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  • Officers watch new recruits swear allegiance to the Queen in British Royal Gurkha Regiment Pokhara camp, Nepal..
    gurkha_recruitment06-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A young Nepali boy is straining in his last sit-ups during a recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment, part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. He has to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_training0416-01_1997.jpg
  • Red identical t-shirts of young Nepali boys walk in single-file through a dry valley near the British Gurkha Regiment's army camp at Pokhara after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_training0216-01_1997.jpg
  • For their regular river washing ritual, the red identical t-shirts of young Nepali boys walk in single-file down a valley side near the British Gurkha Regiment's army camp at Pokhara after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_training0316-01_1997.jpg
  • New recruits of the British Royal Gurkha Regiment learn to parade for their official photograph at their army camp in Pokhara, Nepal after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, before the 160 lucky candidates travel to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment04-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Officers and new recruits of the British Royal Gurkha Regiment pose for their official photograph at their army camp at Pokhara, Nepal after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, before the 160 lucky candidates travel to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857..
    gurkha_recruitment02-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A British Army Gurkha recruit stands to attention during a barracks inspection at the Gurkha Regiment's training centre at Church Crookham, on 16th January 1996, in England UK. Some 60,000 young Nepalese boys aged between 17 - 22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in Nepal's Himalayan foothills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000 - 12,000 feet. Only 160 are recruited with training continuing at this barracks until joining various units within the army. The Gurkhas training wing in Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
    gurkha_barracks-16-01-1996.jpg
  • A young Nepali boy is undergoing a recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment called the Doko race, part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. He has to carry 30kg of river stones in a traditional Himalayan doko (basket) for 3km up foothills within 37 minutes to pass.  60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_training0116-01_1997.jpg
  • British and Nepali-born army officers assess recruits during an army exercise trial known as the British Fitness Test (BFT) at the British Gurkha Regiment's camp at Pokhara, Nepal. The boys are among those trying for a highly-valued place in the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment07-16-01-1997.jpg
  • New recruits of the Royal Gurkha Regiment swear allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen's portrait during their passing-out parade at their camp at Pokhara, Nepal. After being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, the lucky 160 fly to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those more educated to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857
    gurkha_recruitment05-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A young Nepali boy is undergoing a recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment called the Doko race, part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. He has to carry 30kg of river stones in a traditional Himalayan doko (basket) for 3km up foothills within 37 minutes to pass.  60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youths for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment08-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A newly-recruited Nepali boy stares through the window of a Nepal Airlines airliner during his flight from his Himalayan homeland to the UK where his 2-year training for the British Army will begin, on 16th January 1997, in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is leaving behind his family for England where the British army is to make him a fully-trained soldier in the Gurkha Regiment. Some 60,000 young Nepalese boys aged between 17 - 22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000 - 12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the flight to the UK. The Gurkhas training wing in Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
    gurkha_selection05-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Wearing numbered bibs, four Nepali boys warm-up before an army exercise trial known as the British Fitness Test (BFT) at the British Gurkha Regiment's army camp at Pokhara, Nepal. These boys are among those trying for a highly-valued place in the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_recruitment01-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A young Nepali boy is measured for lung capacity during a recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment - part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training, on 16th January 1997, in Pokhara, Nepal. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youths for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
    gurkha_selection03-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A young Nepali boy is undergoes a recruitment test of pull-ups for the Gurkha Regiment, part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training, on 16th January 1997, in Pokhara, Nepal. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youths for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
    gurkha_selection02-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A young Nepali boy is undergoes a recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment called the Doko race, part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training, on 16th January 1997, in Pokhara, Nepal. Carrying 30kg of river stones in a traditional Himalayan doko (basket) for 3km up foothills within 37 minutes to pass.  60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youths for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
    gurkha_selection01-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys adjust their spacing during a camp parade after recruitment to the British Gurkha Regiment. The recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkhas07-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A young Nepali boys look at family photos during a lull in Gurkha recruiting selection in barracks room, Pokhara army camp. This recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkhas04-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys in army red march though a Pokhara street after being recruited for the Gurkha Regiment in the Btitish army. This recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkhas05-16-01-1997.jpg
  • In neat diagonal rows, young Nepali boys are crouching on the ground at the British Army's Gurkha base in Pokhara, Nepal where the Britain's Ministry of Defence recruits the best choices to become fully-trained soldiers in the UK's Gurkha Regiment. Some 60,000 young Nepalese boys aged between 17 - 22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000 - 12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the flight to the UK. The Gurkhas training wing in Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    RB_052-20-11-1996.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys admire a young girl on an army walk along Himalayan path during recruitment to the British Gurkha Regiment. This recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkhas06-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys stride past poor elderly man in Kathmandu street after recruitment into the British Gurkhas. The recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857..
