Originally Posted by ibilola

Queen's Gurkha Officer (QGO). There is no equivalent to these ranks in the remainder of the army and they stem from the old Viceroy's commission of the Indian Army. Queen's Gurkha Officers sometimes have their own Mess and referred to by all ranks as "Saheb"

Not much point in maintaining the distinction then. If they are equal in status to other officers though, why are QGOs given 'Honorary Commissions' i.e. a Major (QGO) can be an 'Honorary Captain'?

Originally Posted by mynameis

why are QGOs given 'Honorary Commissions' i.e. a Major (QGO) can be an 'Honorary Captain'?

I believe that's on retirement of Gurkha Majors i.e. Maj (QGO) retires as Hon. Capt (GCO). Most if not all Area Welfare Officers and Gurkha Recruitment Officers are Hon Capt (GCO).

Originally Posted by John_Gurkha

Originally Posted by 82C_RTG

Brit officers at troop comd level are beginning to be thinned out under Gurkha TACOS as and when vetting comes in for the QGS blokes.

This is simply not true. There will always be a place in QG SIGNALS for UKTAP Tp Comds. If it was only vetting that was the issue, QOGLR, QGE and the RGR would have binned UKTAP Tp Comds years ago wouldn't they? In real terms the mix of youth and experience is a good blend to have in the Comd team of a Squadron.

)
J-G

Youth!!!! You!!!! Good one.

AY

PS - pm me with yr civvy e-mail my messages not working.

Do Queens Gurkha Officers receive the same Commission as British Officers/Gurkha Commissioned Officers i.e. same wording?

And if a Major (QGO) and a British Captain found themselves on a desert island who would be in command?

Is that really a serious question? Lesson on chain of command:

Major
Captain
Lt
2Lt

Any other argument is irrelevant. Its like asking is the Commission given to LE officers different to those given DE officers. I refer you to my earlier reply.

What in the same way that Late Entry Officers are junior to Direct Entry or that Navy Officers are Senior to Army Officers or that I went up the steps before the bloke behind me or that my Regimental number is earlier than yours?

Originally Posted by John_Gurkha

Its like asking is the Commission given to LE officers different to those given DE officers.

So why is a Major (QGO) made an Honorary Captain?

Why don't we just accept that it is these anomalies that make the British Army what it is and remember that no matter how you look at it Ghurkas are mercenaries. They sign a different contract to BORs because they are enlisting in a foreign army. Don't get me wrong , I have great respect for the Ghurka having been attched to 48 (Ghurka )Inf Bde but facts are facts.

A description of the various designations in the Brigade of Gurkhas, taken from The Future of the British Gurkhas, House of Commons Defence Committee Report, 1989 {Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, £14.20),

'A Gurkha may hold one of three types of commission. Sandhurst-Commissioned Officers have exactly the same terms and conditions of service as British Sandhurst-commissioned officers and are their equals, rank for rank. They are frequently sons of retired Gurkha officers, and much better educated than the average Gurkha. There are at present 14 Sandhurst-commissioned Gurkhas in the Brigade—8 per centof the British Officer strength; the most senior has been a lieutenant-colonel,

Gurkha Commissioned Officers (GCO)have a status equal to that of British officers, but different terms and conditions of service. There are 6 GCOs in the Brigade, of whom 4 are serving with infantry regiments. Queens' GurkhaOfficers(QG0) provide the majority of the officers in the Brigade of Gurkhas. All were originally recruited as Riflemen or equivalent and have risen through the ranks. They have a status between Gurkha NCOs and the British and Sandhurst-commissioned Gurkha officers, and may hold the rank of Lieutenant (QGO), Captain (QGO) or Major (QGO).'

MyNameIs,

What point exactly are you trying to make? The report you are talking about was written in 1989, when the majority of the Brigade of Gurkhas was sat in the Far East, it was probably written prior to Options for Change in order to help assess the requirement for the Brigade of Gurkhas.

Regardless of what you are trying to insinuate, QGOs are currently regarded as equals in the Officers Mess and no doubt when the findings of the Gurkha Terms and Conditions of Service Review are finally published their commission will probably revert to an LE commission in line with current UKTAP TACOS.

If you wish to try your hand at ignoring the commands of a QGO because "He's not a proper officer" in an entirely Sharpesque manner, crack on but remember he still holds Her Majestys' Commission, so entirely your professional call.

Do you wish to cover this ground again?

Originally Posted by John_Gurkha

MyNameIs,

What point exactly are you trying to make? The report you are talking about was written in 1989, when the majority of the Brigade of Gurkhas was sat in the Far East, it was probably written prior to Options for Change in order to help assess the requirement for the Brigade of Gurkhas.

Regardless of what you are trying to insinuate, QGOs are currently regarded as equals in the Officers Mess and no doubt when the findings of the Gurkha Terms and Conditions of Service Review are finally published their commission will probably revert to an LE commission in line with current UKTAP TACOS.

If you wish to try your hand at ignoring the commands of a QGO because "He's not a proper officer" in an entirely Sharpesque manner, crack on but remember he still holds Her Majestys' Commission, so entirely your professional call.

Do you wish to cover this ground again?

The point I'm trying to make is that the QGO rank is an anomaly that, in spite of recent changes, still treats Gurkhas as inferiors (different commission, different rank badges, offering honorary commissions). The change to LE Commissions is long overdue in my opinion, but I wonder whether the Tri-partite agreement will allow this as the QGO ranks correspond with the Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) ranks (i.e. Subedar, Subedar Major etc) in the Indian Army.