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The Battalion sits well above mandated Adventure Training attendance
figures. Perhaps most unexpectedly, 2RGR are now double Army Ca-
noe Water Polo champions; a paddler is also the Army Sprint and
Marathon canoe Champion whilst two 2RGR boats entered the Devizes
to Westminster race. A silver medal on Cambrian and £33,000 raised
for charities are other bright notes.
Socially and ceremonially the Battalion has also been active – the Mess
and our Pipes & Drums have been put to good use. The Band have
deployed to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines - they
also marked the 50
th
anniversary of the Brunei Revolt. Regional De-
fence Attachés have been hosted at a formal dinner in the Mess; whilst
some 11 Ambassadors and High Commissioners were hosted for a VIP
lunch. GOC Support Command has visited, attending the BFB Open
Day (Gurkha Fair) which attracted well over 2,000 local visitors.
More recently 2RGR hosted CDS for a valedictory dinner and HM The
Sultan for a farewell visit to the Battalion ahead of the Unit Move.
Later this month a team will deploy to Burma for a visit. We were de-
lighted that 2RGR men won both the Tuker Award and Prince of Wales
Kukri this year. Finally, 2RGR have also produced a lasting memorial
to our fallen RGR soldiers; the
RGR Afghanistan Memorial Wall
in Tuker
Lines is a fitting tribute to our Officers and men who gave their lives
on operations .
The Future
. 2RGR have now completed the Unit Move from Brunei
back to UK, ready to enter the operational training cycle. The Battalion
has been warned to deploy to Kenya in February 2014. 2RGR looks
back at four years in Brunei with great pride and no small amount of
affection. In challenging times for the British Army writ large, signifi-
cant progress at every level has been made in Brunei.
The conditions are set for 1RGR to continue such progress; securing the
Army’s footprint in SE Asia whilst demonstrating the capabilities of
the Gurkha on a regional stage.