    gurkhas09-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys do a leadership initiative test in Pokhara  camp, hoping to be recruited for the Gurkha Regiment in the British army. This is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example, they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkhas03-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys watch how to perform sit-ups in Himalayas, hoping to be recruited for the Gurkha Regiment in the British army. This is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. They will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkhas02-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys attend a line-up in Himalayas, hoping to be recruited for the Gurkha Regiment in the Btitish army. .This is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example, they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkhas01-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Young Nepali boys pose for a group photo beneath Kathmandu's Boudhanath Stupa after recruitment into the British Gurkhas. The recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment is part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. For example they will need to perform 25 straight-kneed sit-ups at a 45° slant both within 60 seconds to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857...
    gurkhas08-16-01-1997.jpg
  • The rare Victoria Cross is worn on the chest of the celebrated Nepali war veteran Bhanu Bhagta Gurung (also written Bhanubhakta), an ex-soldier of the British Gurkha regiment who in the second world war, earned his medals from repeated bravery against Japanese positions in Burma. He sits here on the terrace of his home, above the misty valley of Gorkha, Central Nepal. He is one of the last survivors of the remarkably brave men  who helped defeat the enemy in the jungles of south-east Asia. Gurung is the name of his Nepalese tribe (like the Sherpas who also come from the high Himalayan Kingdom). His company commander described him as "a smiling, hard-swearing and indomitable soldier who in a battalion of brave men was one of the bravest". Born September 1921 - died March 1 2008.
    medals_gurkha01-16-1997.jpg
  • Four members of the Royal Gurkha Rifles are on tactical manoeuvres on heathland above Farnborough airfield, England. These Nepali-born boys belong to an elite Regiment of the British army. Every year 60,000 boys attend recruiting sessions in villages and towns in the Himalayan Kingdom but only 150 are selected each year to serve on active duty across the world. They fly to the UK for basic soldier training where they learn the skills required for infantry, transport, communications or clerical duties. Their reputation as a fierce but intensely loyal fighting force and many Victoria Crosses were won for bravery during World War 2. Here they are seen cradling modern SA-80 rifles while dressed in camouflaged helmets with oak leaves. The nearest to the camera points his weapon past the viewer with a yellow blank cover attached. .
    army04-15-12-2007 .jpg
  • An instructor with the Royal Gurkha Rifles points a recruit towards an objective while on tactical training manoeuvres on heathland above Farnborough, on 5th August 1996, in Farnborough, England. Nepali-born boys belong to an elite Regiment of the British army. Every year 60,000 boys attend recruiting sessions in villages and towns in the Himalayan Kingdom but only 150 are selected each year to serve on active duty across the world. They fly to the UK for basic soldier training where they learn the skills required for infantry, transport, communications or clerical duties. Their reputation as a fierce but intensely loyal fighting force and many Victoria Crosses were won for bravery during World War 2. Here they are seen cradling modern SA-80 rifles while dressed in camouflaged helmets with oak leaves.
    soldier_training-05-08-1996.jpg
  • A newly-recruited Nepali boy is about to leave his homeland for the UK, where the British army is to make him a fully-trained soldier in the Gurkha Regiment. Daubed with saffron and paint, the sign of good luck on a journey to come, he stands with absolute pride with garlands of fresh flowers draped around his neck by well-wishing relatives before they wave good bye to their son or brother for his two years absence away from home. Some 60,000 young Nepalese boys aged between 17 - 22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000 - 12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the flight to the UK. The Gurkhas training wing in Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    RB-0079.jpg
  • British Army Gurkha soldier instructs his men during an exercise on Salisbury Plain, the army's infantry training ground.
