Page 76 - The KRH Year of 2023 (CREST Sharing)

76 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
IA Hussar in Brunei
Lt Brown and his section in ‘the trees’
Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, the last of which resulted in the team facing off against the unofficial Fijian 7’s development squad—resulting in a 68-0 loss and a ‘chocolate ankle’ for Lt Brown after attempting just one tackle.
Once finished as a semi-professional rugby player Lt Brown was forced back into the busy deployment schedule of 1st Bn RGR. Ex VIGILANT ISLES 23 saw the battalion combining with the 3rd Airborne Infantry Bn of the Japan Ground Self- Defence Force, with Lt Brown as IO, heading up the binational J2 team; although it is disputed how much value he could have added, speaking neither Japanese nor Nepali... regardless, strong bonds were formed through the unmatched hosting of the Japanese providing real insight into the partner nation and how they operate.
Lt Brown returned from his stint with The Royal Gurkha Rifles still speaking no Nepali and with an only slightly less nega- tive view of dismounted soldiering, but full of praise for the Gurkhas and the incredible opportunity in Brunei.
AMB
n April 1945, Medicina, Italy, the 6th Gurkha Rifles and the
14th/20th King’s Hussars bravely fought side by side to conquer the strategic town. In remembrance of this shared battle honour, every few years an officer from the descendant regiments is exchanged (not dissimilar to your school French exchange student), maintaining the strong ties and celebrating the continued friendship between the two regiments.
In September 2023 Lt Adam Brown was fortunate enough to post out to Brunei for 4 months as the Intelligence Officer for the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles. He was immediately thrown in at the deep end, deploying to the dense jungles of Borneo leading a section on a three-day patrol competition, a significant change from the comfort of the commander’s seat of a Challenger 2 on Salisbury Plain! Fighting through the humid- ity, flora and fauna he led his team to a respectable 5th place finish of 10 teams, beating two of the Gurkha’s own famed Jungle Warfare Instructors.
Between deploying to the ‘trees’ Lt Brown also took the oppor- tunity to dust off his rugby boots, joining the local tri-service rugby club: The Flying Kukris. Playing in tournaments in
The combined J2 team of 1st Bn RGR and 3rd Airbone Inf Bn, JGSDF
Lt Brown looking particularly enthused for another planning cycle