Aldershot Military Museum is creating a permanent reminder of the Gurkhas’ connection with the town.
Thanks to a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a new exhibition will be created in a rare 1930s guardroom brought to the site from the former home of the 1st Battalion the Gurkha Rifles in nearby Church Crookham.
Guardrooms of this type were once common on army bases in the UK but most have long since been demolished. Aldershot Military Museum Curator Sally Day described it as “a fantastic addition to the museum”.
As well as commemorating the Gurkhas’ presence in the town it will, she explained, provide a venue for education and outreach projects acting as a space for local community groups.
“We are pleased to be not only preserving a building of this type but also displaying through exhibitions its rich army history,” she added.
The 1st Battalion 7th (Duke of Edinburgh’s Own) Gurkha Rifles were stationed at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Church Crookham, from 1971 to 2000. During that time strong links were forged with the Aldershot community and a key element of the new display will emphasise those links.
The main Gurkha Museum has been located at Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, since 1989. This new display will celebrate not only their military achievements but also their social and cultural heritage.