    army_instructor01-05-08-1996.jpg
  • The rare Victoria Cross is worn on the chest of the celebrated Nepali war veteran Bhanu Bhagta Gurung (also written Bhanubhakta), an ex-soldier of the British Gurkha regiment who in the second world war, earned his medals from repeated bravery against Japanese positions in Burma. He sits here on the terrace of his home, above the misty valley of Gorkha, Central Nepal. He is one of the last survivors of the remarkably brave men  who helped defeat the enemy in the jungles of south-east Asia. Gurung is the name of his Nepalese tribe (like the Sherpas who also come from the high Himalayan Kingdom). His company commander described him as "a smiling, hard-swearing and indomitable soldier who in a battalion of brave men was one of the bravest". Born September 1921 - died March 1 2008.
    RB_142-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Under a threatening sky, freshly-painted blue gates overlook the Himalayan village of Ghandrung bathed in sunshine in central Nepal. Also called Ghandruk or Gandruk, this settlement is situated in what is known as the Annapurna Sanctuary (conservation region), a 55-km-long massif whose highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8,091 m (26,538 ft), making it the 10th-highest summit in the world. The village is also a stopping-off point for trekkers and backpackers who pass-by on their way to the walk in high peaks. The Mountain Region (Parbat in the Nepali language) is situated at 4,000 meters or more above sea level. Houses and dwellings are substantial structures with properties well-swept and well-maintained.
    nepal_gate01.jpg
  • New recruits of the British Royal Gurkha Regiment parade before taking official oaths on the Union Jack flag at their army camp in Pokhara, Nepal after recently being recruited into the regiment after a gruelling series of tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates, before the 160 lucky candidates travel to the UK for basic training. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Nepal has been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    gurkha_inspection-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Teenage Nepali boys await the start of a recruitment test for the Gurkha Regiment called the Doko race, part of a tough endurance series to find physically perfect specimens for British army infantry training. They have to carry 30kg of river stones in a traditional Himalayan doko (basket) for 3km up foothills within 37 minutes to pass. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. Nepal has been supplying youths for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.
    doko_gurkhas-16-01-1997.jpg
  • For their daily river washing ritual, young Nepali boys bathe in the river Seti Gandaki in a valley side near the British Gurkha Regiment's army camp at Pokhara during their recruitment selection held ever year, 16th January 1997, in Pokhara, Nepal. <br />
After a gruelling series of physical tests to eliminate the weaker and less able candidates. 60,000 boys aged between 17-22 (or 25 for those educated enough to become clerks or communications specialists) report to designated recruiting stations in the hills each November, most living from altitudes ranging from 4,000-12,000 feet. After initial selection, 7,000 are accepted for further tests from which 700 are sent down here to Pokhara in the shadow of the Himalayas. Only 160 of the best boys succeed in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.  (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
    gurkha_selection04-16-01-1997.jpg
  • A group of young Nepali children stand on the terrace of a small hut where they live in the village of Rip in the Gorkha district of central Nepal, one of the 75 districts of modern Nepal. The kids gaze into many directions while two village elders attend to domestic chores in the dirt. Beyond them, we see snow capped peaks of Himalayan mountains. Gorkha has lent its name to the Gurkha soldier, from where young teenage boys are typically recruited for service into the British army, a tradition that goes back to the Indian Mutiny of 1857
    nepal_rural02-16-01-1997.jpg
  • Local women fill water bottles and wash family clothing and their hair in cold Himalayan mountain waters during their morning ritual in Gorkha which lent its name to the Gurkha soldier, and from where young teenage boys are typically recruited for service into the British army, a tradition that goes back to the Indian Mutiny of 1857, on 12th December 1997, in Gorkha, Nepal.
