Many people already know of the connection between the Gurkhas and the British Army. This relationship stretches back more than 175 years to 1815, when the British East India Company was trying to push the northern frontier of India to the Himalaya.
From the British soldiers' first meeting with the hill soldiers of Nepal on the battle field, a bond of mutual respect grew It became obvious that the conquest of the foothills would not be possible, and therefore a pact was signed at Sugauli in 1816 in which the boundaries between India and Nepal were agreed and permission was given by the King of Nepal for the British Indian Army to recruit soldiers to serve in its forces.
Time does not stand still but in looking back, I believe the Gurkhas have been of major advantage to both countries over such a long period of co-operation. Until relatively recently, the Gurkhas' military remittances in pay and pensions were the largest source of foreign currency in Nepal and are still substantial; indeed the monetary value to Nepal of British Gurkhas alone is estimated at well over £30 million a year. The hillmen of Nepal have not only been able to acquire wealth but also a number of agricultural, building and medical skills to take back to their villages when they complete their service.
On the other hand, the British forces benefit from the fact that the average length of service for a Gurkha infantry soldier is 15 years, whereas the British soldier only serves an average of 5 years, which means that there are considerable economies in training Gurkha soldiers. At the moment British Gurkhas are trained, and many garrisoned, in Hong Kong. As this colony is to be vacated by Britain in 1997, a question quite naturally arose about the future of Gurkhas within the British Army, if there was to be a future where they were to be deployed. As a consequence of this, the House of Commons Defence Committee decided in 1988 to carry out an enquiry into the future need for Gurkhas in the British Army.