WORCESTER MP Robin Walker was among the MPs to welcome hundreds of Gurkhas to the Houses of Parliament for a tour to celebrate 200 years of Gurkha service in the British army.
The anniversary coincides with that of the Battle of Waterloo and Mr Walker took great pride in showing the new Gurkha soldiers the huge painting of the battle which adorns the walls of the House of Lords.
In the very year that the Duke of Wellington, himself a veteran of many campaigns in India, was facing down Napoleon on the battlefields of Belgium, the first Gurkha recruits were joining the British Army in India.
They have continued serving alongside British forces ever since and played notable roles in both world wars as well as in more recent conflicts such as the Falklands War and Afghanistan.
Along with the All Party Group for the Armed Forces whose chairman, James Gray opened yesterday’s event, Robin has hosted new Gurkha recruits for a tour of Parliament and a talk about the ways in which British Parliamentary democracy interacts with the armed forces during each year of his time in Parliament.
At the event he was joined by MPs Bob Stewart (Beckenham), Oliver Colville (Plymouth Devonport) and Kevin Foster (Torbay) as well as Lord (Ken) Maginnis from the House of Lords.
“Gurkhas have a proud history of serving in the British army and recent events in Nepal have drawn attention to the close connections between our country and their homeland,” he said.
“It is always a privilege to be able to welcome our armed forces to the House of Commons and it is always a pleasure to see new recruits, smartly turned out and eager to learn about our Parliamentary democracy.”
“There is a special bond between the Gurkhas and the United Kingdom and it is one that I hope will endure for centuries to come,” he added.
