Apologies, only a tangent link to flying, our chums over on ARRSE (The Army Romour Service) have highlighted the plight of a Gurkha VC winner,
http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=66783#1296899
Please read the whole thread, if the way this gallant man has been treated makes you sick contact your MP, HM, local paper, other forums or whoever
Now if you think, as I do, that actually Gurkhas in general would make model citizens, and perhaps we in the UK owe them
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/gurkhas-rights/
In fact while I’m at it, re-release of Brothers In Arms as a Falklands 25 charity download
http://www.militaryforums.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?p=186853
By: Ren Frew - 1st June 2007 at 22:02
They let him in !!!!:D 😉 🙂
By: swerve - 30th May 2007 at 11:36
Works for me! Rather loads of Commonwealth types with a track-record of loyalty to the Crown rather than some that seem to get in these days. …
You mean like Idi Amin? :diablo:
By: Maple 01 - 29th May 2007 at 22:14
we open the gates to everyone who served in the Indian army & every other colonial force (e.g. the KAR) prior to independence.
Works for me! Rather loads of Commonwealth types with a track-record of loyalty to the Crown rather than some that seem to get in these days. We’ll even take Australians! (‘Course it’ll lower house prices);)
See the legal problem?
Feck’em (Celtic saying)
By: swerve - 29th May 2007 at 15:41
Technically, he wasn’t in the British army in 1944. All Gurkhas served in the Indian army until 1947, when 4 regiments (a minority) were transferred to the British army, shortly before Indian independence. The majority stayed in the Indian army, which still recruits Gurkhas. It has 40 battalions of them, in 7 regiments.
There are no rules saying that getting a medal, even a VC, changes your immigration rights (though maybe there should be), & it’s always been the case that service in colonial units prior to independence (& that’s what he did) carried over to the new nation, not to the UK. Unless, of course, he (1) stayed in the Gurkhas until after Indian independence & (2) was in one of the 4 regiments which transferred. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t make that clear.
See the legal problem? Either we give him a special dispensation based on his VC (the right thing to do IMO), or we open the gates to everyone who served in the Indian army & every other colonial force (e.g. the KAR) prior to independence. Unfortunately, the embassy flunkies don’t have the authority to give him any special dispensation: they have discretion to refuse on suspicion, not discretion to allow in for human decency.
What I’d like to see is for his appeal to be granted, or turned down with publicly expressed deep regret that the rules don’t allow an exception (if that’s the case at that level), & a request that those who can change the rules change ’em pronto, followed by a quick grant of leave to enter by whoever has the power to grant one – presumably the Home Secretary, or whatver the office is called this week.
By: steve rowell - 28th May 2007 at 07:56
And i thought John Howard was a cold hearted bigoted racist!!
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May 28, 2007 at 7:11 am