The BBC reports on a recently announced change in Gurkha recruiting:
Screencap of the Royal Gurkha Rifles page at the British Army website
The Gurkhas will recruit women for the first time from 2020, and the selection process will be the same as for men.
Women hoping to join will have to pass gruelling physical tests – including racing 3.1 miles (5km) uphill carrying 55lb (25kg) of sand in a wicker basket.
Gurkhas, who are Nepalese, have been part of the Army for more than 200 years.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said it was “right” women were given the chance to serve in “this elite group”.
The change in direction comes three years after Nepal – traditionally a male-dominated society – elected its first female president, Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
To be considered for the selection process, applicants must weigh more than 50kg (7.9 stone), be taller than 158cm (5ft 1in) and “be able to complete eight underarm heaves”, the Army website says.
The recruitment process takes place in Pokhara, central Nepal. Successful applicants are then flown to Catterick, North Yorkshire, for a 10-week training programme.
[…]
At its peak, during World War Two, 112,000 men were in the Gurkhas. More than 230,000 fought across both world wars, but their numbers have fallen dramatically since.
Currently, there are about 3,000 Gurkhas – most are in the infantry but some are engineers, logisticians or signals specialists.
The regiment, whose motto is “Better to die than be a coward,” still carry into battle their traditional weapon – an 18-inch (46cm) long curved knife known as a kukri.
A Kukri (Top) with the traditional Karda (middle) and Chakmak (bottom). The Karda and Chakmak are used as a utility knife and a sharpening tool respectively
Via Wikimedia Commons.
