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Gurkha Selection

28 images Created 7 Dec 2015

I photographed the selection of Gurkhas at various locations in Nepal during 1996/97 on assignment for Le Figaro, a French magazine.

While there, I visited recruiting stations in the hills each November, at 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.

That year, only 160 of the best succeeded in the journey to the UK. The Gurkhas have been supplying youth for the British army since the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

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  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Officers watch new recruits swear allegiance to the Queen in British Royal Gurkha Regiment Pokhara camp, Nepal..
    gurkha_recruitment06-16-01-1997.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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
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