". In my post I was expressing my pleasure that a military unit that consists entirely of Asians would be guarding the two royal palaces in place of the usual soldiers who are mainly of European heritage. Furthermore, my pleasure comes from the knowledge that these soldiers are tough so the royal family should not worry that these guards are not up to the task. I would love to be in London to see formations of Gurkhas marching to/from their guard posts. It would also be a hoot to see the reaction of tourists who were expecting to see a tall guard in a red jacket and bear skin hat but instead were seeing an Nepalese soldier carrying a rifle and kukri knife.
Geor(ge)
In British English, a hoot is something that is hilarious, rather than joyful.
I've cleaned out a few posts. Let's try and bring this back on topic.