    annapurna03-12-12-1997.jpg
  • The statues of Sir Eyre-Coote, K.B. by Thomas Banks (1788) and   <br />
Marquis Cornwallis, K.G. by John Bacon, Senior (1791) in the Gurkha Stair in the former India Office, which was part of the Foreign and Colonial Office (now the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), Whitehall, London. on 17th September 2017, in Whitehall, London, England. The main Foreign Office building is in King Charles Street, and was built by George Gilbert Scott in partnership with Matthew Digby Wyatt and completed in 1868 as part of the new block of government offices which included the India Office and later (1875) the Colonial and Home Offices. George Gilbert Scott was responsible for the overall classical design of these offices but he had an amicable partnership with Wyatt, the India Office’s Surveyor, who designed and built the interior of the India Office.
    foreign_office-11-17-09-2017.jpg
  • An old man holds a young child near their home in the central region of the Himalayan mountain kingdom of Nepal. We see the dark skin of this working man in a foothill dwelling near the town of Gorkha where the British army traditionally find young men for the Gurkha regiment (as thay have done since 1857). The prospects for the child may mean it will in future try to seek work in the cities like Kathmandu rather than face a lifetime's struggle in local agriculture. Their supplies and contact with the outside world comes up from tracks of boulders and stone along which either men or yaks carry up food for basic survival and luxury goods.
    nepali_family02-12-12-1997.jpg
  • A Nepali family consisting of parents and young children are viewed outside their home in the central region of the Himalayan mountain kingdom. 8 children and 3 adults are near a dry stone wall in a foothill dwelling near the town of Gorkha where the British army traditionally find young men for the Gurkha regiment (as thay have done since 1857). The family are wearing clean clothes with bright colours and appear healthy despite this country - and especially for those living at altitude - being one of the world's poorest. The prospects for these children may mean they will in future try to seek work in the cities like Kathmandu rather than face a lifetime's struggle in local agriculture. Their supplies and contact with the outside world comes up from tracks of boulders and stone along which either men or yaks carry up food for basic survival and luxury goods.
    gorkha06-16-01-1997.jpg
  • The statues of Sir Eyre-Coote, K.B. by Thomas Banks (1788) and   <br />
Marquis Cornwallis, K.G. by John Bacon, Senior (1791) in the Gurkha Stair in the former India Office, which was part of the Foreign and Colonial Office (now the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), Whitehall, London. on 17th September 2017, in Whitehall, London, England. The main Foreign Office building is in King Charles Street, and was built by George Gilbert Scott in partnership with Matthew Digby Wyatt and completed in 1868 as part of the new block of government offices which included the India Office and later (1875) the Colonial and Home Offices. George Gilbert Scott was responsible for the overall classical design of these offices but he had an amicable partnership with Wyatt, the India Office’s Surveyor, who designed and built the interior of the India Office.
    foreign_office-12-17-09-2017.jpg
  • A Nepali family consisting of parents and young children   outside their home in the central region of the Himalayan mountain kingdom. Children and adults are near a dry stone wall in a foothill dwelling near the town of Gorkha where the British army traditionally find young men for the Gurkha regiment (as thay have done since 1857). The family are wearing clean clothes with bright colours and appear healthy despite this country - and especially for those living at altitude - being one of the world's poorest. The prospects for these children may mean they will in future try to seek work in the cities like Kathmandu rather than face a lifetime's struggle in local agriculture. Their supplies and contact with the outside world comes up from tracks of boulders and stone along which either men or yaks carry up food for basic survival and luxury goods.
    nepali_family01-12-12-1997.jpg
  • As his mother washes clothes in a communal spring below, a young boy of about 9 years of age stands on a track in the Himalayan foothills near the town of Gorkha. Here, the British army traditionally recruits young men for the Gurkha regiment (as they have done since 1857). The lad is wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt and like many in this region - even is sub-zero temperatures - flip-flops. Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries. The prospects for this child may mean they will in future, if the army has no place for him, he may try to seek work in cities like Kathmandu rather than face a lifetime's struggle in local agriculture, as can be seen in the valley below. Their supplies and contact with the outside world comes up from these tracks of boulders and stone along which either men or yaks carry up food for basic survival and luxury goods.
    gorkha05-16-01-1997.jpg
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Richard Baker Photography

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